Allyson Varley PhD

Dr. Varley is a Research Health Scientist in Health Services Research & Development (HSR&D) at the Birmingham VA Medical Center. Her doctoral training and expertise are in the application of mixed-methods approaches to health behavior and implementation research. Dr. Varley’s program of research has focused on methods to advance the implementation of pain and addiction treatments across health care settings. A major theme of her work has been understanding the context for implementation in primary care. She has explored patient-centered service design in VA’s Homeless Patient Aligned Care Teams (HPACTs) and works on the QUERI-funded CONDUIT project, which aims to increase access to medications for opioid use disorder, as a qualitative and implementation scientist. Dr. Varley also explores primary care experiences for Veterans with homeless experience that have co-occurring chronic pain and addiction under the mentorship

Education

• BA,  University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
• MPH, University of Alabama at Birmingham
• PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Research Interests

• Understanding patient experience and implementation of best practices in primary care
• Understanding prevalence and correlates of substance use
• Developing, testing, and implementing interventions for pain management

Recent Publications

• Varley, A.L., Accord, E., Spain, T. Mixon, A., Kripalani, S., Rothman, R., and Limper, H. (2020) Understanding factors influencing quality improvement capacity among ambulatory care practices across the MidSouth region: an exploratory qualitative study. Quality Management in Health Care. 29(3):136-141.
• Varley, A., Copes, H., Lappan, S., Jackson, J., Goodin, B., Cherrington, A. L., & Hendricks, P. (2019). Understanding Barriers and Facilitators to the Uptake of Best Practices for the Treatment of Co-Occurring Chronic Pain and Opioid Use Disorder. Journal of Dual Diagnosis. doi:10.1080/15504263.2019.1675920.
• Varley, A.L., Montgomery, A.E., Steward, J., Stringfellow, E., Austin, E.L., Gordon, A., Pollio, D., deRussy, A., Hoge, A., Gelberg, L., Riggs, K., Kim, T.W., Rubens, S.L., and Kertesz, S.G. (2020) Exploring Quality of Primary Care for Patients Who Experience Homelessness and the Clinicians who Serve Them: What Are Their Aspirations? Qualitative Health Research. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732319895252
• Complete List of Published Work: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1l5m4KTGpox5n/bibliography/public/