Mark Ilgen, PhD

Mark Ilgen, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, a professor of psychiatry, and an investigator with the VA Center for Clinical Management Research (CCMR) at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. Much of his current work focuses on improving treatment outcomes for patients struggling with substance use disorders and complicated co-occurring problems, particularly chronic pain, other psychiatric disorders, and suicide risk. In working with adults who have drug and alcohol problems, his goal is to help them reverse the course of addiction as quickly as possible to minimize the damaging effects on other areas of their lives. For individuals grappling with both addiction and chronic pain, Dr. Ilgen has developed an intervention that can help address both problems and also minimize the treatment challenges that opioids, cannabis and alcohol often present for this population. He is interested in improving the care for individuals with co-occurring pain and addiction.

His research interests include evaluation research on methods for improving the treatment of alcohol or drug use disorders, examining of the association between alcohol or drug use and risk for suicide intervention development, evaluation for treating chronic pain in individuals with alcohol or drug use disorders, and health services research on program policies linked to varying rates of suicide. Dr. Ilgen’s firearm research includes a scoping review focused on primary screening or interventions for primary prevention of pediatric firearm injuries and work with veteran populations related to firearm possession and suicide rates.