Amy Bohnert

Amy Bohnert, PhD, MHS, is Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology (primary), Psychiatry, and Epidemiology at the University of Michigan and Research Investigator at the VA Center for Clinical Management Research. Her work addresses substance use disorders, mental health interventions, and long-term disease outcomes with emphasis on Veteran populations.

Her educational background includes:

• PhD in Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• MHS in Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• BA (dual) in English and Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park

Dr. Bohnert's research centers on substance use epidemiology and opioid use disorder, utilizing digital health interventions and pharmacoepidemiology. She leads the PROviding Mental health Precision Treatment (PROMPT) initiative using mobile/wearable technology; PowerED, a reinforcement learning-optimized trial for opioid misuse; the Michigan Opioid Collaborative expanding addiction treatment access; and the VA COVID-19 Observational Research Collaboratory studying long-term pandemic impacts on Veterans. Her methodology emphasizes target trial emulation and pragmatic trials with VA/claims data.

Analysis of her 2022-2025 publications reveals dominant themes in opioid policy evaluation (naloxone/buprenorphine access, PDMP impacts), mental health outcomes post-COVID-19, and cannabis for chronic pain in Veterans. Her work consistently addresses health disparities and employs advanced epidemiological techniques to inform clinical practice and health policy.

Dr. Bohnert mentors students in epidemiology and public health through the University of Michigan's Precision Health initiative. Her research is grant-funded through VA and federal sources focusing on substance use and Veterans' health services. She actively contributes to the Michigan Veterans Cannabis Program applying community-based participatory research to assess cannabis effectiveness for pain management.