Chapin Hall

Dr. Kya Barounis is a Senior Researcher at Chapin Hall. Her work focuses on using research evidence and administrative data analysis to improve the performance of child welfare and child mental health systems. She is currently supporting the Illinois Children’s Behavioral Health Transformation Initiative and the implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act in two states.

Prior to joining Chapin Hall, Barounis was a Senior Researcher at the Child and Adolescent Services Research Center (CASRC), where she led the implementation and evaluation of performance improvement projects for San Diego County’s children’s mental health care system and oversaw the evaluation of the county’s prevention program for youth at risk of emotional and behavioral problems. Additionally, Barounis’s prior work focused on improving outcomes for youth in the child welfare system through various projects, including 1) a review of family-based treatments for youth in immigrant families, 2) an analysis of the impact of transitions associated with placement change using data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Wellbeing, and 3) an examination of the impact of placement change on psychiatric hospitalization. As a consultant for the California Evidence-based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CEBC), she critically examined the research evidence supporting interventions for children in the child welfare system.

Barounis holds a PhD and a Master of Social Work from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelor of Science from Northwestern University.