Background

Alison was born and raised in St. Louis, Mo. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Political Science from Washington University in St. Louis, as well as a Master of Social Work (MSW) with a Clinical Mental Health focus, also from Washington University in St. Louis. During her education, Alison held internships with the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region, and practicum positions with the Alzheimer’s Association and Barnes-Jewish Hospital.  

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Following completion of her MSW, Alison was a clinician supporting adult clients with mental health and substance use concerns in outpatient and inpatient settings. Since that time, Alison’s professional career has focused on engaging communities and stakeholders in understanding systems and designing systemic solutions to community-level challenges.

 

Through roles in community-based participatory research and collective impact approaches, Alison has worked in a wide range of application areas, including: maternal and child health, behavioral health, primary care, cancer, obesity, education, social determinants of health, health equity, and designing programs for sustainability and scale-up. Her role in research and evaluation has been supported by National Institutes of Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Missouri Foundation for Health, St. Louis Mental Health Board, and Missouri Department of Mental Health.