Emily Tanner-Smith
Biography
Dr. Tanner-Smith is not currently accepting new PhD students.
Emily Tanner-Smith serves as Dean of the University of Oregon College of Education, where she provides strategic leadership for one of the nation's leading colleges of education and human development. As dean, she oversees the college's academic, research, clinical, and outreach enterprises, supporting more than 1,700 students, three academic departments, 14 research and outreach centers, and a research portfolio that generates more than $74 million annually in new awards.
Dr. Tanner-Smith is a Thomson Professor in the college’s Department of Counseling Psychology and Human Services. As a nationally recognized scholar, Tanner-Smith is known for her work focused on improving mental and behavioral health outcomes for children, youth, families, and communities through rigorous research, evidence synthesis, and partnerships that bridge research, policy, and practice. She has authored more than 120 peer-reviewed publications and is among the most highly cited scholars in her field.
Prior to becoming dean, Tanner-Smith served as Executive Director of the HEDCO Institute for Evidence-Based Educational Practice, Associate Dean for Research in the College of Education, Associate Vice President for Research for the University of Oregon, and Associate Director of the Prevention Science Institute. In these roles, she advanced interdisciplinary research, faculty development, community partnership, and innovation across the university.
A Fellow of the Society for Prevention Research, Tanner-Smith has received numerous honors recognizing her research, including the Robert Boruch Award, the Nan Tobler Award, and the Leonard E. Gibbs Award. She serves in national advisory and leadership roles for several organizations, including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Advisory Council for the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.
Education
Honors and Awards
2025 Fellow, Society for Prevention Research
2020 Robert Boruch Award for Distinctive Contributions to Research that Inform Public Policy, Campbell Collaboration
2018 Leonard E. Gibbs Award for Production of Rigorous Systematic Review on Social Welfare Policy and Practice, Campbell Collaboration
2018 Nan Tobler Award for the Review of the Prevention Science Literature, Society for Prevention Research
2015 Faculty Mentor Award, Community Research & Action Doctoral Program, Department of Human and Organizational Development, Vanderbilt University
2014 Junior Scholar Award, American Sociological Association, Section on Alcohol, Drugs, and Tobacco
Publications
Full list of publications available at: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=a6xK4HkAAAAJ&hl=en
Recent Representative Publications:
Berny, L. M., Hennessy, E. A., Finch, A. J., & Tanner-Smith, E. E. (2026). Testing a social mechanism of recovery high schools: Peer affiliation as a mediator of substance use outcomes. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 113240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2026.113240
Hennessy, E. A., Tanner-Smith, E. E., Nichols, L. M., Brown, T. B., & Mcculloch, B. J. (2021). A multi-site study of emerging adults in collegiate recovery programs at public institutions. Social Science & Medicine, 278, 113955. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113955
Seitidis, G., Nikolakopoulos, S., Hennessy, E. A., Tanner-Smith, E. E., & Mavridis, D. (2022). Network meta-analysis techniques for synthesizing prevention science evidence. Prevention Science, 23(3), 415-424. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-021-01289-6
Tanner-Smith, E. E., Mojekwu, F., & Frankel, L. (2024). Examining the effects of juvenile drug treatment courts: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 51(1), 148-170. https://doi.org/10.1177/00938548231208208
Tanner‐Smith, E. E., Parr, N. J., Schweer‐Collins, M., & Saitz, R. (2022). Effects of brief substance use interventions delivered in general medical settings: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Addiction, 117(4), 877-889. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.15674
Research
Dr. Tanner-Smith’s research focuses on the prevention and treatment of behavioral and mental health problems among youth, with emphasis on using research syntheses to advance evidence-based decision-making. Dr. Tanner-Smith previously directed the HEDCO Institute for Evidence-Based Practice in the College of Education and she currently runs the Applied Research Methods and Statistics lab at the Prevention Science Institute.