Institute for Behavioral Health

Researchers/Faculty

The Institute for Behavioral Health (IBH) is home to over 35 researchers, faculty, and staff, many of whom work collaboratively on projects across the SIHP institutes. An additional group of staff members support activities at IBH, comprised of statisticians, statistical programmers, research assistants, IT support professionals, and finance and research administrators, within the Heller School and the larger Brandeis community. Our research is also supported by doctoral students who serve as graduate research and teaching assistants. IBH is home to a National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Training Grant, providing support to 9 doctoral students per year. 

Constance Horgan, Professor, Director of the Institute for Behavioral Health

Constance Horgan, ScD

Professor; Director, Institute for Behavioral Health; Co-director, Schneider Institutes for Health Policy and Research

Expertise: Organization and financing of alcohol, drug and mental health services; quality and effectiveness of behavioral health treatment

781-736-3916 Heller-Brown 257

Sharon Reif, PhD'02

Professor and Deputy Director, Institute for Behavioral Health

Expertise: Health services research, with a focus on substance use disorders and other behavioral health

781-736-3924 Heller-Brown 259
Sally Amilcar

Sally Amilcar, MPH

Research Associate

Expertise: Inclusive Access to Next Generation Mental Health Care and Addiction Services, Racial Health Disparities, LGBTQ Health Disparities, Intersectionality and Integration in Healthcare Systems, Advocacy for Indigenous Medicines and Wellness Practices in the Modern Context, Community Health, Trauma
781-736-3946 Heller-Brown 270
Robert Bohler, Research Associate

Robert Bohler, MPH, MA

Research Associate

Expertise: Opioid and behavioral health policy, medications for opioid use disorder, substance use disorder continuum of care, recovery science
TBD Heller-Brown 265
Derek Bolivar, Research Assistant

Derek Bolivar

Research Associate

Expertise: Clinical research recruitment, survey design, opioid use and harm reduction, chronic pain management programs, community assessment and mobile health programs
781-736-7722 Heller-Brown 250
Mary Brolin, PhD'05, Scientist and Lecturer

Mary Brolin, PhD'05

Senior Scientist and Lecturer

Expertise: Health services research and community-based evaluation with a focus on behavioral health

781-736-5737 Heller-Brown 254
Maddy Brown, Project Manager

Madeline (Maddy) Brown, BA

Project Manager

Expertise: Program development, program management, grant writing, grant administration

781-736-3847 Heller-Brown 263
Melissa Brown, Senior Research Associate

Melissa Brown, PhD, MSW

Senior Research Associate

Expertise: participant/consumer-directed Medicaid waiver programs, community-based evaluation, behavioral health issues for individuals with disabilities and LGBTQIA+ populations across the lifespan, anti-oppressive research and pedagogy 
781-736-3867 Heller 213
Jennifer Buell

Jennifer Buell, MPP

Research Associate

Expertise: Qualitative research and program evaluation with a focus on workforce development and career pathways programs for marginalized populations

TBD Heller-Brown

Jenneth Carpenter, PhD

Data Analyst

Expertise: Behavioral health and supportive housing program evaluation, quantitative data management and analysis, evidence synthesis
TBD Heller-Brown

Shanesha Christmas, BA

Research Associate

Expertise: Facilitating substance misuse prevention and youth mental health awareness programs, evaluating substance use, mental health, and HIV programing.  
TBD Heller-Brown 248
Thomas Clark

Thomas Clark, BA

Senior Research Associate

Expertise: Qualitative research, prescription monitoring programs, addiction and behavioral health

Heller-Brown
Shay Daily, Senior Research Associate

Shay Daily, PhD, MPH, MCHES

Senior Research Associate

Expertise: Quantitative and qualitative research and evaluation approaches, complex population health assessment, and health policy evaluation
TBD Heller-Brown 248

Margot Davis, PhD'08

Scientist

Expertise: Qualitative research, behavioral health treatment systems, evaluation research, addiction services research, faith-based programs

781-736-3850 Heller-Brown 248
Mindy D'Ippolito, Research Associate

Mindy D'Ippolito, LICSW, MPH

Research Associate

Expertise: Substance use disorders , trauma, mental health treatment, evidence based practices, program evaluation

TBD Heller-Brown
Robert Dunigan, PhD'04

Robert Dunigan, PhD'04

Senior Research Associate and Lecturer

Expertise: Behavioral health and social policy; substance use disorders and mental health prevention and treatment for minority populations; the impact of criminal justice involvement and behavioral health outcomes for marginalized adult and adolescent populations

781-736-3988 Heller-Brown 253

Abigail (Abby) Edelmann, BS

Research Assistant

Expertise: Analytical Chemistry, Organic & Inorganic Chemistry, Drug Checking, FT-IR Spectroscopy, Behavioral Health
781-736-7721 Heller-Brown 271
Traci Green, Director, Opioid Policy Research Collaborative

Traci Green, PhD, MSc

Professor and Director, Opioid Policy Research Collaborative

Expertise: drug use, opioid addiction, and drug-related injury

781-736-2609 Heller-Brown 256

Zora Haque, BA

Research Associate

Expertise: Behavioral health services research and policy, qualitative research, evaluating substance use and behavioral health treatment, program evaluation
781-736-3813 Heller-Brown 371
Dominic Hodgkin, Professor

Dominic Hodgkin, PhD

Professor

Expertise: Health economics, managed care, economics of mental health and substance use disorders, prescription drug utilization

781-736-8551 Heller-Brown 264
Nick Huntington, Scientist

Nick Huntington, PhD

Scientist

Expertise: Health services research, behavioral health program evaluation, statistics, statistical programming, databases and data management, data visualization.

