Center for Innovation to Implementation (Ci2i)
Elizabeth Oliva, PhD
Elizabeth M. Oliva, PhD, received her PhD in Developmental Psychopathology and Clinical Science from the University of Minnesota where her graduate work examining the etiology of substance use from adolescence to early adulthood was funded by a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship. She completed her pre-doctoral clinical psychology internship at UCSD/VA San Diego.
Dr. Oliva is an Investigator at the VA Center for Innovation to Implementation (Ci2i) at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System and a Senior Evaluator for the VA Program Evaluation and Resource Center (PERC; one of three VA Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention evaluation centers). She is currently the VA National Opioid Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution (OEND) Coordinator and also conducts research on VA OEND implementation. In her role as VA National OEND Coordinator, Dr. Oliva works with interdisciplinary teams—e.g., MDs, PharmDs, RNs, LCSWs, Psychologists—to create national VA OEND resources for patient and provider training. In addition to OEND, Dr. Oliva has been involved in the development and implementation of the VA Stratification Tool for Opioid Risk Mitigation (STORM).
Dr. Oliva’s areas of expertise include the etiology of substance use disorders, substance use disorder treatment research, and strategies to address the opioid crisis. She is particularly interested in implementation science and identifying ways to improve patient engagement in evidence-based treatments, especially engagement in pharmacotherapies for substance use disorders. Dr. Oliva is an Associate Editor for the journal Substance Abuse.
