The Wayne State University School of Social Work (SSW) Center for Behavioral Health and Justice (CBHJ) is excited to launch our sophomore year by welcoming our new director Brad Ray from Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Ray is a community-engaged researcher focused on mental health and substance use, particularly where these populations intersect with the criminal justice system. He spent seven years at IUPUI as Associate Professor of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs and research director at the Center for Health & Justice Research before joining the CBHJ in August of 2019.

Ray is a native of the mitten state, and received his bachelor's degree at Northern Michigan University. His early graduate work studied opioid overdose, and his doctoral work focused on mental health courts-including an evaluation of Michigan's Mental Health Courts led by Social Work Dean Sheryl Kubiak and four co-authored publications with CBHJ faculty and staff. Much of his recent research has focused on evaluating policies and interventions aimed at the recent overdose epidemic, and translating evidence-based harm reduction strategies into practice. Ray received the 2019 Banz-Petronio Translating Research into Practice (TRIP) Award as a result of his dedication to building relationships with community partners and translating his research into something that can be both understood and used to effect change.

Ray is bringing funding from federal sources such as the National Institute of Health, Bureau of Justice Assistance, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; as well as state government agencies such as the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction, the Indiana Office of Court Services, and the Ohio Supreme Court, along with a grant from Arnold Ventures. These projects focus on a number of behavioral health interventions, such as co-response police teams and peer-recovery support, as well as overdose prevention and harm reduction strategies, such as syringe services program implementation and drug testing technologies.

School of Social Work Dean Sheryl Kubiak has transitioned to the Chair of the Advisory Board and will continue as the Principal Investigator for research and grants of the CBHJ.

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About the Center for Behavioral Health and Justice: The Center for Behavioral Health and Justice and Wayne State University's School of Social Work envisions communities in which research, data, and best practices are used by multiple stakeholders to enhance the optimal well-being of individuals with mental illness and/or substance use disorders who come into contact with the criminal/legal system. Learn more