Team

Leadership

Chih-Hung Chang

Leadership

Margarita Alegría

Leadership

J. John Mann

Leadership

Brian Roland

Leadership

Joao Busnello

Leadership

Paul Pilkonis

Leadership

Bernie Dyme

Leadership

Ellen Frank

Leadership

David Kupfer

Leadership

Robert Angell

Leadership

David Weiss

Leadership

Cody Brannan

Leadership

Jason Gibbons

Leadership

John M. Kane

Leadership

Yehuda Cohen

Leadership

Ellen Cohen

Leadership

Jeannie Aschkenasy

Leadership

Robert Gibbons

Leadership

Hannah Wulczyn

Chih-Hung Chang

Chih-Hung Chang, Ph.D. is a Professor of Occupational Therapy and of Medicine at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He also holds an Adjunct Professor position at the Graduate Institute of Biostatistics of China Medical University in Taichung, Taiwan. He began graduate work at the University of Chicago in 1988 and received his Ph.D. from the Committee on Research Methodology and Quantitative Psychology of the Department of Psychology in 1995. Dr. Chang is an internationally recognized psychometrician with pioneering expertise in applying item response theory to health-related quality of life and patient-reported outcomes measurement. He also has extensive experience in health information technology. His clinical infometrics discipline is to integrate informatics and psychometrics to improve the quality of care and patient safety.

Margarita Alegría

Margarita Alegría, Ph.D., is the Chief of the Disparities Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, and a Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Alegría is currently the PI of four National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded research studies: International Latino Research Partnership; Effects of Social Context, Culture and Minority Status on Depression and Anxiety; Building Community Capacity for Disability Prevention for Minority Elders; and Mechanisms Underlying Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Mental Disorders. She is also the co-PI of a William T. Grant Foundation project, entitled Understanding the Experience of Majority and Minority Status through Photovoice. Dr. Alegría has published over 200 papers, editorials, intervention training manuals, and several book chapters, on topics such as improvement of health care services delivery for diverse racial and ethnic populations, conceptual and methodological issues with multicultural populations, and ways to bring the community’s perspective into the design and implementation of health services.   As an acknowledgement of her contributions to her field, Dr. Alegría has been widely recognized and cited. Among the many awards: the Mental Health Section Award from the American Public Health Association, 2003; the Health Disparities Innovation Award from the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities, 2008; the Carl Taube Award from the American Public Health Association, 2008; the Simon Bolivar Award from the American Psychiatric Association, 2009; and the Award of Excellence from the National Hispanic Science Network on Drug Abuse, 2011. In October 2011, she was elected as a member of the Institute of Medicine. In addition, Dr. Alegría was selected as El Planeta’s (Massachusetts’s largest circulating Spanish-language newspaper) 2013’s Powermeter 100 most influential people for the Hispanic community in Massachusetts.

J. John Mann

J. John Mann MD, is The Paul Janssen Professor of Translational Neuroscience (in Psychiatry and in Radiology) at Columbia University. He is Director of Molecular Imaging and the Neuropathology Division at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Mann is trained in Psychiatry and Internal Medicine and has a Doctorate in Neurochemistry. His research employs functional brain imaging, neurochemistry, and molecular genetics to probe the causes of depression and suicide. Dr. Mann is the Director of the NIMH Conte Center for the Neuroscience of Mental Disorders, and Past President of the International Academy of Suicide Research and Society of Biological Psychiatry. Dr. Mann has published over 700 papers and edited 10 books on the subjects of the biology and treatment of mood disorders, suicidal behavior, and other psychiatric disorders. In private practice, he specializes in the treatment of mood disorders. College of Psychiatrists.

Brian Roland

Brian Roland, MBA, is a Project Director with Adaptive Testing Technologies (ATT). Brian has 20+ years experience in IT and project management. He has an extensive background in database management, data reporting, technical integration and cybersecurity. He has an MBA from DePaul University and a BA in Computer Science from Roosevelt University.

Joao Busnello

Dr. Joao Busnello is a board-certified clinical/research psychiatrist who has been on staff at Rush University Medical Center and Chicago Lakeshore Hospital. He has an extensive background in pharmacogenomics (postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Miami and UCLA) and holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry. His residency training in Psychiatry was at the University of Chicago. He has run hospital clinics and been responsible for medical resident training. He is a clinician-scientist with extensive expertise in cross-cultural psychiatry.

