Biography

Carole Upshur, EdD, Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health, joined the department in 2001 with over 30 years of experience as an evaluation and policy researcher in the areas of education, mental health, disability, and health care. Her most recent work has examined health care quality and access issues in minority Medicaid consumers in Massachusetts. She is currently PI of a study of patient and provider views about the treatment of chronic pain funded by the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality and Co-PI for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Depression in Primary Care Project.  She has extensive teaching experience at the undergraduate and graduate level and has mentored over two dozen health services research dissertations.

Click here to view Dr. Upshur's curriculum vitae

Affiliations

American Psychological Associaton
Academy Health
American Public Health Association
North American Primary Care Research Group
Society for Behavioral Medicine
Society for Prevention Research
Society for Teachers of Family Medicine

Scholarly Activity

Research Support:
Co-Principal Investigator
National Institute of Mental Health, R34 MH085881 (Weinreb)                                                                                     
12/11/09-11/30/12
Integrated Care Model for Homeless Mothers (ICMHM)
This is an intervention development grant to adapt the Chronic Care Model for disease management and build on other primary care depression management studies for homeless mothers.

Co-Principal Investigator
National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, R21 AA018311 (Weinreb)             
9/20/09-8/31/11
A Model for Primary Care Management of Alcohol Use Disorders Among Homeless Women
This is a pilot RCT to test a brief intervention for reducing risky alcohol use among homeless women receiving primary care in a health care for the homeless program.

Principal Investigator
National Institute of Mental Health, R34 1R34MH73830 (Upshur)                                                               4/1/07-3/31/11
Addressing Behavior Problems in Preschool Settings
This is an RCT involving community based child care centers testing a primary prevention intervention for social/emotional regulation and prevention of childhood behavior problems.

Co-PI and Director, Research and Evaluation Plan
Health Resources Services Administration, (HSRA 1D58 HP08304)    
7/1/07-12/31/10
Family Medicine Residency Training
This project is implementing chronic pain management guidelines in clinical practices and training preceptors and residents on guideline-concordant care.   Evaluation of the educational programs and research on diffusion of guideline adaptation will be conducted.

Principal Investigator of UMMS Research Subcontract
Agency for Health Care Quality and Research, R03 HS015987-01  (Granger)
7/1/06-6/30-07
Investigating the correlates and outcomes of depression in adult diabetics-a Practice Based Research Network Project in the Connecticut Primary Care Network/New England Clinician’s Forum

Principal Investigator
Agency for Health Care Quality and Research, R03 HS012455-01A1   (Upshur)    
10/1/03-9/30/05
Treatment of Chronic Pain:   Consumer and Provider Concerns
This grant is investigating barriers to adequate chronic pain treatment as perceived by both patients and physicians in primary care.

Co-Principle Investigator
HSRA Title VII Academic Departments of Family Medicine
9/1/03-8/31/06
Building the Research Infrastructure for Family Medicine
This grant is designed to mentor junior family practice physicians to learn research skills.

Co-Principal Investigator
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation #048172
3/1/02-6/30/06
Depression in Primary Care: Clinical and Systems Strategies
This grant is implementing a chronic illness care model for adult Medicaid patients with depression by training primary care providers.   The grant is a collaboration with the state Medicaid agency.

Consulting Editor/AD HOC Reviewer

Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 2009-present
Family Systems and Health, 2008-present
Prevention Science, 2008-present
Journal of Psychiatric Services, 2006-present
International Journal of Integrated Care, 2006-present
Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 2006-present
Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2003-present
Public Health Reports, 1998-present
Mental Retardation, 1981-1999
American Journal on Mental Retardation, 1987-1999
Infant Mental Health Journal, 1991-1993

Public Service Appointments

Massachusetts Division of Medical Assistance, Medical Advisory Board: 1994-present
Health Care for All: Cummings Foundation Advisory Board: Project for healthcare needs for special populations: 2000-2008
Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care, Advisory Committee on Child Assessment: 2009
Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation, Community Development Committee: 19967-97
Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation, Region 6 Training Committee: 1992-93
Governor's Committee on Facility Consolidation: 1991-92

Mentoring

Dr Upshur has mentored undergraduate and graduate medical students as well as health services doctoral students. She also teaches in the MPH program on campus.

Keywords:

Health disparities
Chronic pain
Behavioral health
Primary care
Child mental health