Bio
Melissa Zielinski is an associate professor and clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where she directs the Health and the Legal System (HEALS) Research, Practice, and Policy Lab. She focuses her work on interventions to reduce the burden of traumatic stress exposure and sequelae on individuals and communities—particularly for people who use drugs, have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and/or are incarcerated. She has worked extensively with legal settings (e.g., prisons, drug treatment courts, jails, reentry centers) on implementation of evidence-based therapies for trauma and PTSD, and regularly partners on projects to promote mental health and prevent suicide within these contexts as well.