Melissa J. Zielinski
Associate Professor
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
faculty
PSY Psychiatry, College of Medicine
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Biography and Research Information
OverviewAI-generated summary
Dr. Melissa J. Zielinski's research focuses on the intersection of trauma, mental health, substance use, and the criminal legal system. She directs the Health and the Legal System Lab (HEALS Lab), which aims to improve trauma recovery services within legal settings such as prisons, jails, and drug courts. The lab's work involves identifying effective interventions, facilitating the integration of evidence-based treatments into these systems, and promoting sustained recovery.
Her work has been supported by federal funding, including multiple grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) totaling over $3.2 million. These grants support research on topics such as increasing access to trauma treatment for incarcerated individuals with substance use disorders, the effectiveness of cognitive processing therapy in correctional facilities, and the development of innovative care pathways for screening and treating Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in jails.
Dr. Zielinski's scholarly output includes 87 publications and an h-index of 18. Her research has been recognized through federal grant principal investigator designations. She actively collaborates with colleagues at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, evidenced by numerous shared publications with researchers such as Mollee K. Steely Smith and M. Kathryn Allison. The HEALS Lab also engages in direct clinical practice by providing evidence-based therapy groups.
Research Overview
Dr. Zielinski’s research centers on the intersections between trauma, mental health, substance use, and involvement with the criminal legal system. She directs the Health and the Legal System Lab (HEALS Lab), a diverse group of scholars and clinical trainees that are dedicated to making trauma recovery services available in legal settings like prisons, jails, drug courts, and crime victim service settings. HEALS Lab’s cutting-edge science is helping to identify how to best intervene, how to get treatments that work in to these systems, and how to promote long-term recovery. This work has been supported by a variety of funders including the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Arnold Ventures, and the Department of Justice. Our clinical trainees and director also provide evidence-based therapy groups directly to maximize our immediate impact.
Metrics
- h-index: 18
- Publications: 87
- Citations: 1,036
Selected Publications
- Centering the client in PTSD treatments: Commentary on Rubenstein et al. (2024). (2026) DOI
- Gatekeeping Wellbeing: Healthcare Copayments While Incarcerated as a Barrier to Good Health (2025) DOI
- Increased risk of non-fatal overdose associated with broad adverse childhood experiences among people who use drugs in New York City: a latent class analysis (2025) DOI
- Health service needs, use, and barriers among formerly incarcerated women survivors of sexual violence (2025) DOI
- A qualitative analysis of formerly incarcerated women’s perspectives on a prison-based perinatal support program (2025) DOI
- Treatment Works, Behaviors Change: Investigating the Impact of Trauma Focused Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder on Disciplinary Infractions Among Women in Prison (2025) DOI
- The Arkansas Crisis Stabilization Study: Health Service Utilization and Jail Booking Outcomes of a Longitudinal Cohort (2025) DOI
- 256 Identifying causes of parenting stress among postpartum mothers receiving medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) (2025) DOI
- Community-driven strategies for implementing suicide prevention education in jails. (2025) DOI
- The COVID Shift: Comparing Hybrid Telehealth to In-Person Group Therapy for Incarcerated Women Survivors of Sexual Violence Victimization (2025) DOI
- A Novel Exploration of Women’s Pathways Through Prison and the Roles of Trauma, Addiction, and Mental Health (2025) DOI
- Is Sharing One’s Personal Story of Victimization Preferred? Incarcerated Women’s Perspectives on Group Treatment for Sexual Trauma (2024) DOI
- Arkansas crisis stabilization unit guests: Baseline characteristics from a longitudinal cohort study. (2024) DOI
- Mental Health, Drug Use, and Programming: Applying a Needs Assessment Framework in Arkansas’ Largest Jail (2024) DOI
- To SHARE or not to SHARE: Exploring incarcerated women’s decisions about enrolling in exposure-based group therapy. (2024) DOI
Federal Grants 5 $3,292,012 total
Effectiveness, Implementation, and Cost of Cognitive Processing Therapy in Prisons
Developing and Testing Innovative Care Pathways for Screening and Treatment of OUD/PTSD in Jails
Developing and Testing Innovative Care Pathways for Screening and Treatment of OUD/PTSD in Jails
Leveraging Implementation Science to Increase Access to Trauma Treatment for Incarcerated Drug Users
Grants & Funding
- Translational Training in Addiction NIH/Nat. Inst. on Drug Abuse Principal Investigator
- Effectiveness, Implementation, and Cost of Cognitive Processing Therapy in Prisons NIH/Nat. Inst. on Drug Abuse Principal Investigator
- NOTRE: optimiziNg long-acting prep and mOud inTerventions in caRceral sEttings NIH/Nat. Inst. on Drug Abuse - Pass Through: Duke University Principal Investigator
- Translational Training in Addiction NIH/Nat. Inst. on Drug Abuse Principal Investigator
- Developing and Testing Innovative Care Pathways for Screening and Treatment of OUD/PTSD in Jails NIH/Nat. Inst. on Drug Abuse Principal Investigator
- Effectiveness, Implementation, and Cost of Cognitive Processing Therapy in Prisons NIH/Nat. Inst. on Drug Abuse Principal Investigator
- Translational Training in Addiction NIH/Nat. Inst. on Drug Abuse Principal Investigator
- Translational Training in Addiction NIH/Nat. Inst. on Drug Abuse Principal Investigator
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