Director
Center for Health Services Research, Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, New Jersey
Stephen Crystal, PhD, is Board of Governors Professor at the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research at Rutgers University, where he serves as Director of the Center for Health Services Research. He is a leading social and behavioral scientist, and his more than 330 papers and more than 100 technical reports, books, and other publications, with over 19,600 citations (h-index=77) have been highly influential in substance use and treatment, mental and behavioral health, and health policy, among other fields. Much of Dr. Crystal’s current work is focused on improving access to and retention in evidence-based substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, including medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), across the healthcare system, particularly for marginalized populations. In this work, he has partnered closely with health systems, advocacy organizations, state agencies, and others to identify and reduce barriers to access, reduce disparities and increase equity in MOUD, increase access to and effectiveness of navigation and care integration programs, and identify and modify outdated bureaucratic barriers that too often hinder evidence-based SUD treatment and recovery success. Throughout his career, in both scholarly and public-sector leadership roles, his work has contributed to the development of more effective public systems and health policies for delivering evidence-based treatment for individuals with behavioral health needs. Dr. Crystal has led many R-01 projects funded by NIDA, NIMH, and AHRQ, as well as the AHRQ-funded Center for Education and Research on Mental Health Therapeutics, which served as a national observatory, center of evidence generation, and stakeholder resource on the safe and effective use of medications in behavioral health. Through this and his many R-01 and R-18 funded studies, he has been a national leader in generating evidence on the comparative effectiveness of strategies for addressing behavioral health challenges in publicly funded populations.
Friday, April 14, 2023
10:15 AM – 11:30 AM
