Yaara Zisman-Ilani will join the College of Public Health on July 1 as an assistant professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences.

The psychologist and mental health researcher comes to the tenure-track position with expertise in psychiatric rehabilitation, shared decision making and engagement methods, interventions development, and research methods.

After completing her MA in psychology and her Ph.D. in community mental health at the University of Haifa, Zisman-Ilani became a Rothschild Postdoctoral Fellow in The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice at Geisel Medical School, Dartmouth College. She researches patient preferences, collaborative care, and evidence-based interventions to facilitate care delivery. Her work includes the development and evaluation of mental health interventions and tools for people with severe mental illnesses and with other chronic conditions, their family members, and clinicians.

“I do believe that people with mental and other chronic conditions should have a fair and real opportunity to be involved in their care and rehabilitation,” ZismanIlani said. “For this to happen, several processes need to take place, including strong partnerships, a collaborative approach to care, and the provision of personcentered care.”

At the College of Public Health Zisman-Ilani’s research and teaching will focus on patient engagement, risk communication in healthcare and healthcare delivery, community mental health, community inclusion, the development and evaluation of interventions and tools, dissemination and implementation efforts.

“The department has a great reputation in rehabilitation in general and in mental health in particular. I am always open to new research initiatives and collaborations, and I am looking forward to collaborating with the Temple community around the areas of patient engagement, shared decision making, psychiatric rehabilitation and community mental health, working together to further advance the science of rehabilitation,” she said.