Horizon Collective: Where Research Meets Community to Improve Mental Wellbeing
Goals
The Horizon Collective brings together students from multiple disciplines to work on real-world projects that integrate science, community engagement, and innovation to improve mental health and wellbeing. The team focuses broadly on public mental health across the lifespan, exploring ways to prevent mental illness, promote resilience, and reduce mental health disparities among children, adolescents, and adults—particularly among historically underserved and vulnerable populations.
Through collaborative projects, students will apply scientific methods from public health, psychology, data science, and social sciences while partnering with community organizations, schools, and local initiatives. By combining research, community insights, and creative solutions, the team seeks to develop practical strategies that strengthen mental health systems and improve access to care.
Specific aims:
- Objective 1 – Diagnose community needs: Identify youth mental health needs and map available resources in Tucson through community engagement with local organizations, schools, and youth-serving programs.
- Objective 2 – Develop community-informed solutions: Design and implement youth-centered mental health awareness campaigns, resilience workshops, and bilingual mental health literacy materials to reduce stigma and improve help-seeking behaviors.
- Objective 3 – Generate and translate evidence: Analyze youth mental health trends and risk and protective factors using epidemiologic data to inform prevention strategies, community programs, and policy discussions.
Student Learning Outcomes:
Students participating in the Horizon Collective VIP Team will develop skills in:
- Community-engaged research
- Public mental health and prevention
- Data analysis and epidemiology
- Science communication and social media engagement
- Program design and evaluation
- Interdisciplinary teamwork
Issues Involved or Addressed
Each academic year, the VIP team will focus on a specific priority area within public mental health. For Fall 2026 and Spring 2027, the team will focus on youth mental health, an urgent public health issue given the rising rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide among adolescents. During this period, students will collaborate on projects to understand local needs, support youth resilience, improve mental health literacy, and analyze data to inform prevention strategies in Tucson, Arizona.
Through this work, students will gain hands-on experience in research, quantitative and qualitative, community collaboration, and public health practice while contributing to meaningful solutions that support mental well-being in their communities. Specific sub-team activities are described below.
Diagnostic Team: Understanding Needs and Resources
This team will conduct a community-based assessment of youth mental health resources and needs in Tucson. Activities include:
- Mapping mental health resources for youth in Tucson, including schools, clinics, community organizations, and relevant policies.
- Conducting meetings with 2–3 community organizations to identify key challenges and unmet needs related to youth mental health.
- Designing 2–3 resilience-focused workshops for adolescents to understand better the needs and experiences of youth in a specific Tucson neighborhood.
Action Team: Youth Engagement and Mental Health Literacy
This team will focus on translating knowledge into accessible and youth-friendly communication strategies. Activities include:
- Developing youth-led mental health awareness campaigns using Instagram and other social media platforms to reduce stigma around mental health.
- Designing digital campaigns addressing five key topics (e.g., depression, anxiety, stress management, substance use, and how to seek help).
- Creating bilingual (English and Spanish) mental health literacy materials explaining common mental health conditions and available support resources.
Analysis Team: Data and Evidence for Prevention
This team will analyze epidemiologic data to understand better trends and risk factors affecting youth mental health. Activities include:
- Analyzing trends in youth depression, suicide, and mental health service utilization.
- Using national datasets (e.g., youth surveys) to identify risk and protective factors associated with depression and anxiety.
- Producing data visualizations and summaries that can inform community programs and policies.
Methods and Tech
Students in the Horizon Collective will apply interdisciplinary methods that combine community engagement, epidemiologic analysis, program design, and science communication. They will conduct community needs assessments and map youth mental health resources in Tucson through meetings with local organizations. Students will analyze publicly available datasets to examine trends and risk factors related to youth mental health. They will also design resilience workshops, develop bilingual mental health literacy materials, and create youth-led social media campaigns to reduce stigma. Through these activities, students will gain hands-on experience in research, data analysis, community partnerships, and translating scientific evidence into practical solutions.
Methodology Type | Description |
| Community-Engaged Research Methods | Students will learn approaches for conducting research in partnership with community organizations, some of the resources of community participatory research, such as Community needs assessments, Stakeholder interviews, community meetings, and Asset mapping of mental health services |
| Epidemiologic and Quantitative Methods | Students will learn core epidemiologic methods and qualitative strategies to analyze mental health data. Students will be able to use descriptive epidemiological methods, as well as analysis of datasets, data visualization, and interpretations using statistical analysis in R and other tools |
| Science Communication and Knowledge Translation | Students will learn strategies for communicating public health information to diverse audiences, including social media, policy briefs, culturally inclusive materials, and community presentations. |
| Interdisciplinary Team Science | Students will work in collaborative teams and learn skills essential for research and real jobs, such as team-based projects, interdisciplinary collaborations, ethics, and leadership. |
Academic Majors of Interest
Students from a wide range of academic backgrounds are encouraged to participate, including (alphabetical list):
- Behavioral and Social Sciences
- Communication
- Communication and Creative Fields
- Computer Science
- Data Science
- Data, Technology, and Analytics
- Education
- Epidemiology
- Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
- Journalism
- Marketing
- Media Arts
- Policy and Education
- Psychology
- Public Health and Health Sciences
- Public Policy
- School Counseling
- Sociology
- Social Work
- Statistics or Biostatistics
Preferred Interests and Preparation
- Ability to work in a team
- Proficiency in Spanish and English
- Data analysis skills
- Experience with R or Python.
Application Process
To express interest in this team, please complete the VIP Interest Form and select "Horizon Collective: Where Research Meets Community to Improve Mental Wellbeing."
This team:
- Accepts students at the start of each semester.
- Accepts fully online students.
- Only recruits students for credit.