Melanie Bennett

Melanie Bennett is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She holds administrative roles as Division Director for the Division of Psychiatric Research Services (DPSR) and Co-leader of the Population Science Research Program at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC). Her research focuses on interventions for improving health outcomes and addressing comorbidities like substance use disorders and negative symptoms in individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). She has led multiple NIH- and VA-funded projects to develop evidence-based interventions in mental health settings.

Education:

• BS in Human Development, Cornell University
• M.S. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Rutgers University
• APA-accredited Psychology Internship, Department of Psychiatry, Medical College of Pennsylvania

Research Interests: Dr. Bennett’s work emphasizes smoking cessation, substance use disorder treatment, and enhancing community functioning for individuals with SMI. Her interventions target populations in both community and VA mental health settings, addressing gaps in pharmacotherapy-resistant symptoms.

Grants & Awards: Principal investigator (PI) or co-investigator on grants from NIMH, NIDA, NIAAA, and VA Clinical Science programs. Focus areas include smoking cessation trials, coordinated specialty care for early psychosis, and implementation science.

Labs/Teams: Leads DPSR and contributes to UMGCCC’s Population Science Research Program, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration in mental health research and clinical service improvement.