Paul Pilkonis

Founder
Paul Pilkonis' Ph.D. research interests are supported by NIH funding and include assessment and treatment of personality disorders, depression (and its relationship to personality), treatment outcome research, and the application of new quantitative tools to measurement and modeling problems in psychopathology. He has had the privilege of participating in the NIH research enterprise from several perspectives - as an investigator, member and chair of review committees, and scientific advisor at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), giving him firsthand knowledge of federal research policy and administration.

Bernie Dyme

Bernie Dyme is a founder of Perspectives, a leading national Employee Assistance Program which he co-founded in 1981. He has used his clinical and systems training at the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration to provide consulting services to hundreds of organizations and help them develop a balanced approach between cost savings and safe, healthy, productive workplaces. He is also an active member of more than a dozen professional and community organizations and serves on the Workplace Task Force of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. He is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) in the state of Illinois with a BS from the University of Illinois and a Master's degree from the University of Chicago.

Ellen Frank

Founder

Ellen Frank, Ph.D. was formerly a Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Professor of Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Director of the Depression and Manic Depression Prevention program at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. An expert in mood disorders and their treatment, Dr. Frank was Chair of the Food and Drug Administration Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Panel. She also is a former member of the U.S. National Advisory Mental Health Council. She recently completed her service on the Mood Disorders Workgroup of the American Psychiatric Association Task Force on DSM-5. She is an Honorary Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. In 1999, Dr. Frank was elected to the National Academy of Sciences National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Frank has published over 425 peer-reviewed publications in psychiatric journals. A graduate of Vassar College, Frank earned a master’s degree in English at Carnegie Mellon University and a doctorate in psychology at the University of Pittsburgh.

David Kupfer

Founder
Dr. David Kupfer was the former Thomas Detre Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Between 1983 and 2009, he was the Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Director of Research at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. Dr. Kupfer has over 30 years of experience in the assessment and treatment of mood disorders, the relationship of biological abnormalities to mood disturbance, and the dissemination of treatments based on these findings. In addition, Dr. Kupfer has had a long-standing interest in, and experience with, research on the lifestyle correlates of sleep, mood, and performance in the normal populations as well as individuals with mood disorders. In recognition of his contributions to the field, Dr. Kupfer has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, and he is the Founding President of the International Society of Bipolar Disorders. Dr. Kupfer served as Chair of the American Psychiatric Association DSM-5 Task Force, a role that reflects a long-standing interest in using empirical evidence to inform the diagnosis of psychiatric disorders. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.

Robert Angell

Rob started his career at Ernst & Young and has held senior executive positions at several high growth public and privately-owned companies including Managing Director at Accounting Management Solutions, Chief Operating Officer at Zentropy Partners, Chief Financial Officer at Hill Holliday and Chief Administrative Officer at The Parthenon Group. He has also worked as part of the management team at Boston Consulting Group. Rob is on the faculties of Brandeis University and Wheaton College Executive Education. He is a CPA and has degrees from Brown University and New York University.

David Weiss

David Weiss, Ph.D. is a leader in the field of computerized adaptive testing (CAT). His expertise includes computerized adaptive testing and psychometric methods in many areas including vocational counseling. He is the author of numerous publications including a chapter on item banking, test development, and test delivery in the Handbook on Testing and Assessment (American Psychological Association). He is the president emeritus of the International Association for Computerized Adaptive Testing and a fellow of the American Psychological Association. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota where he is a member of the Department of Psychology.

Cody Brannan

Cody Brannan, MS, is a Project Director with Adaptive Testing Technologies (ATT), focusing on business operations, cybersecurity, client onboarding, research management, and implementation of the CAT-MH®, K-CAT®, and CASSY tools. Mr. Brannan has published work in mental health policy, social vulnerability, neuroscience, and psychiatric genetics. Prior to joining Adaptive Testing Technologies, he worked at Baylor College of Medicine. Mr. Brannan has a BS in Biomedical Sciences from Sam Houston State University, and a MS in Bioscience and Health Policy from Rice University.

