Alison Hamilton, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Alison Hamilton, Ph.D., M.P.H., is a Professor-in-Residence in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences and Director of the Semel Institute Implementation Science and Practice Hub at UCLA, and a Research Career Scientist and Implementation Research Director at the VA Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation & Policy at the Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, and. She received her Ph.D. in medical and psychological anthropology from UCLA in 2002, and her M.P.H. in Community Health Sciences from UCLA in 2009. Dr. Hamilton’s research portfolio focuses on improving health services for vulnerable populations by understanding people’s lived experiences and implementing evidence-based and evidence-informed practices in contextually and theoretically informed ways. She is currently PI of eight major VA- and NIH-funded implementation and health services research initiatives, including the NIAID-funded Rapid, Rigorous, and Relevant Implementation Science Hub. She serves as an Associate Editor for Implementation Science Communications, and on the Editorial Boards of Implementation Science, Women’s Health Issues, and Implementation Research and Practice. She is an Honorary Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Dr. Hamilton received the 2025 George M. Foster Practicing Medical Anthropology Award from the Society for Medical Anthropology, recognizing her lifetime achievements in applying theory and methods in medical anthropology, with impacts on policy.