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INFORMATION FOR

    Tami Sullivan, PhD

    Professor of Psychiatry
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    Additional Titles

    Director, Division of Prevention and Community Research, Psychiatry

    Director, NIDA-funded T32 Training Program in Substance Use Prevention Research, Psychiatry

    Director, Family Violence Research and Programs, Psychiatry

    Associate Professor on Term, Social and Behavioral Sciences

    Contact Info

    tami.sullivan@yale.edu

    Psychiatry

    The Consultation Center, 389 Whitney Avenue

    New Haven, CT 06511-

    United States

    About

    Titles

    Professor of Psychiatry

    Director, Division of Prevention and Community Research, Psychiatry; Director, NIDA-funded T32 Training Program in Substance Use Prevention Research, Psychiatry; Director, Family Violence Research and Programs, Psychiatry; Associate Professor on Term, Social and Behavioral Sciences

    Biography

    Dr. Sullivan's research program focuses on both individual and system-level factors that influence the wellbeing of women who experience intimate partner violence (IPV). Her naturalistic studies dedicate particular attention to daily processes, exploring how experiences and behaviors unfold in natural environments, employing micro-longitudinal designs. Her interventional studies promote relationship health, resilience and recovery from trauma and substance use. Integral to her approach is community-partnered research.

    At the individual level, Dr. Sullivan's research advances understanding of factors that foster resilience, such as self-efficacy, empowerment, and hope, as well as factors that heighten the risk for negative outcomes, including posttraumatic stress, substance use, and sexual risk behaviors. At the systems level, she conducts IPV research in substance use, criminal justice, HIV, and other service systems. She studies the impact of the system’s response on women’s emotional and physical wellbeing, including the ways in which it promotes or impedes their safety, recovery and resilience.

    Dr. Sullivan’s development of community-based and service-system interventions includes a peer-led support group, a single-session intervention to promote hope, and a stepped-care behavioral health intervention aimed at reducing trauma symptoms to enhance retention in opioid use disorder care. Dr. Sullivan disseminates findings to researchers, practitioners, and the public through various formats, including practitioner briefs, blogs, infographics, webinars, and popular media, to accelerate the translation of research into changes in practice and policy.

    She is a licensed psychologist with expertise across a range of treatment settings, from inpatient and outpatient programs for mental health and substance use disorders to community programs for women who experience IPV (e.g., domestic violence service providers) and court-mandated interventions for individuals who use IPV.

    Last Updated on March 02, 2026.

    Appointments

    Other Departments & Organizations

    Education & Training

    PhD
    Northeastern University (2002)
    MA
    Boston College (1996)

    Research

    Program of Research

    Overview

    Medical Research Interests

    Alcohol-Related Disorders; Domestic Violence; Drug Misuse; Gun Violence; Intimate Partner Violence; Psychiatry and Psychology; Resilience, Psychological

    Public Health Interests

    Behavioral Health; Community Health; Community Engagement; Women's Health

    Research at a Glance

    Yale Co-Authors

    Frequent collaborators of Tami Sullivan's published research.

    Publications

    2025

    See All Publications

    Clinical Trials

    Current Trials

    Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

    Get In Touch

    Contacts

    Email
    Mailing Address

    Psychiatry

    The Consultation Center, 389 Whitney Avenue

    New Haven, CT 06511-

    United States

    Administrative Support