2025 | Track 2 | Data‑Driven Analytical Frameworks for Uncovering Systemic Determinants of Mental‑Health Access in Rural Populations in Virginia
TRACK 2 SEED GRANT | Whole Health Consortium
Data‑Driven Analytical Frameworks for Uncovering Systemic Determinants of Mental‑Health Access in Rural Populations in Virginia
Collaborative funding for this project is provided by the Whole Health Consortium in partnership with the Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment (ISCE) at Virginia Tech and Carilion Clinic.
TEAM:
- Esra Buyuktahtakin Toy, PhD — Professor, Grado Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering, College of Engineering, Virginia Tech (Contact PI)
- Brooks Casas, PhD — Professor, Department of Psychology, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Tech
- Anita Kablinger, MD — Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine, VT Carilion School of Medicine & Carilion Clinic
- Mary Beth Dunkenberger, PhD — Associate Director & Research Scientist, VT Institute for Policy and Governance
- Robert L. Trestman, MD, PhD — Professor & Chair, Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine, Carilion Clinic & VTCSOM
- Aysegul Aydogan, MD — Assistant Professor / Psychiatrist, Psychiatry, VT Carilion School of Medicine & Carilion Mental Health Tanglewood
- Pearl Chiu, PhD — Professor, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
- Kimiya Mohammadi‑Jozani — Graduate Research Assistant, Industrial & Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech
Access to outpatient mental‑health care in rural and semi‑rural Southwest Virginia is constrained by a mix of logistical, technological, and behavioral barriers that drive missed appointments and delayed care. This Track II project—led by Virginia Tech researchers in partnership with the Carilion Mental Health Tanglewood clinic—builds an integrated simulation + machine‑learning platform to uncover how transportation, broadband, scheduling systems, insurance status, motivation, trust, and stigma interact to shape follow‑through in ambulatory psychiatry. The team will validate the model against de‑identified clinical data and test strategies such as telehealth expansion and patient navigators to improve continuity of care across the region.
By framing access as a system design problem—rather than only an individual challenge—the project aims to deliver a calibrated micro‑simulation, comparative ML analytics, and policy‑ready insights that support equitable scheduling, targeted telehealth, and better resource allocation for rural populations. Findings will position the team for Whole Health Track I and NIH submissions focused on data‑driven, community‑engaged improvements in mental‑health systems.
