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Mary
F
Cwik
,
PhD

Senior Scientist
Mary Cwik

Departmental Affiliations

Primary
Division
Social and Behavioral Interventions
School of Medicine
Joint

Center & Institute Affiliations

Mary Cwik, PhD, MA, is a child psychologist who studies suicide, substance misuse, and trauma interventions to reduce health disparities among Native Americans and people in East Baltimore.

Contact Info

415 N. Washington Street, 4th Floor
Baltimore
Maryland
21231
US        
410-955-2010

Research Interests

psychology; mental health; suicide; suicide screening; self-injury; American Indian health; trauma; substance misuse; opioids; health disparities
Experiences & Accomplishments
Education
PhD
Southern Illinois University
2005
MA
Southern Illinois University
2002
BA
Johns Hopkins University
1995
Overview
Mary F. Cwik, PhD is a Licensed Psychologist and an Associate Scientist at the Center for American Indian Health in the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. She has a joint appointment in Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Cwik has conducted research in suicide, substance use and trauma, focusing on preventing Native American mental health disparities for over 10 years. Dr. Cwik’s research, in collaboration with the White Mountain Apache Tribe, has helped to identify unique risk factors impacting these disparities, the importance of protective factors including cultural identity, and promising interventions associated with a reduction in the Apache suicide rate. Dr. Cwik has expertise in community academic partnerships, developing mental health interventions for different cultural contexts, training community mental health specialists, screening, surveillance (Apache model recognized by SAMHSA, Indian Health Service/IHS and the Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry), mixed methods designs, RCTs, and Emergency Department settings. Dr. Cwik has received several teaching excellence citations and has served on the APA Committee on Human Research, Suicide Prevention Resource Center steering committee, and Zero Suicide National Implementation Team for American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Dr. Cwik’s current projects include: NIMH grant - “Protecting Native Families from COVID-19” (co-PI), NIH/NIMH grant – “Diversity Supplement: Southwest Hub for American Indian Youth Suicide Prevention Research” (co-PI), SAMHSA grant – “Celebrating Life: GLS State/Tribal Youth Suicide Prevention and Early Intervention (PI), Wa'Kan Ye'Zah: Enhancing caregivers' and children's well-being through an evidence-based and culturally informed prevention intervention”(co-I), National Institute of General Medical Sciences/Indian Health Service grant - “Trauma-Informed Assessment and Treatment: Feasibility of a Common Elements Intervention to Decrease Apache Substance Use and Suicide” (co-PI), National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities grant - “Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of the Southwest Hub Youth Suicide Prevention Interventions” (co-PI), National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities grant - “Southwest Hub for American Indian Youth Suicide Prevention Research” (co-PI), Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant - Cherokee Nation SAMHSA Zero Suicide Project” (co-I)
Honors & Awards
Governor’s Citation Suicide Prevention in Maryland, 2008
Doctoral Fellowship, 2002-2004
Masters Fellowship, 2001-2002
Polish Heritage Scholarship, 1999-2000
Morris Goldseker Scholarship, 1999-2000
Psi Chi Psychology Honor Society
Golden Key National Honor Society
Phi Beta Kappa Society
Select Publications
Selected publications from 2021:
  • Cwik, M, Jay, S, Ryan, TC, DeVylder, J, Edwards, S, Wilson, ME, Virden, J, Goldstein, M, Wilcox, HC. “Lowering the Age Limit in Suicide Risk Screening: Clinical Differences and Screening Form Predictive Ability.” JAACAP, 2021 May;60(5):537-540. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2020.11.025. Epub 2021 Mar 3.
  • Cwik, M, Doty, SB, Hinton, A, Goklish, N, Ivanich, J, Hill, K, Lee, A, Tingey, L, Craig, M. “Community Perspectives on Contagion and Social Influences on Suicide within the White Mountain Apache Tribe.” Qualitative Health Research. 2022;32(1):16-30. doi:10.1177/10497323211045646
  • Haroz, EE, Ivanich, JD, Barlow, O’Keefe, VM, A, Walls, M, Kaytoggy, C, Suttle, R, Goklish, N, & Cwik, M. “Balancing Cultural Specificity and Generalizability: Brief Qualitative Methods for Selecting, Adapting and Developing Measures for Research with American Indian Communities.” Psychological Assessment. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0001092
  • King, CA, Brent, D, Grupp-Phelan, J, Casper, TC, Dean, JM, Chernick, LS, Fein, JA, Mahabee-Gittens, EM, Patel, SJ, Mistry, RD, Duffy, S, Melzer-Lange, M, Rogers, A, Cohen, DM, Keller, A, Shenoi, R, Hickey, RW, Rea, M, Page, K, McGuire, TC, Cwik, M, Wang, J, Gibbons, R. “Prospective Development and Validation of the Computerized Adaptive Screen for Suicidal Youth.” JAMA Psychiatry, 2021;78(5):540–549. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.4576
  • Alfonso, YN, Bishai, D, Ivanich, JD, O'Keefe, VM, Usher, J, Aldridge, LR, Haroz, EE, Goklish, N, Barlow, A, & Cwik, M. “Suicide Ideation and Depression Quality of Life Ratings in a Reservation-Based Community of Native American Youths and Young Adults.” Community Mental Health Journal, 2021, 10.1007/s10597-021-00883-w. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-021-00883-w