Center for Innovation to Implementation (Ci2i)
Daniel M. Blonigen, PhD
Dr. Blonigen is a Research Career Scientist and an Associate Director at the Center for Innovation to Implementation, VA Palo Alto Health Care System. He is also an Affiliate Investigator with the VA National Center for Homelessness Among Veterans, and a Clinical Associate Professor (Affiliated) in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine. He received his doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Minnesota and is a former VA Career Development Awardee in Clinical Sciences R&D. He is licensed as a clinical psychologist in the State of California.
Dr. Blonigen’s research focuses on testing the effectiveness and implementation of treatments for addiction in Veterans. In particular, he is interested in the use of mobile health tools and peer-based interventions to increase access and engagement in care among justice-involved and homeless Veterans. Other areas of his research expertise and scholarly contributions include links between personality factors and treatment outcomes and the clinical utility of personality assessment in substance use disorder treatment. He is currently leading or co-leading multisite trials of behavioral interventions for justice-involved Veterans in VA homeless programs. He is also currently funded by VA HSR&D to tailor smartphone applications for self-management of unhealthy drinking for Veteran primary care patients and use of Peer Specialists to increase patient engagement with these apps.
In addition to research, Dr. Blonigen is actively involved in mentoring and teaching VA research fellows and Stanford University residents in addiction medicine. He is a member of several VA management and oversight committees and has served as a grant reviewer for national and international funders. He is an invited speaker at national conferences and cyberseminars devoted to substance use and mental health research, and he holds editorial positions for leading addiction, personality, and assessment journals.
Selected Publications
Homelessness and Criminal Justice System Involvement
Blonigen, D. M., Macia, K. S., Cucciare, M. A., & Smelson, D. (2024). For whom are treatments for criminal recidivism effective? Moderator effects from a randomized controlled trial of justice-involved veterans. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 92(2), 118-128. doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000864
Blonigen, D. M., Hyde, J., McInnes, D. M, Yoon, J., Byrne, T., Ngo, T., & Smelson, D. (2023). Integrating data analytics, peer support, and whole health coaching to improve the health outcomes of homeless veterans: Study protocol for an effectiveness-implementation trial. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 125, 107065. doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2022.107065
Blonigen, D. M., Cucciare, M. A., Byrne, T., Shaffer, P. M., Giordano, B., Smith, J. S., Timko, C., Rosenthal, J., & Smelson, D. (2022). A randomized controlled trial of moral reconation therapy to reduce risk for criminal recidivism among justice-involved adults in mental health residential treatment. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 90(5), 413-426. doi:10.1037/ccp0000721
Blonigen, D. M., Smith, J. S., Javier, S., Cucciare, M. A., Timko, C., Nevedal, A. L., Filice, N., Rosenthal, J., & Smelson, D. (2022). Implementation potential of moral reconation therapy for criminal recidivism in mental health residential programs. Psychiatric Services, 73(8), 856-63. doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.202100089
Blonigen, D. M., Smelson, D., Smith, J., Baldwin, N., McInnes, D. K., Raikov, I., Weber, J., & Hyde, J. (2022). Peer support and whole health coaching to address the healthcare needs of homeless Veterans: A pilot study. BMC Primary Care, 23:331. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-022-01927-0
Blonigen, D. M., Shaffer, P. M., Smith, J. S., Cucciare, M. A., Timko, C., Smelson, D., Blue-Howells, J., Clark, S., & Rosenthal, J. (2021). Recidivism treatment for justice-involved veterans: Evaluating adoption and sustainment of Moral Reconation Therapy in the US Veterans Health Administration. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 48(6), 992-1005. doi.org/10.1007/s10488-021-01113-x
Peer Digital Health
Blonigen, D. M., Hawkins, E., Kuhn, E., Timko, C., Dulin, P., Boothroyd, D., & Possemato, K. (2023). Stand Down–Think Before You Drink: Protocol for an Effectiveness-Implementation Trial of a Mobile Application for Unhealthy Alcohol Use with and without Peer Support. BMJ Open, 13:e072892. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2023-072892. e072892.full.pdf (bmj.com)
Blonigen, D. M., Montena, A. L., Smith, J., Hedges, J., Kuhn, E., Carlson, E. B., Owen, J., Wielgosz, J., & Possemato, K. (2023). Peer-supported mobile mental health for veterans in primary care: A pilot study. Psychological Services, 20(4), 734-744. https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000709
Blonigen, D. M., Harris-Olenak, B., Kuhn, E., Timko, C., Humphreys, K., Smith, J., & Dulin, P. (2021). Using peers to increase veterans’ engagement in a smartphone application for unhealthy alcohol use: A pilot study of acceptability and utility. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 35(7), 829-839. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000598
Montena, A., Possemato, K., Kuhn, E., Carlson, E., McGovern, M., Smith, J. S., & Blonigen, D. M. (2021). Barriers and facilitators to peer-supported implementation of mental health mobile applications with veterans in primary care. Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science [e-pub, Feb 13, 2021]. doi.org/10.1007/s41347-021-00198-3
Blonigen, D. M., Harris-Olenak, B., Kuhn, E., Humphreys, K., Timko, C., & Dulin, P. (2020). From “Step Away” to “Stand Down”: Tailoring a Smartphone Application for Self-Management of Hazardous Drinking for Veterans. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 8(2): e16062. https://doi.org/10.2196/16062
