Karen Friend, PhD, CPSS, Clinical Psychology, International Certified Prevention Specialist Supervisor
Senior Scientist
Decision Sciences Institute
Providence, Rhode Island

Phone: (401) 729-7505 x 2103
Fax: (401) 729-7506
Email: kfriend@pire.org


Karen B. Friend is a Senior Scientist and Associate Center Director at PIRE and an Adjunct Associate Professor at Brown Medical School. She earned her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Maryland and was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship in addictions research from Brown's Center for Alcohol and Addictions Studies. She recently passed the certification exam to become a Certified Prevention Supervisor Specialist (CPSS). She has been with PIRE since 1998, first in Maryland and now in Rhode Island.

Dr. Friend is the Principal Investigator of the Rhode Island Training, Technical Assistance, and Evaluation Center to help Rhode Island communities implement federal and state prevention initiatives. She also spearheads evaluations of CMHS' Jail Diversion and Trauma Recovery grant in Rhode Island and Mothers Against Drunk Driving - Rhode Island Chapter.

Dr. Friend also has extensive experience in evidence-based environmental approaches to address important public health issues, including substance abuse and obesity. She is currently involved in a study of the impact of state and local tobacco policies on youth tobacco use. She has in-depth knowledge of tobacco use, smoking cessation, and policy impact among smokers in the general population and among special groups, including youth, individuals with disabilities, and clients with use disorders. She also plays a lead role in the development of computer simulation models of the effects of policy changes on rates of alcohol and tobacco use and obesity.

Her research has been published in highly respected journals such as Preventive Medicine, Medical Decision Making, and Tobacco Control, and was included in the Surgeon General’s 2000 report, Reducing Tobacco Use: A Report of the Surgeon General. Other professional responsibilities include reviewing for HRSA and for numerous professional publications, teaching, and mentoring.

For twenty years before coming to PIRE, Dr. Friend conducted neuropsychological research at Yale University, the National Institutes of Health, and the University of Maryland. Dr. Friend also worked in a variety of clinical settings, including major medical hospitals and state psychiatric facilities. Her responsibilities included conducting substance abuse, cognitive, and personality assessments; scoring and interpreting test protocols; providing consultation to a multidisciplinary treatment team to convey test results, diagnoses, and treatment recommendations; and conducting group and individual therapy and psychoeducation.

Dr. Friend is a native Chicagoan. After living in the DC region for approximately 17 years, she moved to New England in 2000. She currently resides in Rhode Island with her husband and their four-legged rescue fluffy family member Zizou.