Alison Sutton-Ryan
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Mail code: 3920Campus: Dtphx
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Alison Sutton-Ryan is a Clinical Assistant Professor in College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University and a graduate of the ASU DBH program. She has over a decade of teaching and curriculum experience including training in Trauma-Informed Pedagogy and Quality Matters course design standards.
Her previous teaching experience includes working as a Clinical Assistant Professor in Social Work at Salisbury University where she received the 2023 Interprofessional Education Teaching Award. At Salisbury University, she completed an Interprofessional Education Fellowship focused on interprofessional care for transgender individuals in the rural Eastern Shore of Maryland. Her work in developing the Transgender Interprofessional Care Team received the 2024 Honorable Mention Award from IPEC and National Service.
She was previously a Clinical Professor at University of Arizona Department of Psychiatry and a Faculty Associate at ASU School of Social Work. She completed the postgraduate Veterinary Social Work Certificate at University of Tennessee.
Dr. Sutton-Ryan has over 25 years of clinical experience as a therapist, program manager and consultant. Areas of expertise include addictions, recovery, perinatal mood disorders, and mental health of medical professionals.
Dr. Sutton-Ryan developed the embedded mental health services as the Director of Mental Health Services for the College of Medicine, Health Sciences, and College of Veterinary Medicine at University of Arizona. Her current clinical work and private practice focuses on mental health for medical professionals including addressing moral distress in healthcare.
Dr. Sutton-Ryan's research focuses on inclusion of lived experiences to improve mental health outcomes and program design. She has a passion for addressing the 4th aim for improving the wellbeing of medical professionals and the 5th aim of addressing health disparities.
- D.B.H. Arizona State University
- M.S.W. Smith College School for Social Work
- B.S.W. James Madison University
- Post-Graduate Certificate, Veterinary Social Work, University of Tennessee
Interprofessional Education and Practice
Mental Health and Wellbeing for Medical Professionals
Interprofessional Transgender Care and Experiences
Sutton-Ryan, Alison and van Vulpen, Kimberly (2025) "Transforming Care: An Academic and Community Symposium on Transgender Care and Experience," Transforming Communities: Vol. 2: Iss. 2, Article 2.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/tcjournal/vol2/iss2/2Sutton-Ryan, A., & Vincent, A. (2025). Awareness of veterinary social work in veterinary professionals. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.3138/jvme-2025-0015
Sutton-Ryan, A. (2023) Veterinary Social Work: An Interdisciplinary Opportunity for
Social Worker, The New Social Worker https://www.socialworker.com/feature-
articles/practice/what-is-veterinary-social-work/
Sutton-Ryan, A. (2023) Accessing the quadruple aim: Embedding mental health care in
medical training. Journal of Interprofessional Education and Practice V. 32
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xjep.2023.100642
Sutton-Ryan, A. (2023) The Time is Now to Address Moral Distress in Healthcare Social
Work Today https://www.socialworktoday.com/enewsletter/2023/march/#exclusive
Sutton-Ryan, A. (2024) Soul of the nation: Freedom to Exist. Journal of Pastoral Care and Counseling
Courses
2026 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| IBC 793 | Applied Project |
| IBC 586 | Behavioral Health Writing |
| IBC 793 | Applied Project |
2025 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| IBC 793 | Applied Project |
| IBC 660 | Healthcare Legal Ethcl & Prof |
| IBC 793 | Applied Project |
2025 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| IBC 690 | Reading and Conference |
| IBC 586 | Behavioral Health Writing |
2025 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| IBC 793 | Applied Project |
| IBC 586 | Behavioral Health Writing |
| IBC 793 | Applied Project |
2024 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| IBC 793 | Applied Project |
| IBC 630 | Financial Mgt of Health Care |
| IBC 586 | Behavioral Health Writing |
| IBC 793 | Applied Project |
| IBC 660 | Healthcare Legal Ethcl & Prof |
2022 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| SWU 454 | Overview of Addictions |
2021 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| SWG 613 | Adv Soc Wk Prac/Behav Hlth |
2021 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| SWG 511 | Foundation Practice II |
| SWG 661 | Cognitive Behavior Therapy |
2020 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| SWG 661 | Cognitive Behavior Therapy |
| SWG 664 | Treatment Substance Disorders |
: Schlehofer, M; & Sutton-Ryan, A. (August 2024) Interprofessional healthcare experiences of transgender people in rural settings. American Psychological Association Annual Conference.
Sutton-Ryan, A (2024) GAIN Conference (Gender Advocacy and Inclusion Network); Transformation Stories: Community and Academic Partnership for Interprofessional Transgender Care and Experiences. Seaside, Oregon (Accepted and Scheduled for 4/24/24.
Sutton-Ryan, A. (2023) Finding your Light. Burnout, Mental Health, and Moral Distress in Healthcare. Gila River Healthcare Conference. Phoenix, AZ. September 16,2023.
Sutton-Ryan, A. (2023) Transformational Stories: Interprofessional Experiences for Transgender Individuals in the Eastern Shore of MD. Lightening Talk. Nexus Conference
Van Vulpen, K. & Sutton-Ryan, A. (2023) Brining Vision to Action Developing a Sustainable Interprofessional Education Program in a New College of Health and Human Services. Lightening Talk. Nexus Summit.
Sutton-Ryan, A. (2023) CSWE E-Poster: Giving Voice to Trans Care; An Interprofessional Fellowship Model for a Rural Community
Sutton-Ryan, A. (2023) Workplace Mental Health RainBird Invited Presenter.
Sutton-Ryan, A., & Agarwal, V. (2022, October 14). A Humanistic Inquiry of Chronic Pain
Management: (Re)Examining the Quadruple Aims through a Feminist Relational Lens for
Enhanced Provider Well-Being. Virtual Health Humanities Consortium presentation,
March 16–19, 2023, Cleveland, OH
Sutton-Ryan, A. (2022) Veterinary Social Work. Virtual Continuing Education Workshop.
NASW- MD October
Sutton-Ryan, A. (2022) The Link Between Animal Abuse and Interpersonal Violence.
Social Work Activities Committee. Virtual Presentation October 2022.
Sutton-Ryan, A. (2022) The Time is Now to Address Moral Distress and Mental health for HealthCare professionals NASW National Annual Conference. Washington, D.C.
Sutton-Ryan, A. (2021) Arizona Psychological Association Annual Conference, Key Presentation: Access and Barriers to Mental Health Care for Medical Professionals October 2021
Sutton-Ryan, A and Kaila, S. (2021) Southwest School of Behavioral Health Conference. Myths and Realities of Mental Health Treatment of Medical Professionals August 2021
Sutton-Ryan, A. (2019-2022) Mental Health for Physicians and Medical Trainees, Multiple presentations to Residency Programs including Child Psychiatry, Neurology, Medical Imaging Didactics
Sutton-Ryan, A. 10/ 2019) Suicide Prevention for Physicians and Medical Trainees, Orthopedic Surgery Grand Rounds University of Arizona
Sutton-Ryan, A. & Moreno, F. (4/2019) Trauma Informed Care, ECHO Telemedicine University of Arizona Health Sciences
Sutton-Ryan, A. (8/2018) Conflict Resolution Seminar for Chief Residents, University of Arizona College of Medicine Graduate Medical Education