UT Tyler Awarded $1.5 Million for Behavioral Health Training
Dr. Stephanie Simmons
TYLER, Texas (July 17, 2025) – The University of Texas at Tyler received a $1.5 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration to fund a project led by Dr. Stephanie Simmons, an associate professor at the School of Medicine Robert M. Rogers Department of Psychiatry and psychology internship training director. Currently, the program has six interns who provide behavioral health services at the UT Tyler Health Science Center. The funding will provide training for 24 additional psychology interns, with a particular focus in child and adolescent psychology, and mental health services at no cost for patients.
“This funding will enhance how we can serve the community, making behavioral health care more accessible—especially in rural regions,” said Dr. Sue Cox, School of Medicine dean. “Investments in behavioral health are needed everywhere—and nowhere is that more evident than right here in East Texas.”
According to the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, the suicide rate in all 35 counties in Northeast Texas is higher than both the state and national average. If Northeast Texas were its own state, it would rank as the 40th worst state for youth suicide—15 places below Texas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Every county in East Texas is considered to be a Behavioral Healthcare Provider Shortage Area by the Health Resources and Services Administration,” said Simmons. “This funding will increase behavioral health presence and providers throughout the region. Our interns will be rotating through clinics where patients are seeing their primary care doctors, instead of being siloed in a behavioral healthcare outpatient clinic. The interns will be embedded where people already receive care—making behavioral health support more accessible, timely and integrated into everyday health care.”
Simmons joined the School of Medicine in 2019. She serves as a member and professional mentor for the American Psychological Association Division 53. She has publications in various journals, participated in seven peer-reviewed conference presentations, and been invited to deliver 19 lectures. She has a special interest in evidence-based treatment approached, developmentally informed care, family systems and parents, and trauma informed practice.
With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 10,000 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.
