Senior Health Hires for Abt

Abt Associates has added two veterans of healthcare research to its team. Psychologist William Schlenger, Ph.D., an authority on behavioral health, has joined as a principal associate; and Charles R. Thompson, Ph.D. becomes Vice President in the firm's new Domestic Health Division.

At Abt Associates Dr. Schlenger will serve as a senior technical resource, working across the health division. He worked as a principal scientist in the Behavioral Health Research Division of RTI International for the previous 29 years, in various roles including directing its Center for Risk Behavior and Mental Health Research from 2001-2003; and working as a Research Psychologist and Senior Research Psychologist. He has worked extensively on community epidemiologic studies, randomly controlled trials of treatment and prevention interventions including substance abuse treatment, and evaluations of major federal demonstration programs.

Dr. Schlenger has published widely on the topic of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and recently led a study measuring levels of PTSD among residents of New York City, Washington, D.C., and other U.S. cities after the September 11 attacks. He holds a Ph.D. in Human Resource Development from North Carolina State University, an M.A. in Experimental Psychology from East Carolina University, and an A.B. in Psychology from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

'Bill Schlenger is an extraordinarily talented researcher and scholar and a very effective mentor, specifically in the areas of research and design and data analysis' according to Scott Royal, Ph.D., who leads the Abt Associates Public Health and Epidemiology practice. 'I find Bill to be one of the most ethical researchers I have ever met. For him, research has real-life implications, and he is committed to conducting research with the highest level of integrity.'

Dr. Thompson will oversee the company's Behavioral Health, Health Policy, and Public Health and Epidemiology practices, as well as join the Company's Management Committee.

He worked previously as a VP of RTI International, focusing on federal healthcare optimization and strategic solutions. Before this, he spent 11 years at Birch and David Associates (later ACS Federal Health Care and then Lockheed Martin Information Technology), rising to Division Vice President, leading a federal healthcare group of 225 staff. Earlier, he served in senior leadership positions in the U.S. Army Medical Department and in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Health Affairs - he spent a total of twenty-five years working for the Army.

Dr. Thompson has a Ph.D. in education administration and business administration from American University, an M.S. in nursing from Catholic University of America and a B.S. degree in nursing from University of Nevada.

According to Abt Associates Group Vice President Kathleen Flanagan, 'Our domestic health practices are a critical element of our growth strategy and Chuck's experience and skills will be critical to our ability to achieve our goals over the next five years.'

Abt Associates is online at www.abtassociates.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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