Brett is a senior research scientist in the Public Health department at NORC. Brett brings 14 years of experience in behavioral health with a focus on substance use and suicide prevention, early intervention, and treatment and expertise in training, technical assistance, research, and evaluation. At NORC, she leads a suicide prevention portfolio funded by SAMHSA, CDC, and private foundations and organizations and is involved in Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) for substance misuse and co-morbid depression, anxiety, and suicide risk.

Prior to her role at NORC, Brett was director of public health initiatives for the Suicide Prevention Center of New York, a public health affiliate of the New York State Office of Mental Health, where she oversaw initiatives related to communities, schools, colleges and universities, implementation of Zero Suicide, and the relationship between substance use and suicide; wrote, obtained, and directed federal and private foundation grants; and built and supervised a staff of seven. Prior to her role in suicide prevention, Brett developed, implemented, and evaluated SBIRT projects for various populations and service settings with the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports.

Brett is President of the New York Public Health Association (NYSPHA), the New York State Affiliate of the American Public Health Association (APHA); she was originally elected to the Board of Directors in 2018. In her tenure as President, Brett spearheaded a New Directions Initiative to make the association more membership-driven and started a new committee to engage members in public health practice, taking on critical public health issues including suicide prevention, the opioid crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and reproductive rights. As a result of these efforts, NYSPHA was named 2023 Outstanding Affiliate of the Year by the APHA Council of Affiliates. Brett also maintains a part-time position as Clinical Associate Professor at the University at Albany School of Public Health where she developed and teaches a course on suicide prevention and provides internships for graduate-level public health students.

Brett has authored or co-authored 20 peer-reviewed publications. Her work has appeared in Preventive Medicine, Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, Journal of School Health, Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research, and Substance Abuse, among others. In addition, Brett was selected for APHA’s Mental Health Section Award and Council of Affiliates Award of Excellence in 2023, PoliticsNY’s Power Players in Health Care in 2022 and 2023, and the de Beaumont Foundation’s inaugural list of 40 Under 40 in Public Health in 2019.