Danielle Parrish

Danielle Parrish, Ph.D., is a Professor at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin, and serves as Associate Director of the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute (HBRT). She also holds roles as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Social Work Education and Research Scientist with SEARCH Homeless Services in Houston, Texas.

Her educational background includes an MSW from California State University, Fresno (where she competed as a Division I Track & Field athlete) and a Ph.D. in Social Work from The University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Parrish's research focuses on bridging the research-practice gap through feasible behavioral health interventions and implementation science. She specializes in technology-enhanced solutions for underserved youth, particularly in juvenile justice and child welfare systems, with emphasis on substance abuse prevention, HIV/STI risk reduction, and culturally responsive care. Her work integrates the Transtheoretical Model to develop efficient interventions like CHOICES-TEEN.

Her current flagship project, CHOICES-TEEN, examines a telehealth and mobile app-based intervention to reduce substance-exposed pregnancy and HIV/STI risks among justice-involved adolescent females, reflecting her trend toward scalable digital health solutions for high-need populations.

Dr. Parrish has secured major funding as Principal or Co-Investigator from NIH, CDC, and HRSA for projects advancing evidence-based practice in social work, though no specific awards are documented. Her grant portfolio emphasizes intervention development and implementation research in public health settings.

She actively contributes to the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute's mission and collaborates with SEARCH Homeless Services, driving innovation in behavioral health service delivery for vulnerable communities through leadership and translational research.