After coming to the University of Kentucky undecided on her major, Carly Meyers quickly discovered her love for public health after taking an intro to public health course. The course opened Meyers’ eyes to the impact public health initiatives can have on communities and she knew she had found her calling.
Meyers, a Kentucky native and junior at the UK College of Public of Health (CPH), is now working with Margaret McGladrey, Ph.D., on several research projects. Meyers first met McGladrey through the CPH 395 undergraduate research course as she was intrigued by the possibility of gaining hands-on experience.
Impressed by McGladrey’s passion, Meyers saw her as an ideal mentor.
McGladrey is a faculty member at the UK Innovation in Population Health Center and a research assistant professor in CPH’s Department of Health Management and Policy. Her research focuses on community-based participatory research, program evaluation, particularly within residential programs, primarily focusing on child welfare and behavioral health interventions and other public health settings. As a mentor, she provides practical, research-based guidance, helping her students develop research skills and navigate their careers in public health.
The Insight Generator Tool Evaluation project
One project Meyers is working on with McGladrey involves evaluation of how staff and clinicians at Gemma Services, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting children, youth and families through various behavioral health, education and residential programs, uses data to make decisions. They will be using the Insight Generator tool, a digital application designed to help staff and clinicians in residential programs systematically analyze and improve their practices by capturing detailed feedback and data to identify patterns, successes and areas for improvement. They use a method called Ripple Effects Mapping (REM), which involves group discussions to visually map out the impacts of the tool. This approach helps to identify both expected and unexpected results and find successes and areas for improvement. The findings will be used to improve the tool and enhance the quality of residential programs at Gemma Services.
The project involves conducting two-hour video conference sessions with five different groups of Gemma Services staff, each with varying roles and levels of experience with the Insight Generator tool. By keeping staff and supervisors in separate groups, these sessions will help gather honest feedback.
Meyers’ primary responsibilities with this project include interview transcription and data interpretation. After each interview session, Meyers transcribes the conversations, and collaborates closely with McGladrey on data interpretation strategies, providing crucial support in the qualitative participatory evaluation process.
Meyers found that REM is particularly beneficial.
“It allows us to easily trace the benefits or obstacles of tools back to the root. This assists us in recommending if certain features of the tool should be kept or improved upon,” she shared.
The team will use their findings to draft a comprehensive mind map combining all data and present it an all-staff meeting at Gemma Services for member-checking and further discussion. The findings will inform the development of a second version of the Insight Generator tool.
Additionally, the UK team will present and publish the results at professional venues such as the annual meeting of the Association of Children’s Residential & Community Services and Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) webinars. BBI is a national initiative working to identify and promote best practices and policies that promote strong and closely coordinated partnerships and collaborations between families, youth, advocates, community and residential service providers and oversight agencies.
“This evaluation has opened up opportunities for future collaboration and research,” McGladrey said. “We are partnering with Gemma Services and BCT Partners on grant applications to develop, test, and expand the Insight Generator tool with additional residential providers, enhancing its effectiveness and improving residential program management and client outcomes.”
The Theory of Change project
Meyers is also working with McGladrey on the Theory of Change project, also part of BBI. This project aims to evaluate and enhance the effectiveness of residential interventions, focusing on the feasibility, acceptability, usability and outcomes of a theory of change developed over the past three years by the BBI Outcomes Workgroup and Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago.
A significant part of the project is the development of a comparative book-length case study, examining the qualitative improvement processes of five provider teams. Meyers contributes to the project by taking notes during meetings, organizing process data, documenting and coding data, and collaborating with consultants, providers, mentors and post-doctoral scholars. Her tasks are crucial to the project's data collection and analysis.
The two-year project timeline includes a design, intervention and post-phase, with results expected in 2026. Expected outcomes include detailed case studies, insights into residential interventions' feasibility and acceptability, and best practice recommendations. This will offer evidence-based best practices for program implementation.
Looking ahead
McGladrey’s mentorship not only has enhanced Meyers’ academic experience but also has sparked her interest in program implementation and evaluation. Through McGladrey’s guidance, Meyers has become a more capable, confident and passionate public health researcher, eager to make significant contributions to the field.
“This research class has drastically increased my interest in program implementation and evaluation, specifically in residential treatment programs,” Meyers said about her experiences. “I’ve developed such a wide skill set through this class, from data transcription to research and data analysis. I am confident that my acquired knowledge from this class is applicable to any career path I decide to take.”
Meyers encourages fellow undergraduates to explore research opportunities.
“If you’re unsure, at least go to the information session, or even get in touch with me!” said Meyers. “My biggest advice is to not be intimidated by it because you’ll never know if you’ll love it unless you try. If this class truly doesn’t work out for you, you have every opportunity to drop it, so why not give it a go.”
While Meyers is still exploring her long-term career goals, her growing interest in program implementation and evaluation highlights the influence of McGladrey’s mentorship on her professional aspirations.
This work is funded by Gemma Services and the Oregon Department of Human Services through the Building Bridges Initiative/Association of Children’s Residential and Community Services.
