Jennifer Renee Fonda, PhD

Assistant Professor, Psychiatry

Jennifer Fonda
857.346.6677
jfonda@bu.edu
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Biography

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School (HMS), and a Research Health Scientist at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System.

I have approximately 20 years of experience as a researcher focused on advanced biostatistics and epidemiologic methods, with a particular interest in addiction, chronic pain, and suicide. I am the principal investigator of a VA CSR&D CDA-2 grant utilizing the VA electronic medical records to build predictor profiles for opioid use disorder and overdose among post-9/11 Veterans. I also serve as a co-investigator for a NIH randomized clinical trial, and a consultant for two VA RR&D CDA-2 grants. I am the Director of Biostatistics, Informatics, and Data Science at the Translational Research Center for Traumatic Brain Injury and Stress Disorders Center (TRACTS), a VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Traumatic Brain Injury National Network. I have served as the lead epidemiologist and biostatistician for over 10 years, playing a central role in the design and data management of TRACTS, a longitudinal, prospective cohort study that uses state-of-the-art information across the domains of biological function (including blood chemistry, genetics, epigenetics), clinical and psychosocial function, lifetime head trauma and blast exposure, deployment experience, neuropsychological function, and neural integrity. Additionally, I have close to 20 years of experience using large electronic medical record databases for epidemiologic research, including the VA, the Department of Defense, National Death Index. and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

In addition to my research, I have served as instructor for several statistics and epidemiology courses to undergraduate and graduate students for 20 years. These courses introduced the basic principles and methods of epidemiology and biostatistics, demonstrated their applicability to public health and medicine, and provided students with fundamental skills necessary to interpret and critically evaluate the relevant literature. Additionally, I developed and currently co-direct the Basic Biostatistics and Research Design Bootcamp and Advanced Statistics and Research Methods seminar series through the Neuropsychiatry Translational Research Fellowship Program. The seminar series offer key statistical and research methods and is attended by research assistants and coordinators, post-doctoral trainees, residents, fellows, and clinicians and service chiefs at the VA, BU Chobanian & Avedisian SOM, and HMS. Finally, I teach an Introduction to Epidemiology course at Harvard Extension School each Spring semester.

Other Positions

  • VA Boston Healthcare System

Websites

Education

  • Boston University, PhD
  • Boston University, MA
  • Boston University, BA

Publications

  • Published on 10/31/2024

    Livingston NA, Mandavia AD, Banducci AN, Loeffel LB, Hall RS, Maloney M, Roth CE, Fonda JR, Davenport M, Meng F, Hyde J, Stein M. Emergency department visits, inpatient hospitalizations, and non-fatal and fatal drug overdoses during COVID-19 among Veterans with opioid use disorder. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2024 Oct 31. PMID: 39480692.

    Read at: PubMed
  • Published on 6/29/2024

    Neale ZE, Fonda JR, Miller MW, Wolf EJ, Zhang R, Sherva R, Harrington KM, Merritt V, Panizzon MS, Hauger RL, Gaziano JM, Logue MW. Subjective cognitive concerns, APOE e4, PTSD symptoms, and risk for dementia among older veterans. Alzheimers Res Ther. 2024 Jun 29; 16(1):143. PMID: 38951900.

    Read at: PubMed
  • Published on 4/16/2024

    Fortier CB, Kenna A, Katz D, Kim S, Hursh C, Beck B, Sablone CA, Currao A, Lebas A, Jorge RE, Fonda JR. STEP-Home transdiagnostic group reintegration workshop to improve mental health outcomes for post-9/11 Veterans: Design, methods, and rationale for a randomized controlled behavioral trial. Contemp Clin Trials. 2024 Jun; 141:107536. PMID: 38614448.

    Read at: PubMed
  • Published on 4/4/2024

    Wolf EJ, Miller MW, Zhang R, Sherva R, Harrington KM, Fonda JR, Daskalakis NP, Gaziano JM, Logue MW. No Replication of Alzheimer's Disease Genetics as a Moderator of Combat Exposure's Association with PTSD risk in 138,592 Combat Veterans. Nat Ment Health. 2024 Apr 04; 2:553-561. PMID: 39247144.

    Read at: PubMed
  • Published on 1/10/2024

    Jotie JM, Gustafson JA, Fonda JR, Fortier CB, Milberg WP, Fortenbaugh FC. Association of mild traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other comorbidities on photosensitivity. Optom Vis Sci. 2024 Feb 01; 101(2):90-98. PMID: 38408306.

    Read at: PubMed
  • Published on 12/14/2023

    Pebole MM, Iverson KM, Fortier CB, Werner KB, Fonda JR, Currao A, Whitworth JW, McGlinchey RE, Galovski TE. Associations Between Head Injury, Strangulation, Cardiometabolic Health, and Functional Disability Among Female Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence. Womens Health Issues. 2024; 34(2):208-216. PMID: 38102057.

    Read at: PubMed
  • Published on 11/11/2023

    Knoff AA, Knight AR, Salat DH, Bedi A, Currao A, Fonda JR, McGlinchey RE, Fortier CB. Early onset adolescent binge drinking is associated with reduced white matter integrity in post-9/11 adult veterans. Alcohol Alcohol. 2023 Nov 11; 58(6):662-671. PMID: 37788828.

    Read at: PubMed
  • Published on 11/3/2023

    Kim S, Currao A, Fonda JR, Beck B, Kenna A, Fortier CB. Diagnostic Accuracy of the Boston Assessment of Traumatic Brain Injury-Lifetime Clinical Interview Compared to Department of Defense Medical Records. Mil Med. 2023 Nov 03; 188(11-12):3561-3569. PMID: 35670452.

    Read at: PubMed
  • Published on 3/23/2023

    Lendvai D, Whittemore R, Womack JA, Fortier CB, Milberg WP, Fonda JR. The Impact of Blast Exposure-With or Without Traumatic Brain Injury-on Metabolic Abnormalities in Post-9/11 Veterans. J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2023 Mar 23. PMID: 36951458.

    Read at: PubMed
  • Published on 3/23/2023

    Lendvai D, Whittemore R, Womack JA, Fortier CB, Milberg WP, Fonda JR. The Impact of Blast Exposure-With or Without Traumatic Brain Injury-on Metabolic Abnormalities in Post-9/11 Veterans. J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2023 Sep-Oct 01; 38(5):380-390. PMID: 36951458.

    Read at: PubMed

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