Tanya Renn, PhD, MSSW, MPH

Dr. Tanya Renn’s research aims to understand the relationship between trauma, substance misuse and other high-risk behaviors among criminal justice-involved adults. It is with this understanding, that Renn hopes to identify key ingredients needed in interventions to effectively mitigate the effects of chronic stress and criminal justice involvement on high risk behaviors, and in turn, promote the well-being of individuals and communities. Renn’s  research to date has helped to establish that trauma and chronic stress increase the odds of engagement in substance misuse and other high-risk behaviors, poor well-being, deleterious physical health outcomes, and elevated rates of recidivism and reincarceration. Research with individuals in the criminal justice system provides a unique opportunity to impact social justice, ameliorate health disparities, and improve the well-being of individuals and communities. To this end, and building on her previous research, Renn is committed to (1)advancing knowledge on the role of trauma exposure and chronic stress on well-being outcomes amongst individuals enmeshed in the criminal justice system; (2) utilization of innovative methodological techniques in partnership with the population, and (3) intervention design and implementation focused on the treatment of trauma exposure and chronic stress in criminal justice-involved individuals.