Jennifer Manuel

Dr. Jennifer Manuel is an Associate Professor in Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine and a key researcher at the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences. With a PhD in Psychology from the University of New Mexico (2010) and postdoctoral training in substance use disorder treatment at UCSF (2013), she specializes in developing behavioral interventions for substance use disorders, chronic pain management, and HIV prevention.

Her research integrates motivational interviewing and telehealth delivery to improve treatment engagement among vulnerable populations including veterans, rural communities, and sexual/gender minorities. She has led or co-led numerous NIH, VA, and PCORI-funded studies, including pragmatic clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, opioid use disorder recovery, and family-inclusive addiction treatment.

Recent publications highlight her focus on substance-related disorders (2025), chronic pain interventions (2025), and PrEP adoption for HIV prevention (2023). Her work appears in journals spanning psychology, internal medicine, public health, and substance abuse treatment.

• 2023 AVAPL Leadership Award
• 2021 Federal Employee of the Year (San Francisco VA)
• 2011-2013 NIH Loan Repayment Award

Current grants include VA HSR&D, NIH, and TRDRP funding for projects addressing opioid safety, HIV prevention, and telehealth adaptation of evidence-based practices. She previously received training in clinical psychology at Palo Alto VA and diversity champion certification at UCSF (2018).