Brandee Izquierdo

Brandee Izquierdo, DPA, MPA is a Lecturer in Psychiatry of the Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health (PRCH) and a former fellow of the Yale Lived Experience Transformational Leadership Academy (LET(s)Lead).

Dr. Izquierdo’s drive and determination are built on making an impact within behavioral health, promoting long-term recovery, and ensuring communities are educated and have the tools necessary to cultivate equitable and culturally inclusive systems of care.

Dr. Izquierdo is the director of behavioral health programs for Pew Charitable Trusts where she leads researchers and advocates working at the state and federal levels to expand access to evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders and improve suicide prevention interventions in hospitals and health systems. In addition, she serves on the board of the Police, Treatment, and Community Collaborative (PTACC) and the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association (LAPPA).

Before joining Pew, Dr. Izquierdo held several leadership roles, including executive director of the Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic Project and director of advocacy and outreach at Faces & Voices of Recovery. She also served as the associate director of special populations with Behavioral Health System Baltimore and as director of consumer affairs for Maryland’s Behavioral Health Administration.

As a subject matter expert for organizations such as the Center for Social Innovation, Policy Research Associates, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC), Dr. Izquierdo has made vast contributions within behavioral health around public policy, outreach, and workforce development. Additionally, she has made a significant impact within the judicial system, advocating for access to treatment and recovery and is the principal investigator of the national Integrated-Forensic Peer Recovery Specialist curriculum.

Dr. Izquierdo has a passion for service work which is driven by her professional knowledge of behavioral health services and personal lived expertise as a woman in recovery. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Government and Public Policy and master’s degree in Public Administration and earned her Doctorate in Public Administration with a focus on organizational change management within behavioral health and criminal justice systems.