Our History
The need for a Behavioral Health Evidence-Based Practice Center was demonstrated in the 2017 Louisiana Behavioral Health Provider Survey of Youth Related Services. This statewide survey, funded by the Office of Behavioral Health and executed by Dr. Stephen Phillippi, Ph.D. found less than 60% of the mental health services delivered under Medicaid coverage were reporting utilizing an evidence-based practice, and even fewer providers reporting the adoption of key research supported components, like written training curricula, structured supervision, fidelity monitoring, and manualized treatment. Thus, the Center for Evidence to Practice was created in hopes of bridging gaps and bring more evidence-based behavioral health practices to communities across the state of Louisiana.
Vision
At the Center for Evidence to Practice we envision a Louisiana where all individuals have access to a high quality, responsive and effective behavioral health system delivered by a well-trained workforce.
Mission
We achieve this through the Center’s mission to support Louisiana and its agencies, organizations, communities, and providers in the selection and implementation of research-driven behavioral health interventions while understanding and helping to address challenges related to sustaining quality practice that promotes well-being and improves outcomes.
Values
To do this work, the Center’s core beliefs and principles include being…
- Collaborative;
- Strengths-based;
- Community-oriented;
- Solution-focused;
- Responsive;
- Data driven to inform decisions; and
- Excellent in communicating and supporting our partners
faculty and staff
Stephen W. Phillippi, Jr. Ph.D., LCSW, CCFC
Director/Founder
[email protected]
(504) 234-3899
Dr. Stephen Phillippi serves as the Director of the Center for Evidence to Practice. He is also the Chair of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences at the Louisiana State University School of Public Health. Dr. Phillippi’s work has primarily focused on bringing evidence-based practices and supportive policies to states and local communities. He received his Ph.D. from LSU, MSW from Tulane University, and BA from Loyola New Orleans. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Clinically Certified Forensic Counselor. He has a twenty-five year history of developing, managing, evaluating, and providing direct services throughout different systems and continuums of care. Dr. Phillippi is the PI on several studies and grants. In addition to these activities, Dr. Phillippi teaches, advises, writes, consults, and serves on a number of professional and public service boards.
Hasheemah Afaneh, MPH
Program Administrator
Mental Health Crisis Response Workforce Development and Training
Hasheemah Afaneh serves as the Program Administrator for the Behavioral Health Crisis Response (BHCR) Development and Training Response program. She holds a Master of Public Health in Behavioral and Community Health from LSUHSC and a Bachelor of Science from Birzeit University. She brings experience in project coordination, health communications and writing, and advocacy, as she’s contributed to a variety of health programs in different parts of the U.S. and Palestine.
Lisa Staples, MPH
Program Administrator
Evidence-Based Practice Training and Capacity Building
(504) 568-5731
Lisa Staples, MPH, serves as the Program Administrator for the Center for Evidence to Practice Evidence Based Practice for Behavioral Health Services program. She holds a Master of Public Health in Behavioral and Community Health from LSUHSC and a Bachelor of Arts from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Binghamton University. Lisa brings experience in project management, education and outreach. Her passions lie in working with families and children to help increase access to overall health services. She is looking forward to bridging her background to the great work that lies ahead with the Center for Evidence to Practice.
Brooke Dupre
Program Assistant
Evidence-Based Practice Training and Capacity Building
(504) 568-5731
Brooke Dupre serves as the Program Assistant for both the Center for Evidence to Practice. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Loyola University New Orleans in the Social Sciences and Humanities with a minor in African and African American Studies. Prior to joining the Center for Evidence to Practice, Ms. Dupre worked with vulnerable populations, including youth involved with the juvenile justice system. She has experience working with mental healthcare professionals and hopes to expand her knowledge in this field during her time at the center.
Helena Marlowe
Program Assistant
Mental Health Crisis Response Workforce Development and Training
(504) 568-5949
Helena Marlowe serves as the Program Assistant for the Behavioral Health Crisis Response (BHCR) Development and Training Response program. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington in Politics and Government with a minor in Asian Studies. She brings experience from social organizing in university and in Tacoma, where she helped found a chapter of Serve the People to work with individuals experiencing houselessness. She is passionate about equal access to resources and looks forward to contributing to the Center’s development of the Behavioral Health Crisis Response workforce.
