WORKINg towards a better future

Current and ongoing projects

We’re actively building projects that expand language access, support our community partners, and make essential information easier for families to understand.

latest projects

What we’re working on

Innovation in community health

Research in community health

Community partnerships

  • In partnership with IEHP, our care navigators help patients find services throughout the Inland Empire

    Services range from clinical care, like doctor appointments to mental health to other factors that impact their lives, like housing, food security, and more

    • Developed in partnership with Heluna Health to integrate CHWs into Medi-Cal services, ensuring sustainable reimbursement models.

    • CHWs provide motivational interviewing, health screenings, triaging, and referrals for mental health, behavioral health, nutrition, social well-being, diabetes, and physical activity.

    • Some CHWs are trained as Lifestyle Coaches for the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), offering CBT-based coaching.

    • In collaboration with CGU and an AI company, CTRI is developing an AI-based system to connect school students with mental health and neurocognitive development programs.

    • This research was initiated to address systemic barriers in accessing youth mental health resources and to create a data-driven, scalable solution.

  • Embedded within Jurupa Valley Unified School District (JUSD) to strengthen school-based mental health and social-emotional learning (SEL) supports aligned with California’s statewide SEL policy mandates.

    • Conducted Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with district leadership, school administrators, teachers, and caregivers to evaluate stakeholder perceptions of the effectiveness and accessibility of JUSD’s tiered support system.

    • Findings are informing improvements to Tier 1 prevention, Tier 2 small-group support, and Tier 3 individualized care coordination, with emphasis on early identification, trauma-informed response, and culturally responsive engagement.

    • Implementing co-location strategies to position CHWs and behavioral health staff directly on school campuses, increasing access to mental health screening, brief intervention, and referral pathways for students and families

    • CTRI was founded with a strong research focus, leading to diabetes, hypertension, and mental health intervention studies, analyzing data from hundreds of participants.

    • Supports community-based health initiatives through funded research and publication efforts.

    • CTRI has played a key role in training and workforce development, ensuring CHWs, foreign physicians, and social workers receive professional opportunities in public health.

    • Collaborates with Heluna Health and IEHP to ensure CHWs receive reimbursement and sustainable career pathways.

Our work

Past grants & activities

  • DeFeR (Diabetes Free Riverside)

    • RUHS Department of Public Health

  • Riverside County Veterans Survey

    County of Riverside RUHS

  • Riverside County Population Health Roadmap

    County of Riverside RUHS

  • SDIT (Stopping Diabetes in Tracts)

    UniHealth Foundation

  • Community Health Engagement

    Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

  • PEDS (Prevention of Emotional Distress and Suicide in Schools)

    Corona-Norco Unified School District

  • PRATS Prevention Remediation of Harmful Sequalae of ACEs

    California Health and Welfare Agency

previous grants

Previous NIH-supported grants to the investigators include

  • Numerous and continuously funded NIH R01 support (including NIDA, NCI, NHLBI) over a 40+ year period – substance abuse and related mental health prevention research including school, community, and mass media trials

  • Two NIH P50 awards for transdisciplinary research centers in tobacco and alcohol abuse research (Johnson) – carried out in the US and China (Johnson)

  • An NIH Fogarty International Center award to create a research training network in south and east Asia, including China, Sri Lanka, and India (Johnson)

  • Two NIH T-32 Research Training Grants – Cardiovascular and Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention, respectively (Johnson)