Warren Alpert Foundation Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences

Overview

Dr. Rani Elwy is the Warren Alpert Foundation Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University, a VA Research Career Scientist awardee, and an elected Fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine. Dr. Elwy's passion is bridging the worlds of research evidence, policy, and practice. In 2018, Dr. Elwy founded the Brown Research on Implementation and Dissemination to Guide Evidence Use (BRIDGE) program, growing it to 15 faculty, staff, postdocs and students, with a mission to build capacity for implementation science across Rhode Island and nationally.

Dr. Elwy is an award-winning teacher, mentor, and researcher, and a 2026 TEDx speaker on “Changing Healthcare at the Speed of Trust". Since 2007, Dr. Elwy's research has been continuously funded by the NIH, VA, PCORI, CDC and foundations. She has authored over 175 peer-reviewed articles, served as PI/MPI of 18 research awards and Subaward PI on a further 16 research awards, bringing in nearly $53 million in research funding. Dr. Elwy has also served as Co-I on 31 additional grants.

Building on 20 years of research, Dr. Elwy created a health system-wide Disclosure Support Program, to increase transparent and open communication in health care, based on evidence-based communication practices, which has been deployed at 100 medical facilities, ensuring high-quality care for over 80,000 patients. Her doctor-patient communication research has been covered by US News and World Report, CBS News, The Washington Post, KFF, and The Daily Mail.

Dr. Elwy is also a Class of 2024 Presidential Leadership Scholar, a program that brings together bold and principled leaders who are committed to facing critical challenges, both at home and around the world, and who are interested in exploring lessons learned during the administrations of George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson. She is also a proud RWJF Health Policy Fellow alumna of the Office of Senator Patty Murray (WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Through this program, coordinated by the National Academy of Medicine, Dr. Elwy brought research evidence into work with Senator Murray's health team to draft legislation, oversight reports, hearing and meeting memos, talking points, vote recommendations, public heath updates, and appropriations report language.

Brown Affiliations

Research Areas

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