Kelly Anne Aschbrenner holds a Ph.D. in Social Welfare from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Social Work, and a M.A. from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration.  Dr. Aschbrenner’s overarching research interests are in family caregiving and mental illness.  As an NIMH Predoctoral Trainee, Dr. Aschbrenner completed dissertation research focused on the long-term impact of parenting an adult child with bipolar disorder.  This study documented the wide heterogeneity in the experiences of parents caring for an adult son or daughter with bipolar disorder in a community based sample. 

Dr. Aschbrenner is involved in mentored post-doctoral research focused on adult and elderly psychiatric populations.  Specifically, she is currently involved in three studies: 1) a qualitative investigation of the reintegration issues faced by female veterans of Afghanistan and Iraqi wars with an emphasis on mental health problems and family issues; 2) intervention research with family caregivers of adults with comorbid physical and mental illnesses; and 3) an investigation of elder abuse and its risk factors among a elderly psychiatric population. Her primary fellowship mentor is Dr. Susan Allen, who has a long history of studying home care issues among people with chronic conditions and disabilities.  Dr. Aschbrenner’s long-term career plans are to build a scientific research program that addresses the mental health care needs of individuals with mental illness and their family caregivers in adulthood and older age. 

Dr. Aschbrenner is an active member of AcademyHealth, the Gerontological Society of America, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, and the Society for Social Work and Research.

Selected Publications:

Aschbrenner, K. A., Greenberg, J. S., & Seltzer, M. M. The Long-Term Impact of Parenting an Adult Child with Bipolar Disorder. In preparation

Greenberg, J., Knudsen, K., & Aschbrenner, K. (2006).  Prosocial family processes and the quality of life of persons with schizophrenia.  Psychiatric Services, 57, 1771-1777.

Gehlert, S., Kovac, K., & Song, I. (2006).  Rural women’s health.  In R. T. Coward, L. Davis, C. H. Gold, C. H. Smiciklas-Wright, L. E. Thorndyke, & F. W. Vondracek (Eds).  Rural women’s health: Linking mental, behavioral, and physical health.  New York: Springer Publishing.

Angell, B., Cooke, A., & Kovac, K.  (2005). First person accounts of stigma. In Patrick W. Corrigan (Ed.), On the stigma of mental illness: Practical strategies for research and social change. (pp. 69-98). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.