Jason Gibbons

Jason Gibbons, Ph.D. is a health economist (trained at the University of Michigan and Johns Hopkins University) with a specialization in US health care policy. His research focuses on the access and use of mental health and substance use disorder treatment services and how competition in health care markets affects prices, treatment utilization and patient health outcomes. His most recent articles have appeared in JAMA Psychiatry and American Journal of Managed Care.

John M. Kane

John M. Kane, MD, is Senior Vice President for Behavioral Health Services at Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, New York. He is Professor and Chairman of Psychiatry at The Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine. He also serves as Chairman of Psychiatry at The Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, New York. Dr. Kane earned his medical degree from New York University in New York, New York, and completed his internship and residency in Psychiatry at The Zucker Hillside Hospital. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Dr. Kane is the recipient of many awards, including: the Lieber Prize; The APA’s Kempf Award, the Gralnick Award and Foundations Prize; the New York State Office of Mental Health Lifetime Achievement Award; and The Dean Award from the American College of Psychiatrists. He has served as President of the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology, the Psychiatry Research Society and the Schizophrenia International Research Society. Dr. Kane has been the principal investigator for research projects focusing on schizophrenia psychobiology, treatment and recovery, as well as improving quality and cost of care. He is the author of over 400 peer-reviewed papers and serves on the editorial boards of numerous journals.

Yehuda Cohen

Yehuda Cohen has worked as a veteran operations executive for 25+ years. He has implemented numerous licenses, partnerships, and collaborations with hospital systems, technology partners, federal and state agencies, and national research institutions. He is an advisor to Hive Medical and received his BA from Brandeis University and his MBA from the University of Michigan. Yehuda serves as a Fellow of Brandeis University and is a past president of the University of Michigan Ross Club of Chicago.

Ellen Cohen

With twenty plus years of executive leadership experience in educational and business environments, Ellen has created and launched innovative global initiatives, developed and executed strategic plans, built technical infrastructures, and created innovative and cost-effective program solutions. A former dean of the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy, Ellen is currently the Executive Director of the university’s Center for Health and the Social Sciences (CHeSS). She provides strategic and thought leadership through interdisciplinary research and training at the interface of health and the social sciences to more than 100 faculty affiliates across all of the university’s schools and divisions. Together with her team, they manage a $35 million portfolio of federal and non-federal research and training grants.

Jeannie Aschkenasy

Jeannie Aschkenasy, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist with 30 years of experience working in private practice and in medical settings. Dr. Aschkenasy has been on staff at Rush University Medical Center since 1986. She graduated from Smith College and earned her Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University. In 1998, she co-founded Kids-SHIP, a program that provides pediatric services to homeless children in shelters. Her post-doctoral training was at the Piaget Institute in Geneva, Switzerland, Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago, and the University of Chicago.

Robert Gibbons

Founder
Robert D. Gibbons, Ph.D. is the Blum-Riese Professor and Pritzker Scholar at the University of Chicago. He has appointments in the Departments of Medicine and Public Health Sciences. He also directs the Center for Health Statistics. Professor Gibbons is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association, a member of the International Statistical Institute, and a member of the National Academy of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed scientific papers and 6 books. His statistical work spans the areas of longitudinal data analysis, item response theory, environmental statistics, and drug safety and has led to thousands of applications in the biological and social sciences. Professor Gibbons has received lifetime achievement awards from the American Statistical Association, the American Public Health Association and Harvard University. He is a founder of the Mental Health Statistics section of the American Statistical Association. He received his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago in 1981.

Hannah Wulczyn

Hannah Wulczyn, MPA, is a Project Director with Adaptive Testing Technologies (ATT).  She has 10+ years of experience working public and private sector human service agencies. Prior to joining Adaptive Testing Technologies, Hannah worked on Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice system reform across the country with the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Her work there centered on improving outcomes for children and youth through evidence-informed decision-making with an emphasis on trauma informed care for vulnerable populations. Mrs. Wulczyn has a BA in Criminal Justice and Criminology from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Baltimore.

None of the team members’ respective institutions makes any implied endorsement for any of their efforts connected with Adaptive Testing Technologies.

Read some of the studies published by our leadership team!