781-736-3797 Heller-Brown 259
Cole Jarczyk, Research Assistant

Cole Jarczyk, BA

Research Associate

Expertise: Analytical instrumentation, Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) sample preparation and analysis, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) data interpretation. Analytic Chemistry / Drug Checking Technician
781-736-7721 Heller-Brown 271
Meelee Kim, PhD'19

Meelee Kim, PhD'19

Scientist

Expertise: Evaluating substance use disorders, violence, HIV prevention programs; evaluating initiatives for safer prescribing of controlled substances; Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMP)

TBD Heller-Brown
Andrew Kolodny, MD

Andrew Kolodny, MD

Senior Scientist and Medical Director, Opioid Policy Research Collaborative

Expertise: Prescription opioids and the heroin crisis, prescription drug utilization, public health policy 

781-736-4542 Heller-Brown 261
Mary Jo Larson, PhD'92

Mary Jo Larson, PhD'92

Senior Scientist and Lecturer

Expertise: Behavioral health services research; pain management; prescription opioid utilization; longitudinal data analysis; clinical trials; military health system; behavioral health of military members, veterans and families; harm reduction for out-of-treatment individuals; addiction treatment gap; evaluation of system change; adoption of evidence-based practice; web-training; academic detailing

781-736-3834 Heller-Brown 251
Margaret Lee

Margaret Lee, PhD

Scientist

Expertise: Quality of care, performance measures, substance use disorder treatment

781-736-3966 Heller-Brown 255
Sharon Lincoln

Sharon Lincoln, BS

Research Assistant

Expertise: Project coordination, opioid use disorder, harm reduction, social determinants of health, and racial equity
TBD Heller-Brown TBD
Natalie Moresco, Senior Research Associate

Natalie Moresco

Senior Statistical Programmer

781-736-8493 Heller-Brown 269
Joanne Nicholson, Professor of the Practice

Joanne Nicholson, PhD

Professor of the Practice

Expertise: Parenting and mental illness, psychiatric rehabilitation; web-based interventions

781-736-3978 Heller-Brown 252
Becca Olson, Research Associate, Project Manager

Rebecca (Becca) Olson

Research Associate, Project Manager

Expertise: Program management, qualitative research, mental health and substance use recovery, collegiate recovery programs, opioid use and harm reduction
781-736-3831 Heller-Brown 271
Lee Panas, Senior Programmer and Lecturer

Lee Panas, MS

Senior Statistical Programmer and Lecturer

Expertise: Statistical programming and management of large state and national databases, data analysis using statistical methods such as logistic regression, survival analysis, time series and hierarchical linear modeling

781-736-3943 Heller-Brown 270

Carol Prost, MA'09

Senior Research Associate

Expertise: Program management; qualitative research; prevention, health services, community-based, and training and technical assistance evaluations; topical focus areas include substance use disorders, prescription drug monitoring programs, homelessness, HIV/AIDS, trauma, criminal justice, minority health, and art-based interventions

TBD Heller-Brown
Sabrina Rapisarda

Sabrina S. Rapisarda, MA, MEd

Research Associate

Expertise: quantitative and qualitative methods, substance use and related harms, harm reduction, intimate partner and sexual violence, help-seeking
TBD  Heller-Brown 273
Grant A. Ritter, Associate Research Professor

Grant Ritter, PhD

Associate Research Professor

Expertise: Statistics, quantitative methods, health services research

781-736-3872 Heller-Brown 268
Joe Silcox

Joe Silcox, MA

Research Associate, Project Manager

Expertise: Program Management, Qualitative Research, Substance Use Disorders, Long-term Recovery, Stigma & Identity, Policing, Harm Reduction, and Social Control  
781-736-2607 Heller-Brown 250
Maureen Stewart, PhD'09, Scientist and Lecturer

Maureen Stewart, PhD'09

Senior Scientist and Lecturer

Expertise: Health services research, with a focus on financing, payment, organization and quality of behavioral health care; use of technology to improve access to and quality of behavioral health care

781-736-3717 Heller-Brown 262
Gail Strickler, MMHS'94, PhD'07

Gail Strickler, MMHS'94, PhD'07

Scientist

Expertise: Substance use disorders, prescription drug abuse, controlled substance prescribing

781-736-3914 Heller-Brown 249
Annastacia Sullivan, Research Analyst

Annastacia Sullivan, BS

Research Analyst

Expertise: Research and Data Analytics, Criminal Investigations and Procedures, Substance Use Disorders, and Harm Reduction
781-736-8538 Heller-Brown 273
Joanna Taylor, PhD'22, Senior Research Associate

Joanna Taylor, PhD'22

Senior Research Associate

Expertise: education and school discipline policy, racial disparities in school discipline, racial wealth gap, mixed-methods research, intersectional research strategies
TBD Heller-Brown 270
Cindy Thomas, PhD'00, Professor and Associate Dean for Research

Cindy Thomas, PhD'00

Professor and Associate Dean for Research

Expertise: Health Policy, health technology transfer, state health reform, prescription drug policy, addiction treatment, Medicare and Medicaid coverage

781-736-3921 Heller 216
Adam Vose-O'Neal

Adam Vose-O'Neal, MA, MSW, LICSW

Research Associate

Expertise: Behavioral health and social policy, substance use and mental health treatment, harm reduction, criminal justice policy, law enforcement discretion and behavior, racial disparities  
TBD Heller-Brown 253

Jennifer Wicks, PhD

Senior Research Associate

Expertise: Mental health research, quantitative and qualitative approaches, statistical modeling
781-736-3847 Heller-Brown 248
Sofia Zaragoza

Sofia Zaragoza, MA

Research Assistant

Expertise: Qualitative and quantitative methods, public health, anthropology 
781-736-3831 Heller-Brown 250