Claudia Leonardi, Ph.D.
Statistician
(504) 599-1111
Dr. Claudia Leonardi serves as the statistician of the Center for Evidence to Practice and is an Assistant Professor in the Behavioral and Community Health Sciences at the Louisiana State University School of Public Health. She received her biostatistical Ph.D. from LSUHSC, and M. App. Stat. from LSU, and her previous animal science training from UW-Wisconsin and Universita di Padova, Italy. Dr. Leonardi supports the Center in all their data management and analysis needs. Dr. Leonardi also collaborates with various clinical departments within the School of Medicine by providing study design and statistical support to progress ideas into projects and papers.
Willandra Whiting, Ph.D. Student
Graduate Assistant
Willandra Whiting is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, where her topic of interest is sexual risk behaviors and health outcomes. Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, Willandra received her BS in Biology from Clark Atlanta University and earned her MPH with a concentration in Environmental and Occupational Health from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She obtained a Registered Environmental Health Specialist certification and currently works as an Environmental Health Specialist II in Food Operations at the Southern Nevada Health District. As a graduate assistant, she has been involved in both Evidence to Practice work in tandem with the Crisis Response System development.
Gabrielle Gonzalez, Ph.D. Student
Graduate Assistant
Gabrielle Gonzalez is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, where her research interests include childhood obesity, disordered eating, and eating behavior technology. Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, Gabrielle received her BS in Biological Sciences from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and her MPH in Behavioral and Community Health Sciences from Louisiana State University Health Sciences, School of Public Health in New Orleans, Louisiana. She has previous experience working with families in nutritional and behavioral interventions at Louisiana State University Health Sciences, School of Public Health, and Pennington Biomedical Research Center. As a graduate assistant, she is active in the Crisis Response System and Evidence to Practice. Gabrielle hopes to contribute to the Center by strengthening her manuscript and grant writing skills.
The Center for The Center for Evidence to Practice offers opportunities for students in public health and social work disciplines to gain experience in managing and analyzing a state-level behavioral health initiative. We have had PhD graduate assistants from LSUHSC School of Public Health’s Behavioral and Community Health Sciences program, MPH and MSW practicum students, and MPH student workers. To inquire about getting involved with our work, email [email protected] or contact Dr. Phillippi.
Core Team
Staff pictured left to right: Hasheemah Afaneh, Lisa V. Staples, Helena Marlowe, Brooke Dupre
Our Leadership
The Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) is dedicated to improving the quality and accessibility of behavioral health services for children and families served by Medicaid. OBH funds and provides expertise to the Center for Evidence to Practice.
IMplementation team
In 2019, the Center for E2P selected behavioral health leaders from across Louisiana to serve as Implementation Team members. At quarterly web-based meetings, team members convene to strategize on the implementation and dissemination of EBPs and discuss behavioral health workforce development. The Center for E2P will continue to utilize the Implementation Team as a vital resource for strategizing and informing our approach to EBP expansion.
Current members include:
- Dr. Matt Thornton – Center for Children and Families
- Paulette Carter – Department of Public Health – Bureau of Family Health
- Colette Melancon – Therapeutic Partners, LLC
- Laura Alderman – CEO, Educational Resources for Families, Inc.
- Angela Henry Wilklow- Private Practice Medicaid Provider
- Dr. Paula Zeenah – ULL Picard Center
- Berre Burch – Director, Children’s Bureau NOLA
- Bill Sommers – Deputy Secretary, Office of Juvenile Justice
- Dr. Rhenda Hodnett – Assistant Secretary of Child Welfare, DCFS
- Mekisha McCraw – Northwest Louisiana Human Services Authority
- Amber Finley-Dalovisio – Imperial Calcasieu Human Services Authority
- Dr. Rosanna DiChiro – Jefferson Parish Human Services Authority
- Dr. Bryan Fillette – Central Louisiana Human Services District
Misty Herbert and Katie Gibbens – South Central Human Services Authority