Dr. Allison Bruhn, former middle school teacher and graduate of Vanderbilt University, is the Executive Director of the Scanlan Center for School Mental Health and a Professor of Special Education at the University of Iowa. She serves as an Associate Editor for two journals, Behavioral Disorders and Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, and teaches courses on elementary classroom management, current issues and trends in special education, emotional/behavioral disorders, grant writing, and academic careers. Her research focuses on designing, implementing, and evaluating social, emotional, and behavioral interventions and assessments to improve outcomes for students and the teachers who serve them.

Dr. Bruhn has received several local and national awards for the quantity, quality, and impact of her scholarship. She is committed to bridging the “research to practice” gap by engaging educational stakeholders in building relationships, professional development, research, dissemination, and advocacy efforts that improve the social, emotional, behavioral, and psychological well-being of teachers and students.