NAMI Ask the Expert: Advancing Schizophrenia Research – Integrating Lived Experience and Scientific Progress in the AMP SCZ Initiative OD003

An on-demand video and transcript of the presentation are available here [opens in new tab].

About The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. They are an alliance of more than 650 local Affiliates and 49 State organizations who work in your community to raise awareness and provide support and education to people with mental illness and their loved ones. Through awareness, advocacy and education, NAMI is committed to building stronger communities and a better future for everyone affected by mental illness.

Course Summary

Practice Level: Advanced

This course, based on the Ask the Expert webinar series by the NAMI, explains how the Accelerating Medicines Partnership® Schizophrenia (AMP® SCZ) unites people with lived experience, advocacy groups, federal agencies, academia, and industry to accelerate discovery for clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis and schizophrenia. The presentation examines the program’s public-private/open-science model, large longitudinal cohort design across 40+ global sites, and its multimodal biomarker strategy.

The course, with an intended audience of social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and counselors, then presents ethical and practical considerations of co-design with lived-experience leaders are emphasized, alongside early insights informing upcoming proof-of-principle clinical trials. Additionally, the presentation illuminates AMP SCZ’s location within the recent literature on CHR-P assessment, digital markers, and negative symptoms to support evidence-based early intervention and prevention efforts.

Course Format

This course contains a participant guide, practice test, and on-demand video (with a slide deck of the presentation). When you’re ready, purchase the course by clicking the “Add To Cart” or “Enroll” button. This will let you take the test, complete the course evaluation and receive your certificate for CE credits.

Learning Objectives

1. Describe the structure, aims, and open-science approach of AMP SCZ and how lived experience is integrated from governance through study design.
2. Identify key biomarker and outcome modalities used in CHR research and summarize early insights relevant to prognosis and intervention design.
3. Explain ethical and practical considerations for co-designing tools and protocols with people who have lived experience.

Course Syllabus

• Introduction to the AMP SCZ Initiative
• Lived Experience in Research
• Advancing Scientific Understanding of Schizophrenia
• Translating Research to PracticeOverview

Current References

Addington, D., Addington, J., & Maticka-Tyndale, E. (1993). Assessing depression in schizophrenia: The Calgary Depression Scale. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 163(S22), 39–44. https://doi.org/10.1192/S0007125000292581 [opens in a new tab]

Beattie, L., Robb, F., Spanswick, M., Henry, A. L., Waxmonsky, J., & Gumley, A. (2023). Exploring digital cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia in an early intervention in psychosis service – A study protocol for an initial feasibility study with process evaluation. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 17(5), 519–526. https://doi.org/10.1111/eip.13388 [opens in a new tab]

Brady, L. S., Larrauri, C. A., & the AMP SCZ Steering Committee. (2023). Accelerating Medicines Partnership® Schizophrenia (AMP® SCZ): Developing tools to enable early intervention in the psychosis high-risk state. World Psychiatry, 22(1), 42–43. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.21038 [opens in a new tab]

Cohen, A. N., Naslund, J. A., Chang, S., Nagendra, S., Bhan, A., Rozatkar, A., Thirthalli, J., Bondre, A., Tugnawat, D., Reddy, P. V., Dutt, S., Choudhary, S., Chand, P. K., Patel, V., Keshavan, M., Joshi, D., Mehta, U. M., & Torous, J. (2023). Relapse prediction in schizophrenia with smartphone digital phenotyping during COVID-19: A prospective, three-site, two-country, longitudinal study. Schizophrenia, 9(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41537-023-00332-5 [opens in a new tab]

Figueroa-Barra, A., Del Aguila, D., Cerda, M., Gaspar, P., Terissi, L. D., Durán, M., & Valderrama, C. (2022). Automatic language analysis identifies and predicts schizophrenia in first-episode psychosis. Schizophrenia, 8(1), 53. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41537-022-00259-3 [opens in a new tab]

Gur, R. C., Richard, J., Hughett, P., Calkins, M. E., Macy, L., Bilker, W. B., & Gur, R. E. (2010). A cognitive neuroscience-based computerized battery for efficient measurement of individual differences: Standardization and initial construct validation. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 187(2), 254–262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneumeth.2009.11.017 [opens in a new tab]

