Kate Shirley, Ph.D.

Research

I am a clinician-scientist who examines access to and engagement with evidence-based psychological interventions within integrated healthcare systems, with particular attention to cognition, substance use, and the structural conditions that shape who receives care and when. I work at the intersection of intervention science, implementation research, and health systems inquiry — bringing direct clinical experience into the design and interpretation of empirical work.

Research Focus

Selected Publications

• Shirley, K., Sano, E., & Gaudiano, B.A. · 2026 Veteran-informed design considerations for telehealth cognitive rehabilitation in substance use disorder care Psychological Services (in press)
• Shirley, K., Bolts, O., Pinto, L.A., Gaudiano, B.A., & Metrik, J. · 2026 A qualitative study of veteran and provider perspectives on a novel acute care transitions intervention for co-occurring mood and substance use disorders Psychological Services (in press)
• Clauss, K., Shirley, K., et al. · 2025 Clinically meaningful change following compensatory cognitive training in veterans with a history of mild traumatic brain injury: A brief report Applied Neuropsychology: Adult, 1-7
• Shirley, K., Campbell, L.M., Maye, J.E., Sano, E., Pickell, D., Jak, A.J., O'Neil, M.E., & Twamley, E.W. · 2025 Feasibility of motivationally enhanced compensatory cognitive training for older Veterans with mild cognitive impairment Innovation in Aging, 9(Suppl 2), igaf122-3934
• Loftis, J.M., Firsick, E., Shirley, K., et al. · 2023 Inflammatory and mental health sequelae of covid-19 Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology, 15, 100186
• Shirley, K., O'Neil, M., Boyd, S., & Loftis, J.M. · 2023 Differences in rates of impairment in adults who use methamphetamine using two sets of demographically corrected norms Applied Neuropsychology: Adult, 32(1), 216-224
• Shirley, K., Sano, E., & O'Neil, M. · 2023 Pilot trial of compensatory cognitive training with Veterans in remission from alcohol use disorders Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 47(S1), 230
• Shirley, K., Clauss, K., Cameron, D., et al. · 2023 Using the Federal Interagency Traumatic Brain Injury Research (FITBIR) informatics system to understand complex associations between traumatic brain injury and alcohol or substance use Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 38(7), 1310
• Shirley, K. & Loftis, J.M. · 2022 A spotlight on HCV and SARS-COV-2 co-infection and brain function Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 217, 173403
• Shirley, K., O'Neil, M., & Loftis, J. · 2022 Potential for inflated norms in neuropsychological assessment of individuals who use methamphetamine Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 28(S2), 578–579
• Huckans, M., Boyd, S., Shirley, K., et al. · 2021 Cognition during active methamphetamine use versus remission Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 43(6), 599–610
• O'Neil, M.E., Cameron, D., Shirley, K., et al. · 2021 Change in learning and memory partially mediates effects of compensatory cognitive training on self-reported cognitive symptoms Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 36(6), 429–436

Contact

drkateshirley [at] gmail [dot] com