Jennifer McCleary

Jennifer McCleary has over 10 years of research and program evaluation experience in the areas of refugee resettlement and community development, substance use, and culturally grounded behavioral health interventions. Jennifer prioritizes using anti-oppressive and participatory approaches to research. Past projects include working with Karen community members to develop and evaluate substance use treatment programs, partnering with federal agencies to support Anishinaabe Tribal child welfare capacity building programs, and investigating young adults’ conceptualizations of community development in urban neighborhoods in New Orleans. Prior to coming to Wilder Research in 2022, Jennifer was an Associate Professor in the University of Minnesota Duluth Department of Social Work.

She holds a master’s degree in social work from the University of Washington Seattle and a Ph.D. in social work from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Jennifer lives in Duluth with her partner and son and loves to run around the big lake, mountain bike, and take full advantage of the three minutes of perfect summer that Duluth experiences.

Journal articles

• McCleary, J. S., Horn, T. L. (2024). Processes for culturally adapting behavioral health interventions for people with refugee backgrounds: A scoping review. American Journal of Community Psychology, 73(1-2), 250-266. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12709 
• Horn, T. L., & McCleary, J. S. (2022). “Basically, everything needs to be adapted”: Provider perceptions of challenges and recommendations for effective health care with Karen people. International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMHSC-01-2022-0001