On September 30, Heller Interim Dean Maria Madison announced the appointment of Professor Sharon Reif, PhD’02, as the next director of the Institute for Behavioral Health (IBH) at Heller. Reif steps into this role as Professor Connie Horgan, IBH’s current director, shifts her focus to co-leading the Schneider Institutes for Health Policy and Research (SIHPR) with Professor Stuart Altman.
Reif, who received her PhD from the Heller School in 2002, has been part of the IBH leadership team for over 15 years, during which time she has conducted health services research related to the substance use disorder (SUD) treatment system and recovery supports, with a focus on access, quality, and delivery of services, as well as outcomes and recovery. Reif also serves as Deputy Director of IBH’s National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) doctoral training program.
"I am continuously impressed by the thoughtful and balanced contributions that Sharon makes in strategic thinking,” said Altman. “Her demonstrated expertise as both a researcher and mentor make her an excellent candidate for this position.”
“It has been wonderful to watch Sharon grow from a student at Heller in the NIAAA training program to a nationally recognized expert and key player in the development of the IBH research portfolio,” said Horgan. “IBH is in great hands with Sharon at the helm, and I look forward to continuing to watch her grow as director.”
As co-director of the Schneider Institutes, Horgan will work with SIHPR’s three institutes (Institute on Healthcare Systems, Institute for Behavioral Health, and Institute on Global Health and Development) to find cross-cutting synergies to better understand health systems and improve the overall health of the population. She focuses her research on how alcohol, drug, and mental health services are financed, organized, and delivered in the public and private sectors and what approaches can be used to improve the quality and efficacy of the delivery system. Horgan has led studies for a range of organizations and was instrumental in the establishment of the Opioid Policy Research Collaborative at Heller.
As founding director of IBH, Horgan developed an institute that is known locally, nationally, and internationally as a leader in addiction and mental health services research. The impactful work being done is reflective of the dedication, passion, and rigorous research that members of IBH bring to the challenges and opportunities experienced by people with mental health and substance use problems.