New Staff Feature: Mary Moran joins Center of Excellence

Mary Moran joined Center of Excellence for Integrated Care (COE) as a Clinical Development Coordinator in August 2017. In her role, she provides training, on-site support, and resources to medical and behavioral health providers working to integrate their services to provide higher quality care to patients and the community. We asked Mary a few questions to get to know her better.

Where are you from and how did you end up in North Carolina?

 I grew up in Canton, Ohio but I went to The Ohio State University for undergrad and I lived in Columbus, Ohio for 10 years before moving to North Carolina. I really consider Columbus, Ohio my home. In 2012 I got in a bad car accident and went through a lengthy recovery process. Early in my recovery I recognized that there was not enough support for behavioral heath and I began to research more about Medical Family Therapy. There are limited training programs for Medical Family Therapy and East Carolina University is one of a limited amount, which is also a very prestigious and well respected program. I was accepted into ECU’s doctorate program in Medical Family Therapy in 2014 and my husband and I moved to North Carolina together so I could pursue my dreams to advance health care by integrated behavioral health into treatment, particularly in the area of trauma.

What drew you to the Center of Excellence (you can also talk about what drew you to this area of work)?

 While in my doctorate program at East Carolina University Cathy Hudgins spoke during my first semester and I instantly became interested in completing an internship with COE. In my program I was learning about integrated behavioral health care and practicing as a behavioral health provider, but the idea of working at an organization that provided technical assistance for sites to assist in their implementation of integrated behavioral health care seemed like an invaluable experience.

What type of organizations have you worked for in the past?

 I have mostly worked in non-profit organizations that provided services for a variety of populations. Prior to completing my master’s degree I worked with school aged children in before and after care programs. I also completed a term working for AmeriCorps serving young adults and adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities in the community through different programs. After I completed my master’s degree I worked as a clinician in a community corrections facility working with men and as an outpatient behavioral health therapist working with children and families. Since I have been enrolled at East Carolina University I have worked as a graduate assistant, undergraduate lecturer, and for three years as a Medical Family Therapist at a Federally Qualified Health Center.

What are you excited for in this position?

 I am most excited about the learning opportunities to help organizations achieve their goals to implementing integrated health care. While I am knowledgeable about the benefits of integrated behavioral health care and I have practiced and trained clinicians; I am not very knowledgeable regarding the details and process of implementing integrated behavioral health care.

What do you like to do for fun/ in your free time?

I am very passionate about cooking