Renay Bradley, Ph.D., is a psychologist/social scientist and educator who has focused her career on using data and research to promote wellness in children, families, and communities. Renay has expertise in applied research aimed at development, evaluation, and implementation of social services, programs/initiatives, and policies intended to contribute to health and well-being.  She has worked with a variety of California state agencies, as well as local/state government entities across the country, to use data to drive decisions and strengthen service delivery systems.  She has served as Director of Research and Evaluation within government, academic, and non-profit settings.  She also worked to bridge the research-to-practice gap through her leadership on two national training and technical assistance centers that supported government entities, health care providers, and community-based organizations to adopt, implement, evaluate, and sustain evidence-based practices that promote health and wellness across the life span. 

Dr. Bradley currently serves as Chief of the Injury Surveillance and Epidemiology Section within the Injury and Violence Prevention Branch of the CA Department of Public Health.  In this role, she provides leadership and mentorship to epidemiologists/research scientists, and contributes to federally-funded injury/violence surveillance projects, as well as initiatives intended to reduce adverse childhood experiences.  As Director of Research and Evaluation at the Center for Human Services at UC Davis, Dr. Bradley provided leadership over evaluation projects focused on strengthening the quality of the statewide developmental disabilities service delivery system, and training opportunities provided to social workers/child welfare workers in Northern California.  While at a California state mental health commission, she provided leadership over evaluation of the Mental Health Services Act and community-based mental health services across the state. Prior to that, she served as Director of Research and Programming at a Seattle-based 501(c)3 non-profit, which aimed to strengthen relationships and reduce family violence through research.

Renay received her doctoral degree in Developmental Psychology from the University of Washington; Master’s degree in Psychological Research from San Francisco State University; and Bachelor’s degree from Boston University where she majored in Psychology and was the recipient of the Undergraduate Research Award in Psychology. She has received awards for her research, teaching, and service to the academic community.