NEWS
Hannah K. Knudsen
Robert C. Anderson Memorial Award 2005
Hannah K. Knudsen, a recent doctoral graduate in sociology, analyzes decision-making processes in large organizations. Her research encompasses many areas, including drug abuse treatment programs and the mental health effects of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Drawing on earlier work on drug abuse in the workplace, she determined that although Americans mourned the lives lost in the September 11th attacks, there was no lasting impact in terms of alcohol consumption and depression. As an assistant research scientist at the Center for Research on Behavioral Health and Human Services Delivery, Dr. Knudsen’s current work focuses on implementation of drug-abuse treatment innovations. Substance-abuse treatment organizations have considerable difficulties changing their practices due in part to high employee turnover rates. She helped identify the behaviors that cause this problem and now is finding ways to reduce turnover in the workplace. Dr. Knudsen’s publication record “unparalleled in scope and productivity,” said Thomas F. Hilton, Program Official for the National Institute on Drug Abuse. She has published 10 journal articles in the past two years and participated in five conference presentations in 2004.