Research Assistant Professor, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Senior Policy Advisor to the Director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
Dana Weiner, Ph.D. has served on the faculty of the Mental Health Services & Policy Program at Northwestern University since 2001 and as Senior Policy Advisor to the Director of the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services since 2008. Dr. Weiner is the developer of the Statewide Provider Database (SPD) and the model for improving access to resources using Geographical Information Systems Data. The SPD, a tool used by caseworkers to identify local resources, has advanced the Department’s ability to use geographical information in understanding the availability of resources, overcoming barriers to accessibility, and contracting more efficiently and effectively for services. Dr. Weiner’s research has focused on evaluating the implementation of evidence-based approaches to treating trauma, including TF-CBT, SPARCS, and TARGET among the child welfare and juvenile justice populations in Illinois, and more broadly on utilizing data to inform decision making at the practice & systems levels. She currently serves as the Evaluation Liaison in a large federally funded trial of a psychoeducational trauma model for improving stability and outcomes of foster care placements.
Dr. Weiner obtained a Bachelor’s Degree from Cornell University in 1992 and a Doctorate from Northwestern in 1999. In 2011 she was appointed by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn to serve on the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission, and in 2013 was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Child and Family Services Advisory Council.