Lauren Berny, Ph.D.

Dr. Lauren Berny is a postdoctoral research fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital’s National Center on Youth Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery. Her program of research focuses on adolescent substance use and mental health, with an emphasis on exploring the complex social and environmental factors that shape them. She completed her doctoral training in Prevention Science at the University of Oregon. Her dissertation research, funded by a National Institute on Drug Abuse R36 grant, examined the long-term effects and underlying social mechanisms of recovery high school attendance. She is an applied research methodologist with specializations in quantitative research methods and data science, including research synthesis, quasi-experimental evaluations, and machine learning. The overarching goal of Dr. Berny’s work is to generate research that informs the development of a more responsive and effective continuum of care to support the well-being of youth facing behavioral health challenges.