Alicia Marie Allen, PhD, MPH

Dr. Allen is the founder and director of the Recovery through ENGaging and Empowering Women (RENEW) Research Team, which seeks to identify the role of female-specific factors (e.g., pregnancy, postpartum, menstrual cycle, hormonal contraceptive use, puberty) in addiction, and use that information to help women avoid and overcome addiction. To date, Dr. Allen has received a total of $7.9 million in funding for this research primarily from the National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society, Prevent Cancer Foundation, Clearway Minnesota and the University of Arizona. Dr. Allen has published over 70 manuscripts, primarily with Addictive Behaviors, Nicotine and Tobacco Research, Addiction, and Journal of Addiction Medicine. She is an associate editor with Nicotine Tobacco Research (NTR) and Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports (DADR). She has also received the New Innovator Award from National Institutes (2020) and Faculty Excellence in Clinical Research award from College of Medicine Tucson (2023).

Dr. Allen began working in clinical research on substance use disorders in 2001 as an undergraduate student, an experience that prompted her to obtain graduate education in the field. She also completed a fellowship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the area of prenatal smoking. As a behavioral epidemiologist, she is particularly interested in research study design and improving methodology. She has conducted randomized clinical trials, controlled cross-over trials and cross-sectional online surveys, and has analyzed data from large epidemiological datasets.

Beyond conducting research, Dr. Allen is passionate about supporting women seeking to overcome seemingly unpassable barriers and pursue their dreams. The inspiration for this passion comes from growing up in a small rural community, as well as being raised and parenting in non-traditional family structures. As such, she welcomes trainees of all levels, backgrounds and experiences. She is also currently pursuing an academic coaching certification from International Coaching Federation, with a goal of building supportive programs to advance women’s health research, as well as women health researchers.