Catherine Pak is a public health implementation scientist and research operations leader with over 20 years of experience managing complex, multi-partner health initiatives across academic, federal, and community settings. As Project Director for the WINGS+++ study within the Social Intervention Group (SIG) at Columbia School of Social Work, she leads day-to-day operations of a multi-year, NIDA-funded clinical trial integrating interventions for intimate partner violence (IPV), PTSD, and opioid and substance use disorders (OUD/SUD). She oversees research implementation, supervises multidisciplinary teams, coordinates with community and government partners, and ensures alignment with study milestones, protocol fidelity, and IRB requirements.Catherine brings deep expertise in HIV, behavioral health, substance use, and trauma-informed care, with a strong track record in mixed-methods research and community-engaged implementation. She is particularly recognized for her work in health systems strengthening through systems integration, advancing interoperable, data-driven approaches that improve care delivery and outcomes. Her experience includes leading large-scale, federally funded initiatives and translating research into scalable, real-world interventions.She is currently completing her Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) focused on integrating behavioral health into specialty care using implementation science to improve access, quality, and equity, and is a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded MIT Substance Use Disorder Ventures Fellow. She earned her BA from Columbia University, an MPH in global health from George Washington University, and an MPP focused on international governance from George Mason University.
