Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) awarded The Regents of the University of Colorado a Project Grant of $430,163 under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242) to develop and validate a sensor-based intervention monitoring (SBIM) system for adolescents with mood disorders. The award, effective March 15, 2026, through March 14, 2028, supports research conducted at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Boulder, Colorado, in partnership with the Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Depression Center and the Child and Family Clinic.

The primary deliverable is the validation and clinical translation of a smartphone-based monitoring platform that leverages native digital sensors and ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to track behavioral and mood data with minimal patient burden. The study involves 33 adolescent participants (ages 13-19) enrolled in existing mood disorder interventions who will use the SBIM system over an eight-week period. The system captures objective behavioral features—including physical activity, social engagement patterns, sleep and circadian rhythms, behavioral activation, impulsivity, and goal-directedness—by extracting data from smartphone sensors such as GPS, accelerometers, screen usage logs, call/text activity, and ambient environmental sensors. The project aims to generate SBIM reports that support inter-session monitoring, a critical component of evidence-based interventions for adolescent mood disorders, while addressing the persistent problem of low adherence to traditional manual monitoring approaches.