Faculty Profile for Dr. Kelly Lynn Clary

profile photo for Dr. Kelly Lynn Clary
Dr. Kelly Lynn Clary
Assistant Professor — School of Social Work
ENC 157
phone: (512) 245-2592

Biography Section

Biography and Education

Dr. Kelly Clary joined Texas State University in September 2020. She holds all three degrees from the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I-L-L!

Dr. Clary has clinical experience with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Counseling Center's Alcohol and Other Drug Office Team, and at numerous community agencies including the Champaign County Juvenile Detention Center, an Outpatient Substance Use Facility, Carle Emergency Department, and a Universal Health Services Inpatient Psychiatric Hospital.

Dr. Clary has worked on numerous research projects funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Protective Services, Illinois Department of Human Services, and National Institutes of Health throughout her research program.

Teaching Interests

Since 2016, Dr. Clary has taught close to 1,000 students at Texas State University, Illinois State University, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has taught Direct Social Work Practice, Research Methods, Diversity Identities and Issues, Brief Interventions (Motivational Interviewing and SBIRT; Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment), Harm Reduction and Peer Facilitation, and Alcohol and Chemical Dependency.

Dr. Clary is also interested in conducting research to improve teaching instruction/methods to further integrate technology-based activities, such as using simulation-based learning (SBL) to promote cultural humility and competence.

Research Interests

Dr. Clary's research agenda includes exploring and documenting developmental and cultural factors/causes and consequences related to high-risk health behaviors, particularly substance use among placed at-risk populations (e.g., military/veterans, emerging adults, college students, and LGBTQIA persons). Further, she hopes to develop, implement, and evaluate culturally informed measures and interventions to reduce health disparities (e.g., substance use, mental health, suicide). Dr. Clary was selected among 20 scholars as a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Center for Health Equity Research (CHER) Fellow for Summer 2021. She participated in a 6-day research-intensive training to enhance the readiness of early-career faculty at minority-serving institutions to conduct community-based, social, and health behavior research.

Research Interests: Substance Use/Misuse; Mental Health; Emerging Adults; Military/Veterans; Qualitative Methods

Dr. Clary's current funded projects include a research study in Illinois examining benzodiazepine, opioid, and cannabis use among older U.S. veterans, a project exploring psychophysiological and perceived health-related behaviors during and after gender-affirming and non-affirming language among transgender people who live in Texas, and a study exploring the Social Work Grand Challenge of Technology among Texas State University social work field educators.

Selected Scholarly/Creative Work

  • Clary, K., Habbal, M., Smith, D., & Fratila, I. (2021). The Green Sheep: Exploring the Perceptions and Acceptability of Cannabis Among Young Military Members and Veterans. Cannabis, 4(2), 31–46. https://doi.org/10.26828/cannabis/2021.02.003
  • Clary, K., & Byrne, L. (2021). Emerging Adult Military-Connected Students Express Challenges Transitioning into Higher Education: Implications for Helping Professionals. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2021.1925176
  • Clary, K., Pena, S., & Smith, D. (2021). Masculinity and Stigma Among Emerging Adult Military Members and Veterans: Implications for Encouraging Help-Seeking. Current Psychology, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01768-7
  • Clary, K., Smith, D., Goffnett, J., Chiu, C.-Y., & Davis, J. (2021). "A Functioning Addict Is Still a Kid:” Qualitative Study of Emerging Adults in Residential Treatment. Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 21(2), 179–193. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/1533256X.2021.1893954
  • Clary, K. L., Reinhart, C., Kim, H. J., & Smith, D. (2021). Improving Recruitment Procedures for School Based Surveys: Through the Lens of the Illinois Youth Survey. Journal of School Health, 91(3), 250–257. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12995

Selected Awards

  • Award / Honor Recipient: 2022 College Achievement for Excellence in Teaching, College of Applied Arts, Texas State University. August 19, 2022
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Alpha Chi Chapter Honorary Faculty Member, Phi Alpha National Honor Society. March 7, 2024 - Present
  • Award / Honor Recipient: New Faculty Research Spotlight, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs: Engaging Research Newsletter. December 15, 2022
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Alpha Chi Favorite Professors for 2021, Alpha Chi National Honor Society, Texas State University. April 19, 2021
  • Award / Honor Nominee: GADE Student Award for Teaching in Social Work, Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work. June 15, 2020 - August 1, 2020

Selected Grants

  • Chiu, Chung-Yi (Principal), Clary, Kelly Lynn (Co-Principal), Gao, Xiatoian, Hunniecutt, Jeni, Schroedter, Blake. A Longitudinal Machine Learning Approach Providing Clinicians Timely Detection to Prevent Military Suicide, National Institutes of Health Department of Health and Human Services, Federal, $100000. (Submitted: October 16, 2022, Funded: October 2023 - Present). Grant.
  • Hughes, Monica Jamison (Principal), Erbin-Roesemann, Marla A (Co-Principal), Moon, KeriAnne Mauch, Clary, Kelly Lynn. Simulation Learning of Public Health Nursing Core Competencies Through Narrative Gaming, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Federal, $500000. (Submitted: May 28, 2020, Funded: September 1, 2022 - August 31, 2024). Grant.
  • Clary, Kelly Lynn (Principal), Selber, Shirley K (Co-Principal), Ortiz, Rachel (Supporting). Conceptualizing Student Veteran Well-Being Through the Lens of the Camera: A Photovoice Project, Research Accelerator Investment Grant, Texas State University, $5320. (Submitted: October 12, 2021, Funded: February 25, 2022 - March 1, 2023). Grant.
  • Clary, Kelly Lynn (Principal), Nason, Erica Elizabeth (Co-Principal), Selber, Katherine (Co-Principal), Smith, Kenneth Scott (Co-Principal), Medel, Ruben S (Supporting). Social Work Students Explore the Grand Challenge of Technology with Field Educators, College of Applied Arts Undergraduate Research Learning Communities Grant, Texas State University, $5000. (Funded: August 4, 2021 - June 1, 2022). Grant.
  • Clary, Kelly Lynn (Principal), Morley, Richard H (Co-Principal), Metsis, Vangelis (Co-Principal), Trujillo, Logan Thomas (Co-Principal), Smith, Kenneth Scott (Co-Principal), Goffnett, Jacob (Co-Principal), Gagnon, Oscar (Co-Principal). Exploring Psychophysiological and Perceived Health-Related Behaviors During and After Gender Affirming and Non-Affirming Language Among Transgender People Within a Virtual Reality Setting, Multidisciplinary Internal Research Grant Program (MIRG), Texas State University, $28110. (Submitted: January 30, 2021, Funded: May 15, 2021 - May 15, 2022). Grant.

Selected Service Activities

Reviewer / Referee
2021 Council on Social Work Education Conference Reviewer
March 2021-March 2021
Reviewer / Referee
Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Ad Hoc Journal Reviewer
January 2024-Present
Member
School of Social Work Program Standards Committee
September 2023-Present
Reviewer / Referee
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Ad Hoc Grant Application Reviewer
September 2023-Present
Co-Chair
School of Social Work Military Connected Student Group
January 1, 2022-Present