Larner College of Medicine

Valerie Harder

Professor, Pediatrics and Psychiatry

Adjunct Professor, Psychology

valerie.harder@med.uvm.edu
woman smiling
valerie.harder@med.uvm.edu
Alma mater(s)
  • Ph.D., Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Mental Health Epidemiology, Baltimore, MD
  • M.H.S., Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Biostatistics, Baltimore, MD
  • B.S., Northwestern University, Biomedical Engineering, Evanston, IL
  • Post-Doctoral, University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry Research Center for Children Youth and Families, Burlington, VT
Affiliated Department(s)

Department of Pediatrics

Department of Psychiatry

Vermont Child Health Improvement Program (VCHIP)

Areas of expertise

youth mental health, substance use disorders, health services research, causal inference.

BIO

Valerie Harder is a Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry in the Larner College of Medicine and Director of Pediatric Health Services Research in the Vermont Child Health Improvement Program. Trained as a Mental Health Epidemiologist and Biostatistician, Prof. Harder leads research and evaluation teams leveraging large administrative healthcare data sources to assess the impact of public health interventions, quality improvement efforts, and healthcare policies. Prof. Harder’s work focuses on children, adolescents, and young adult mental health and substance use, and more broadly how healthcare systems support their health and well-being.

Courses

  • “Epidemiology 2” University of Vermont Master of Public Health (MPH) program

Publications

PubMed Publications

Awards and Achievements

  • Dean’s Excellence in Research Award, Mid-Career Investigator (2022)
  • Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Mobile (m)Health Training Institute awardee (2016)
  • 10th Annual Robins/Guze Award in honor of Eli Robins and Samuel Guze, presented to a young investigator in psychiatry, American Psychopathological Association (2010)
  • Travel Award, American Psychopathological Association, New York (2009)
  • Morton Kramer Award for demonstrating excellence in the application of biostatistical and epidemiologic methods to the solution of problems in mental health research, Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins University (2008)
  • Junior Investigator Women & Gender Travel Award, College on Problems of Drug Dependence (2007)
  • Delta Omega Honor Society Poster Competition, Third Place Winner (2007) 
  • Travel Award, CALDAR Biostatistics Summer Institute (2006)
  • NIDA Director's Travel Award, College on Problems of Drug Dependence (2005)

Bio

Valerie Harder is a Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry in the Larner College of Medicine and Director of Pediatric Health Services Research in the Vermont Child Health Improvement Program. Trained as a Mental Health Epidemiologist and Biostatistician, Prof. Harder leads research and evaluation teams leveraging large administrative healthcare data sources to assess the impact of public health interventions, quality improvement efforts, and healthcare policies. Prof. Harder’s work focuses on children, adolescents, and young adult mental health and substance use, and more broadly how healthcare systems support their health and well-being.

Courses

  • “Epidemiology 2” University of Vermont Master of Public Health (MPH) program

Publications

PubMed Publications

Awards and Achievements

  • Dean’s Excellence in Research Award, Mid-Career Investigator (2022)
  • Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Mobile (m)Health Training Institute awardee (2016)
  • 10th Annual Robins/Guze Award in honor of Eli Robins and Samuel Guze, presented to a young investigator in psychiatry, American Psychopathological Association (2010)
  • Travel Award, American Psychopathological Association, New York (2009)
  • Morton Kramer Award for demonstrating excellence in the application of biostatistical and epidemiologic methods to the solution of problems in mental health research, Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins University (2008)
  • Junior Investigator Women & Gender Travel Award, College on Problems of Drug Dependence (2007)
  • Delta Omega Honor Society Poster Competition, Third Place Winner (2007) 
  • Travel Award, CALDAR Biostatistics Summer Institute (2006)
  • NIDA Director's Travel Award, College on Problems of Drug Dependence (2005)

Academic Appointments

  • Professor of Pediatrics, The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at The University of Vermont, Burlington, VT (2024- present)   
  • Professor of Psychiatry, Research Center for Children Youth and Families, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT (2024-present)   
  • Director, Health Services Research Team, Vermont Child Health Improvement Program (VCHIP), University of Vermont, Burlington, VT (2013-present)   
  • Associate Professor of Pediatrics, The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at The University of Vermont, Burlington, VT (2017-2024)   
  • Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Research Center for Children Youth and Families, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT (2017-2024)   
  • Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at The University of Vermont, Burlington, VT (2013-2017)   
  • Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Research Center for Children Youth and Families, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT (2010-2017)

Select Publications

  • Harder, V.S., Schafrick, N.H., Peasley-Miklus, C.E., Villanti, A.C. (2024) Decreasing Incident Opioid Use Disorder, Especially Adolescent and Young Adult, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 68(3):580-587. doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2024.12.003. 
  • Holland, J.E., Varni, S.E., Pulcini, C.D., Simon T.D., Harder, V.S. (research mentor; 2022) Assessing the Relationship Between Well-Care Visit and Emergency Department Utilization Among Adolescents and Young Adults. Journal of Adolescent Health. 70(1):64-69. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.08.011. 
  • Harder, V.S., Shaw, J.S., McCulloch, C.E. Kill, L., Robinson, K.J., Shepard, M.T., Cabana, M.D., Bardach, N.S. (2020). Statewide Asthma Learning Collaborative Participation and Asthma-related Emergency Department Use. Pediatrics. 146(6):e20200213. doi: 10.1542/peds.2020-0213. 
  • Harder, V.S., Musau, A.M., Musyimi, C.W., Ndetei, D.M., Mutiso, V.N. (2020). A randomized clinical trial of mobile phone motivational interviewing for alcohol use problems in Kenya. Addiction. 115(6):1050-1060. doi:10.1111/add.14903. PMCID: PMC8353663 
  • Harder, V.S., Stuart, E.A., Anthony, J.C. (2010). Propensity score techniques and the assessment of measured covariate balance to test causal associations in psychological research. Psychological Methods, 15(3), 234-249. PMCID: PMC2936698.