Stacey L. Barrenger

Stacey L. Barrenger, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED). She holds a Ph.D. in Social Welfare from the University of Pennsylvania and an A.M. in Social Work from the University of Chicago. Her research focuses on the intersection of mental illness and systemic challenges such as criminal justice involvement, homelessness, and poverty. Dr. Barrenger develops multilevel interventions targeting recidivism risks during prison/jail reentry, emphasizing peer support and community integration. Her work integrates critical participatory methods to address issues like gentrification and housing instability affecting formerly incarcerated individuals with mental illnesses.

Dr. Barrenger’s expertise spans implementation science, particularly in under-resourced communities, and she bridges clinical practice with social structural analysis. Her presentations include topics such as mental health recovery mechanisms, correctional healthcare barriers, and desistance pathways for offenders with mental illnesses. She has collaborated on projects examining healthcare experiences in incarceration settings and the role of hope/self-efficacy in recovery.

Her academic career includes prior roles as an Assistant Professor at New York University’s Silver School of Social Work. No formal awards are explicitly listed, though her work demonstrates significant contributions to reentry policy and mental health advocacy. She advises no listed students and her grants/funding sources are unspecified. She is affiliated with NEOMED’s Department of Psychiatry and contributes to interdisciplinary initiatives addressing public health crises exacerbated by systemic inequities.