Ann DiGirolamo

Ph.D., Indiana University
M.P.H., Emory University
B.A., Emory University

Ann DiGirolamo is the director of behavioral health at the Georgia Health Policy Center and director of the Center of Excellence for Children’s Behavioral Health. She is a research professor in the School of Social Work at Georgia State and an adjunct faculty member at Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. DiGirolamo provides expertise in research, evaluation, workforce development, and policy related to child and adolescent behavioral health, working with communities and within public health systems to promote an effective System of Care for youth with behavioral health needs.

DiGirolamo is a pediatric psychologist with additional training in public health and maternal and child nutrition. In addition to her domestic public health work, she has professional experience in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Her main research interests are in the social and behavioral factors affecting maternal and child health and well-being, specifically those factors critical to promoting optimal early childhood development and child and adolescent mental health. She has been involved as principal investigator and as a co-investigator on multiple projects addressing child nutrition, development, and mental health, both domestically and internationally.

At the center, DiGirolamo oversees several projects aimed at improving and expanding the System of Care for children’s behavioral health in Georgia through capacity building, ongoing research and evaluation, and strong partnerships with state agencies.

DiGirolamo’s published research has appeared in the journals Food and Nutrition Bulletin, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, The Lancet, Clinical and Translational Science, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Health Services Research, Pediatrics, Social Science and Medicine, and Journal of Clinical Child Psychology.