Polly Y. Gipson Allen

Polly Y. Gipson Allen, Ph.D., is a Clinical Associate Professor and Associate Chair for Belonging and Community Engagement at the University of Michigan. As Faculty Director of Community Engagement for the Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research, she leads initiatives focused on trauma-informed interventions and suicide prevention for underserved youth.

• Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology (Child/Adolescent Specialty), DePaul University
• Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry
• Clinical Internship, Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children

Her research addresses depression, anxiety, trauma, and suicide risk in adolescents, with emphasis on:

• Development of trauma- and bereavement-informed best practices
• Implementation of universal screening and brief interventions
• Community-based participatory research
• Identification of proximal suicide warning signs

Recent publications analyze 24-hour suicide risk markers in Psychological Medicine and mentorship interventions for social problems. Awards include the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars grant. She collaborates with NIH- and SAMHSA-funded teams on suicide prevention strategies.