Departmental Affiliations
Center & Institute Affiliations
Alene Kennedy-Hendricks, PhD '15, conducts policy and services research focused on the health and well-being of people with substance use and mental health conditions.
Research Interests
health policy analysis; substance use; mental health; behavioral health; policy communication; politics of health policy; insurance claims data; Medicaid; employer-sponsored insurance
Experiences & Accomplishments
My research focuses on understanding the implementation of health and social policies and the impact of these policies on the health and well-being of populations with mental health and substance use-related conditions. I am particularly interested in the policy and public health complexities that arise when populations interact with multiple systems, including housing support, the child welfare system, and the criminal legal system.
Select Publications
Selected recent publications include the following:
Kennedy-Hendricks A, Song M, McCourt AD, Sharfstein JM, Eisenberg MD, Saloner B. Licensure Policies May Help States Ensure Access To Opioid Use Disorder Medication In Specialty Addiction Treatment. Health Affairs, 2024;43(5).
https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2023.01306Kennedy-Hendricks A, Ettman CK, Gollust SE, Bandara SN, Abdalla SM, Castrucci BC, Galea S. Experience of Personal Loss Due to Drug Overdose Among US Adults. JAMA Health Forum, 2024;5(5):e241262. doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2024.1262
Ganetsky VS, Krawczyk N, Kennedy-Hendricks A. Medication for Opioid Use Disorder and Treatment Retention Among Pregnant Individuals. JAMA Network Open, 2025;8(4);e256069. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.6069
Kennedy-Hendricks A, Schilling CJ, Busch AB, Stuart EA, Huskamp HA, Meiselbach MK, Barry CL, Eisenberg MD. Impact of High Deductible Health Plans on Continuous Buprenorphine Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2021;37:769-776.
Kennedy-Hendricks A, Epstein AJ, Stuart EA, Haffajee R, McGinty EE, Busch AB, Huskamp H, Barry CL. Federal parity and spending for mental illness. Pediatrics 2018;142(2): pii: e20172618. doi: 10.1542/peds.2017-2618.