Research librarian contributes to state health policymaking
When experts from the College of Health Professions, Department of Rehabilitation Counseling partnered with VCU’s Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory (SERL) on a grant-funded research project contracted by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) they turned to Talicia Tarver to provide expert systematic search support for their research.
The overarching goal of the 2019 research project was to inform policy for Virginia-based peer recovery specialist training and supervision.
During the 2019 Spring semester, Rehabilitation Counseling faculty members involved on the grant asked Tarver, Research and Education Librarian, and liaison to the College of Health Professions to serve as part of their research team. For this project, the study team needed to conduct a systematic review to determine the current standards of practice for peer counseling programs in substance use and mental health settings.
Tarver’s unique research skill sets brought a valuable perspective to the research team and helped inform the research process to create a high-quality systematic review. She assisted the team in constructing a thorough search of multiple health and social sciences databases. Using well-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria, the team was able to determine which citations matched their criteria. Thus, began the screening process for the best evidence.
After the project is complete, the team will craft a review that will help inform Virginia’s policy for recovery training programs. Funding for the project was provided through November 2019.
Categories Faculty/Staff, Librarians at Work