RESEARCH INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES MAJOR STAFFING EXPANSION

Staff additions nearly double Institute size

BLOOMINGTON, Ill., Oct. 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The recent addition of five senior research scientists and 40 research support staff members represents a near doubling in size of Chestnut Health Systems™' Lighthouse Institute (LI).  

The newly-hired researchers bringing their funding and staff are Dr.s Jason E. Chapman, Ph.D. (Drexel University, 2003); Gracelyn Cruden, Ph.D. (University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, 2019); Tess K. Drazdowski, Ph.D., (Virginia Commonwealth University, 2016); Lisa Saldana, Ph.D. (University of Missouri – Columbia, 2003); and Ashli J. Sheidow, Ph.D. (University of Illinois at Chicago, 2001). With their hiring, Chestnut has opened new offices in Eugene, Oregon.  They are joined by 48 new employees to join LI from the Eugene location, including 2 Assistant Scientists (Dr.s Jamie Jaramillo, Ryan Singh), 2 Post-Doctoral Scientists (Drs. Sierra Castedo de Martell, Patrick Hibbard) and a new program director (Mr. Mark Campbell). In all, the team is working on 25 research projects, all funded by the National Institutes of Health.

The hires represent significant growth for LI across virtually every measure:

• The number of senior scientists and directors increases from 5 to 11
• The total number of staff members increases from 65 to 110
• The number of research projects grows from 36 to 61
• LI now offers 11 evidence-based tools and treatment protocols, compared to six previously
• Gross research-related revenue grows from $9.5 million to $16.6 million

"Chestnut's entire leadership team is beyond excited to see how much LI can accomplish and its future impact on the behavioral health field with this consolidation of unparalleled talent," said David A. Sharar, Chief Executive Officer, Chestnut Health Systems.

Lighthouse Institute was established 37 years ago by Bill White and has subsequently been led by Drs. Mark Godley, Christy Scott, and now Michael Dennis. LI's mission is to help practitioners improve the quality of their services through their national research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), program evaluation funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and training on evidence-based practices for local systems of care and agencies. Institute staff have backgrounds and expertise in addictions, business, education, management information systems, psychology, public health, rehabilitation, research methods, statistics, and social work.  LI also seeks to provide a place for people working in Indian Country and/or who have lived experiences with recovery and legal/welfare system involvement. More at https://www.chestnut.org/lighthouse-institute/.

Chestnut Health Systems is a not-for-profit organization that has cared since 1973 for persons needing behavioral health services. Chestnut provides addiction treatment, mental health counseling, primary health care, prevention education, and housing and supportive services. It is a leader in substance use-related research. For more information, visit our website at www.chestnut.org.

SOURCE Chestnut Health Systems