Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) awarded The Medical University of South Carolina a $208,794 Project Grant on March 5, 2026, under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242) to support a K23 research and training initiative led by Dr. Emily Tilstra-Ferrell. The grant funds the development and testing of an adapted written exposure therapy (WET) intervention for adolescents with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Through this five-year award (concluding February 28, 2031), the project will systematically adapt WET—an evidence-based, five-session treatment originally developed for adults—using the ADAPT-ITT framework, conduct a proof-of-concept randomized controlled trial comparing WET to trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy in a pediatric primary care setting, and examine potential mechanisms of action related to fear extinction and cognitive processes.

This research directly addresses a critical clinical gap in adolescent mental health treatment, as over four million U.S. adolescents have PTSD yet only 37% access evidence-based treatments, with over one-third of those who do access care dropping out prematurely due to lengthy protocol requirements. By condensing treatment from longer standard protocols to five sessions, WET aims to reduce treatment barriers and costs while maintaining clinical efficacy, thereby improving accessibility and completion rates for this vulnerable population in real-world, multidisciplinary healthcare settings.