Posner, K., Brown, G. K., Stanley, B., Brent, D. A., Yershova, K. V., Oquendo, M. A., Currier, G. W., Melvin, G. A., Greenhill, L., Shen, S., & Mann, J. J. (2011). The Columbia–Suicide Severity Rating Scale: Initial validity and internal consistency findings from three multisite studies with adolescents and adults. American Journal of Psychiatry, 168(12), 1266–1277. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2011.10111704 [opens in a new tab]

Strauss, G. P., Walker, E. F., Pelletier-Baldelli, A., Carter, N. T., Ellman, L.M., Schiffman, J., Luther, L., James, S., Berglund, A.M., Gupta, T., Ristanovic, I.,&  Mittal, V. A. (2023). Development and validation of the Negative Symptom Inventory–Psychosis Risk (NSI-PR). Schizophrenia Bulletin, 49(5), 1205–1215. https://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sbad038 [opens in a new tab]

Vaidyam, A. N., Halamka, J. D., & Torous, J. (2022). Enabling research and clinical use of patient-generated health data (the mindLAMP platform): Digital phenotyping study. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 10(1), e30557. https://doi.org/10.2196/30557 [opens in a new tab]

Wannan, C. M. J., Nelson, B., Addington, J., Allott, K., Anticevic, A., Arango, C., Baker, J. T., Bearden, C. E., Billah, T., Bouix, S., Broome, M. R., Buccilli, K., Cadenhead, K. S., Calkins, M. E., Cannon, T. D., Cecci, G., Chen, E. Y. H., Cho, K. I. K., Choi, J., … Shenton, M. E. (2024). Accelerating Medicines Partnership® Schizophrenia (AMP® SCZ): Rationale and study design of the largest global prospective cohort study of clinical high risk for psychosis. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 50(3), 496–512. https://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sbae011 [opens in a new tab]

Instructors

Carlos A. Larrauri, JD, MPA, MSN

Carlos A. Larrauri is the Co-chair of the AMP® Schizophrenia Steering Committee and Faculty in Mental Health Leadership: Transformation Through Innovation at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Carlos integrates his lived experience with psychosis into his advocacy, research, and leadership roles, contributing to initiatives that advance early intervention and precision psychiatry. His dedication to combining scientific inquiry with personal insight has helped shape mental health practices and policies. Holding degrees in law, public administration, and nursing, Carlos applies a multidisciplinary perspective to his work. He previously served on the NAMI National Board of Directors (2017–2023), underscoring his sustained dedication to mental health advocacy.

Michael Sand, PhD

Dr. Michael Sand has 35 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry, focused on developing novel compounds for serious mental illness. He currently serves as an Independent Consultant to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and previously worked as a Senior Clinical Program Leader at Boehringer-Ingelheim, leading the development of compounds aimed at cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia. He brings extensive expertise in clinical trial methodologies, having pioneered the clinical development and regulatory approval of treatments in psychiatry and women’s health. His contributions to schizophrenia cognition trials are internationally recognized, and his scholarly work includes over 100 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Sand’s approach is characterized by thoughtful and honest leadership, deeply informed by his broad experience in CNS clinical trials.

Nicole Errickson, LCSW

Nicole Errickson is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in the state of Georgia . She brings over 19 years experience in the social work field, primarily working in school systems as a school social worker and with the McKinney-Vento grant. Over her career, Nicole has had several opportunities to help develop and execute professional development events. Nicole has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of South Alabama and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Alabama.

Accreditation Approval Statements

CE4Less.com is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. CE4Less.com maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

CE4Less.com, provider #1115, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 8/8/24-8/8/27.

Social workers completing this course receive 1 clinical continuing education credits.

This course has been approved by CE4Less.com, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #91345, CE4Less.com is responsible for all aspects of the programing.

We are committed to providing our learners with unbiased information. CE4Less never accepts commercial support and our authors have no significant financial or other conflicts of interest pertaining to the material.