Stephanie Felder, PhD, LCSW, LCAS-A, BCD

Dr. Stephanie Felder, a Commander (CDR) in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, serves as the Chief of TBI Outcomes for the Defense Health Agency, Research and Development (J-9), Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence. In this role, CDR Felder provides oversight on TBI outcomes for the 400K+ U.S. Armed Forces active duty personnel and veterans impacted by traumatic brain injury. 

CDR Felder has spent 9 years in the U.S. Public Health Service providing program management, technical assistance, research, evaluation, and data analysis within several agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services. Her experience includes the oversight of grants for HIV/AIDS services for medically underserved patients, technical assistance for communities experiencing natural disasters, and supervision of clinical standards and quality assurance for hospice and home health agencies. 

CDR Felder has served in multiple public health disasters and humanitarian crises. In March-May 2020, she served as the Behavioral Health Officer In-Charge at the Javits Center during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. She led an integrated Joint Service Behavioral Health Team of 30+ service members including psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, psychologists, and clinical social workers. The team provided support on behavioral health and mortuary affairs to 2,500+ staff and patients within the Javits Center and for transfers to outlying hospitals. In 2019, CDR Felder served as the Lead Resiliency Officer in two U.S. Humanitarian Border missions. In 2018 during Hurricane Florence, CDR Felder served as the Lead Case Manager/Discharge Planner and Liaison to the North Carolina State Emergency Operations Center. She managed a team of federal and state staff who coordinated critical dialysis care for disaster survivors and assisted in placement and family reunification of 45+ displaced disaster victims. In 2017 during Hurricane Harvey, she served as the Administrative Assistant to the Team Commander. 

CDR Felder is actively involved in the social work field and community service. She currently serves as a Board Director for the American Board of Clinical Social Work, providers of the Board Certified Diplomate held by over 4,000 clinical social workers. Additionally, she is the founder of the Minnesota Resilient Initiative (MRI) which provides no-cost trauma-informed behavioral telehealth care services to minority residents, with a focus on the Minneapolis, MN, area. The effort provides 1,000 free behavioral health clinical hours at a time when the country is in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and a national and international movement against social injustice.

Finally, CDR Felder has authored multiple peer-reviewed article publications in national and international journals such as Journal of Military, Veteran, and Family Health and Disaster Medicine/Public Health on homeless veterans and deployment preparedness. She also currently serves as Social Work Research Adjunct at Tulane University.

Prior to active duty, CDR Felder served as the Healthcare for Homeless Veteran Coordinator for the Fayetteville VA Medical Center in North Carolina. As a national representative for female veterans experiencing homelessness, she advocated for their unique needs. She received a full academic scholarship from The Catholic University of America and completed a doctoral degree in social work which focused on homelessness among female veterans. She has a remarkable record of advocacy efforts focused on homelessness, female veterans, mental illness, HIV/AIDS, and economically oppressed communities.