Grants and Contracts Details
Description
ABSTRACT
PROJECT: Vanderbilt University Medical Center CANS/FAST Technical Assistance,
Training Project
Purpose
This proposal is to provide technical assistance and consultation to Vanderbilt University
Medical Center (VUMC) for its implementation of customized Child and Adolescent
Needs and Strengths (CANS) and Family Advocacy Support Tool (FAST) tools within a
Transformational Collaborative Outcomes Management (TCOM) framework. The CANS
and FAST are communimetric assessments that organize information and operationalize
the TCOM framework which is rooted in the following guiding principles:
• The belief that all interventions and assessments should be culturally
responsive and respectful.
• People should have a voice and choice with regard to participating in any
assessments and interventions.
• All interventions should be personalized, respectful and have demonstrable
value to the people they serve.
• Collaborative processes inclusive of children and families, should be used for
all decisions at all levels of the system.
• Consensus on action is the primarcy outcome of all collaborative processes.
• Information about the people served and their personal change should always
inform decision making at all levels of the system.
• All of our work should be accomplished with respect to the earth and our
impact on it.
Qualifications
The CANS is a functional assessment tool that has been in use in child welfare,
children’s behavioral health, educational and juvenile justice systems since the late
1990s. Developed by John S. Lyons, PhD while at Northwestern University, the CANS
is now used across the United States, Canada and over 10 countries internationally. It
is estimated that 80% of children served in public behavioral health and child welfare
systems in the United States have had a CANS. Since the development of the CANS,
other similar tools have been created including the Adult Needs and Strengths
Assessment (ANSA), Family Advocacy and Support Tool (FAST), Crisis Assessment
Tool (CAT), and the Readiness Inventory for Successful Employment (RISE).
During the last 30+ years Dr. Lyons’ work has received support from the organizations
that he has worked in which contributed to the development of his team and the
evolution of the Transformational Collaborative Outcomes Management (TCOM)
approach: University of Ottawa, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, and most
recently at the Center for Innovation in Population Health (IPH Center) at the University
of Kentucky. Established in 2019, the IPH Center provides a platform for the TCOM
approach to flourish in a research setting that can draw multi-sector collaborative
relationships with key partners in the academy as well as throughout the human
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service sectors. Within the context of the IPH Center, TCOM and its tools, such as the
CANS and FAST, broadens the strategy of personal transformation to addressing
population health improvement.
Methods
1. CANS/FAST Technical Assistance, Consultation to ensure reliability of usage
and fidelity to the TCOM framework:
a. Michael J. Cull, PhD, Principal Investigator
b. April D. Fernando, PhD, Co-Investigator
2. CANS/FAST training and technical assistance
3. CANS/FAST analytics technical assistance, consultation
4. Project Management
Qualifications of Key Staff
Michael J. Cull, PhD is an Associate Director at the Center for Innovation in Population
Health and an Associate Professor of Health Management and Policy in the College of
Public Health, University of Kentucky. Dr. Cull is a licensed nurse practitioner with a
specialty in child and adolescent psychiatry. He holds a Master of Science in Nursing
degree from Vanderbilt University and received his Ph.D. from the Institute of
Government at Tennessee State University. Dr. Cull served as Deputy Commissioner
overseeing the Office of Child Health for Tennessee’s Department of Children’s
Services. Prior to this appointment, he was an Assistant Professor in
Health System Management at Vanderbilt University’s School of Nursing and over his
20 years at Vanderbilt served in a number of clinical and administrative roles including
Director of Education and Dissemination in the office of Quality and Patient Safety. Dr.
Cull has specific expertise in applying safety science to improve safety, reliability, and
effectiveness in organizations. His approach leverages tools like organizational
assessment and systems analysis of critical incidents, including deaths and near
deaths, to build team culture and help systems learn and get better.
Dr. Cull will serve as the CANS/FAST implementation lead, providing consultation to
VUMC leadership on areas of implementation including (but not limited to): integration of
TCOM and the CANS/FAST in workflows, practice, policies and procedures; participate
in meetings and workgroups with VUMC leadership and other stakeholders and develop
materials as needed to facilitate the implementation of the CANS and FAST.
April D. Fernando, PhD is an Associate Director of the IPH Center and an Associate
Professor, Health Management and Policy, College of Public Health at the University of
Kentucky. She leads the TCOM Implementation, Development, and Educational
Support (TIDES) program at the IPH Center. As a Co-Investigator (Co-I) she will provide
clinical insight and support, ensuring that the workforce is properly trained and supported
in the TCOM approach and the use of TCOM tools.
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Status | Finished |
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Effective start/end date | 1/3/24 → 6/30/24 |
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