Lissette M. Saavedra

Lissette M. Saavedra is an expert Senior Research Psychologist with more than 20 years of experience in mental health and lifespan developmental psychology research. Currently she serves as the Principal Investigator of a National Institute of Justice grant focused on delivery of telemental health services for trauma-exposed victims of crime and the Principal Investigator of a NIH Translational Pilot grant that examines the feasibility and acceptability of a Screening and Referral to Prevention for Latinx Youth. She also acts as a Co-Investigator of the National Institute of Alcohol and Alcohol Abuse funded Project Harmony, a virtual clinical trial that integrates data from over 50 clinical trials to better understand treatment for comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol/other drug use disorders.

Dr. Saavedra has broad expertise in mental health services research, and has worked on evaluation of efficacy and effectiveness clinical trials funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Mental Health, National Institute of Alcohol and Alcohol Abuse and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. She has delivered and evaluated interventions in several modalities including clinic, community and school based. Dr. Saavedra has published several empirical and conceptual articles related to assessment, diagnostic issues in the area of comorbidity, short and long-term treatment outcomes of evidence-based treatment approaches for comorbid anxiety, stress and substance use disorders, including opioids. Her quantitative methods experience centers around evaluation of randomized controlled trials using around finite mixture models, mediation analysis, integrative data analysis and propensity scoring. Dr. Saavedra has unique expertise in harmonization of variables and logistical and legal issues around data sharing. She has been funded and published in this area. Her other methodological interests include clinical decision-making, including use of Bayesian approaches to identify cases for different levels of intervention.