Biography
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 where she led alcohol prevention programming for more than 9,000 students. She has also engaged with 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. Currently, in Texas, Dr. Clary works alongside Wimberley ISD, Dripping Springs ISD, San Marcos CISD, Texas ICON, Hays County Public Health Department, Cenikor, and Hill Country MHDD.
To date, Dr. Clary has successfully led and co-led more than 10 funded grant projects ranging from $1,500 to $1,885,787. These research projects have been funded from a variety of entities, including Texas State University, University of Illinois Veterans Center, American Psychological Foundation (APF), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), and National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Dr. Clary was awarded the Texas State University 2025 Presidential Award for Excellence in Research/Scholarly Activities exemplifying her research with and alongside community members and is a TXST Translational Health Research Center Faculty Fellow.
Dr. Clary has clinical experience with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Counseling Center's Alcohol and Other Drug Office Team where she led alcohol prevention programming for more than 9,000 students. She has also engaged with 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. Currently, in Texas, Dr. Clary works alongside Wimberley ISD, Dripping Springs ISD, San Marcos CISD, Texas ICON, Hays County Public Health Department, Cenikor, and Hill Country MHDD.
To date, Dr. Clary has successfully led and co-led more than 10 funded grant projects ranging from $1,500 to $1,885,787. These research projects have been funded from a variety of entities, including Texas State University, University of Illinois Veterans Center, American Psychological Foundation (APF), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), and National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Dr. Clary was awarded the Texas State University 2025 Presidential Award for Excellence in Research/Scholarly Activities exemplifying her research with and alongside community members and is a TXST Translational Health Research Center Faculty Fellow.
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 certain populations (e.g., military/veterans, emerging adults, college students, and adolescents). Further, she hopes to develop, implement, and evaluate measures and interventions to reduce high-risk health behaviors (e.g., substance use, mental health, suicide).
Research Interests: Substance Use/Misuse; Mental Health; Emerging Adults; Military/Veterans; Qualitative Methods
Dr. Clary's current funded projects include a $1.9 million SAMHSA grant supporting Hays County in implementing fentanyl education for middle and high schoolers.
Project Page: https://festaprogram.wp.txstate.edu/
She is also co-leading a $344,015 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs grant supporting the storytelling of Veterans who have passed away and are interred in a VA-funded Cemetery in Texas.
Project Page: https://texvetlegacy.wp.txstate.edu/
Research Interests: Substance Use/Misuse; Mental Health; Emerging Adults; Military/Veterans; Qualitative Methods
Dr. Clary's current funded projects include a $1.9 million SAMHSA grant supporting Hays County in implementing fentanyl education for middle and high schoolers.
Project Page: https://festaprogram.wp.txstate.edu/
She is also co-leading a $344,015 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs grant supporting the storytelling of Veterans who have passed away and are interred in a VA-funded Cemetery in Texas.
Project Page: https://texvetlegacy.wp.txstate.edu/
Teaching Interests
Since 2016, Dr. Clary has taught over 3,000 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.