Rinad Beidas

Rinad Beidas, PhD, is Chair and Ralph Seal Paffenbarger Professor of Medical Social Sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University. She is a leading figure in implementation science, with extensive work across mental health, firearm safety, cancer, HIV, and cardiovascular disease. Her research integrates behavioral economics to improve healthcare quality and equity.

Education:

• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Colgate University
• Doctorate of Philosophy in Psychology, Temple University

Her research focuses on accelerating the adoption of evidence-based practices in real-world settings. She emphasizes stakeholder collaboration with patients, clinicians, health system leaders, and policymakers. Her work spans diverse populations and health conditions, aiming to reduce disparities and improve outcomes through scalable implementation strategies.

The recent publications reflect a strong trend in methodological innovation in implementation science, stakeholder engagement, and interdisciplinary applications, including legal and pandemic contexts. Her work consistently appears in top-tier journals such as Implementation Science and JAMA.

Scientific Awards:

• Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies President’s New Researcher Award
• American Psychological Foundation Diane J. Willis Early Career Award
• Perelman School of Medicine Marjorie Bowman New Investigator Research Award
• Acenda Institute Research Pioneer Award

Dr. Beidas has served as Principal Investigator or Multi-PI on 11 NIH grants totaling approximately $31 million, including two NIH P50 centers on behavioral economics and implementation science. She was the founding Director of the University of Pennsylvania Implementation Science Center at LDI (2017–2022), where she mentored numerous scholars and advanced implementation training programs. She is currently an associate editor of Implementation Science, the flagship journal in the field.

She leads international projects in Mozambique and Zambia, focusing on mental health services capacity building and youth interventions for substance abuse and depression. These efforts are supported by a U19 grant and a pending R01 application.