Woburn Resident Awarded Fellowship from Harvard Medical School

Submitted by Cambridge Health Alliance:

Woburn resident James Barrett, PhD, a staff psychologist at Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) and an instructor in psychology at Harvard Medical School, has been awarded the Dr. Lynne Reid/Drs. Eleanor and Miles Shore Fellowship from Harvard Medical School.

The award, one of the Eleanor and Miles Shore 50th Anniversary Fellowships for Scholars in Medicine, aims to enhance the quality and diversity of Harvard Medical School faculty at all ranks.  

Dr. Barrett specializes in making mental health services more relevant and accessible to boys and young men.

As the co-founder of the Cambridge Safety Net Collaborative, an innovative partnership between CHA, the Cambridge Police Department, Cambridge Public Schools, and the Cambridge Department of Human Service Programs, he has played a key role in addressing issues that have led to problematic behavior for youth in schools and in the community. 

The Cambridge Safety Net Collaborative fosters positive youth development, promotes mental health, supports safe school and community environments, and limits youth involvement in the juvenile justice system through coordinated prevention, intervention, and diversion services for Cambridge youth and families.

The Collaborative identifies at-risk youth and, through an integrated process involving all the community partners, determines the best intervention, such as a mentoring opportunity, afterschool program, or mental health action. Since its inception in 2007, the Collaborative has assisted hundreds of families in the Cambridge community. 

“Jamie is an extraordinary clinician and teacher who has the ability to guide staff from diverse disciplines to formulate strategies to support youth whose behavior puts them at risk for adverse outcomes,” said Ellen Semonoff, assistant city manager for human services for the City of Cambridge. “He has gained the trust of police officers, youth workers, and families and used his talents to foster enhanced services to young people and those who work with them.” 

Dr. Barrett’s work has already been recognized by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and other federal entities, and he recently co-hosted a national working meeting sponsored by CHA that explored innovative efforts to meet the needs of youth through partnerships with law enforcement.

The fellowship will enable Dr. Barrett to pursue research integrating his clinical findings into a curriculum focused on preventing retaliatory violence in young people who are served by the Cambridge Safety Net Collaborative. Once the curriculum is complete, the efforts of the Collaborative can be replicated in other communities across the United States and beyond. 

“I am very pleased that Jamie has been honored for his exceptional promise as a scholar and clinician,” said Jay Burke, MD, MPH, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Cambridge Health Alliance and Harvard Medical School. “In helping to deliver innovative and coordinated support and services to the families and young people who need it most in our community, he regularly demonstrates the critical linkages between health care and social issues.” 

The 50th Anniversary Program for Scholars in Medicine was established in 1995 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the admission of women to Harvard Medical School and to acknowledge the important contributions of women to the School. A fellowship program was established to help junior faculty, women and men, at the point in their careers when they must teach, do research, compete for grants, publish, or practice at the same time they may be assuming increased family or other responsibilities.

The program was renamed in 2004 to honor the efforts of Dr. Eleanor Shore, former Dean for Faculty Affairs, and Dr. Miles Shore, Bullard Professor of Psychiatry, Emeritus, on behalf of the 50th Anniversary Program for Scholars in Medicine. Cambridge Health Alliance is a vital and innovative community health system that provides essential services to Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston’s metro-north communities. It includes three hospital campuses, a network of primary care and specialty practices, and the Cambridge Public Health Dept. CHA is a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate and is also affiliated with Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and Tufts University School of Medicine.

For more information, visit www.challiance.org.