Aaron Lyon, PhD

Personal Statement

My research focuses on increasing the accessibility, efficiency, and effectiveness of community- and school-based interventions for children, adolescents, and families. I am particularly interested in (1) the identification and implementation of low-cost, high-yield practices – such as the use of measurement-based care – to reduce the gap between typical and optimal practice in schools; (2) development of individual- and organization-level implementation strategies to promote adoption and sustainment of evidence-based psychosocial interventions within a multi-tier systems of support (MTSS) framework; and (3) human-centered design (and redesign) of psychosocial and digital technologies to improve their implementability, accessibility, and effectiveness. I am the founder and Director of the School Mental Health Assessment, Research, and Training (SMART) Center, dually housed in UW’s School of Medicine and College of Education.

Education

PhD: Clinical Psychology, DePaul University, Chicago
Residency: Clinical Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle
Fellowship: Mental Health Services, University of Washington, Seattle

Department Affiliations

Training Programs

Research Institute for Implementation Science in Education (RIISE)

Recent Publications

The Effects of an Individual-Level Strategy on Adoption and Completion of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Schools: Results from a Hybrid Type 2 Randomized Trial.
(2026 Oct 13)
Res Sq
Bruzios KE, Hugh ML, Joshi M, Gaias LM, Pullmann M, Reyes R, Cueto APM, Goosey R, Landa Y, Corbin CM, Barrett R, Merle JL, Larson M, Cook CR, Lyon AR

Adapting the Fiscal Mapping Process to improve the financial sustainability of implementation support and mental health delivery organizations: protocol for a mixed methods study.
(2026 Jul 24)
Implement Sci Commun 7(1):
Crane ME, Dopp AR, Lyon AR, Kim B, Mohr DC, Aldridge Ii WA, Kemp JJ, Elwy AR

Barriers and facilitators to the implementation of school-partnered collaborative type 1 diabetes interventions: a qualitative comparative analysis with school nurses to guide implementation.
(2026)
Pediatr Diabetes 2026(): e002
March CA, Naame E, Alfinito S, Rankine J, Kazmerski TM, Siminerio LM, Libman I, Miller E, Lyon AR

Twenty Years in the Making: Government, University, and Community Partnership to Advance School Mental Health.
(2026 Sep 17)
Prev Sci
Whitaker K, Liu FF, Buntain-Ricklefs JJ, Frye M, Ludwig K, Redondo S, Stone S, MacDougall E, Rigel S, Lyon AR, McCauley E

From Creative Engagement to Illustrative Insights: Exploring the Role of Design Probes for Implementation Research.
(2026 Jan-Dec)
Implement Res Pract 7(): 26334895261467984
Hoopes AJ, Matson A, Cramer ER, Meza RD, Klasnja P, Dorsey S, Weiner BJ, Lyon AR, Palazzo L, Martinez RG

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