Kelly A. Aschbrenner, PhD
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College; Director of Research at New Hampshire Hospital
Dr. Kelly Aschbrenner is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Senior Scientist in the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health System, and Director of Research at New Hampshire Hospital. Dr. Aschbrenner leads a program of applied research that focuses on the development, evaluation, and implementation of evidence-based practices to improve the health and quality of life of individuals living with serious mental illness. Her work involves a unique blend of intervention research, community-engagement, digital health technologies, mixed methods, and implementation science. She has both led and contributed to multiple implementation evaluations that are highly relevant to the Northeast Node of the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN). She recently served as Co-I for an NIH-funded Hybrid Type III cluster-randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of a virtual learning collaborative in the implementation of health promotion programs in routine mental health care settings across the US, compared to standard individual technical assistance. In addition, Dr. Aschbrenner co-led a practical implementation project to implement a statewide model of evidence-based care for first episode psychosis. She has methodological expertise in mixed methods research integrating qualitative and quantitative data in clinical trials and implementation studies. In addition to her research activities, she is a national mentor in the NIH sponsored Mixed Methods Research Training Program for the Health Sciences at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. As a Co-Investigator on the Northeast Node of the CTN, Dr. Aschbrenner works closely with Dr. Marsch and the Core Investigative team to initiate, design, and execute implementation research and clinical trials aligned with the central goal of the CTN to improve the treatment of substance use disorders (SUD) and promote widespread implementation and sustainability of effective and accessible SUD care in community systems across the US.