Faculty Guide

Title

Scientist and Lecturer

The Heller School for Social Policy and Management

Expertise

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

Profile

Mary Brolin, Ph.D., a Scientist at the Schneider Institute for Behavioral Health within the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, has worked in the substance abuse field for 22 years conducting health services research and evaluating community-based prevention and treatment programs. Her research interests focus on the intersection of substance abuse treatment services with other service systems. Dr. Brolin conducts qualitative and quantitative research on mental health and substance abuse treatment services for chronically homeless individuals, screening and brief intervention (SBI) projects in primary care settings, and jail diversion and prison re-entry programs. She is currently participating on the evaluation teams for the Massachusetts Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (MASBIRT) Project, which links project data and Medicaid data to assess behavior changes and cost offsets and the Massachusetts Access to Recovery Project.

Dr. Brolin is a lecturer in the Masters in Public Policy (MPP) at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. In the past few years, she has mentored five NIAAA trainees on their dissertation and course work. Currently, she advises one NIAAA trainee and four MPP students, and has recently or currently serves on three dissertation committees.

Dr. Brolin received a Ph.D. from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, a Masters in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. in sociology from Boston College.

Awards and Honors

Section Leadership Award -- American Public Health Association, Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Section (2004)

Finalist: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Developing Leadership in Reducing Substance Abuse Program (2003)

NIAAA Doctoral Training Grant (1995)

Courses Taught

HS

336a

Heller MPP Capstone Seminar

Scholarship

Shanahan, C.W., Sorensen-Alawad, A., Carney, B., Persand, I., Cruz, A., Botticelli, M., Adams, W.G., Brolin, M., Alford, D.P.. "Development and Evaluation of an Integrated Information Technology System to Perform Substance Use Screening in General Medical Settings." February 2013, Under Review..

Brolin, M., Quinn, A., Jenna T. Sirkin, J.T., Horgan, C.M., Parks, H., Easterday, J. & Levit, K.. Financing of Behavioral Health Services within Federally Qualified Health Centers. Rockville, MD Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: 2012.

Brolin, Mary; Davis, M., Larson, M.J. & Cappocia, V.. "Strategies to Close the Addiction Treatment Gap and Resulting Impacts on Primary Care." Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse, 34th Annual National Conference. Bethesday, MD. November, 2010..

Alford, D.P., Almeida, A.B., Saitz, R., Brolin, M., Kim, Shanahan, C.W., Botticelli, M. & Samet, J.. "Should Adults Who Screen Negative For Unhealthy Substance Use be Rescreened Annually?." Society for General Internal Medicine Annual Meeting, Miami Beach, Florida. May 15, 2009.

Pressman, K., Botticelli, M., Alford, D., Girard, C., Brolin, M., Kim, T.. "Massachusett's experience with federal, state, and insurance funded SBIRT projects." American Public Health Association 136th Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA. October 28, 2008.

Alford, D.P., Kim, T.W., Ellenberg, L, Clark, D., Radhakrishnan, N. & Brolin, M.. "Teaching Medical Students How to Perform Screening and Brief Interventions for Unhealthy Substance Use." College on Problems of Drug Dependence 70th Annual Scientific Meeting, San Juan, Puerto Rico. June 19, 2008.

Brolin, M., Novak, S., Mallonee, E. & Garnick, D.. Background Report: Performance Management for Substance Abuse Treatment NOMS. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies. Rockville, MD: 2008.

Brolin, M.F., Rubin, A., Alford, D., Shanahan, C., Kim, T., Ellenberg, L., Persand, I., Almeida, A., Perloff, J., Pressman, K., & Girard, C.. "Evaluation of Telephone-Based Screenings for Alcohol and Other Drug Problems." American Public Health Association 136th Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA. October 28, 2008.

Trisolini, M., Brolin, M., Garnick, D. & Novak, S.. Background Report for the Benchmarking Technical Consultation Group Meeting. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies. Rockville, MD: 2008.

Brolin, Mary Fontanella, Horgan, Constance, Amaro, Hortensia, & Doonan, Michael. "Substance Abuse Treatment in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Gaps, Consequences and Solutions." Massachusetts Health Policy Forum, Boston, MA. Massachusetts Health Policy Forum, November, 2005.

Brolin, Mary Fontanella, Seaver, Carol, & Nalty, Dennis.. "Performance Management: Improving State Systems through Information-based Decisionmaking." 2004.

Brolin, Mary Fontanella, Panas, Lee, Elliott, Elsa, & Shwartz, Michael. "The Effect Of Case Management In Substance Abuse Treatment: Analysis Of Special Populations." 2002.