Alicia Revitsky Locker

Photo of Alicia Locker
Associate Physical Scientist
Pittsburgh Office

Education

Ph.D. in neuroscience, Penn State University; B.S. in neuroscience, Allegheny College

Overview

Alicia Locker is an behavioral neuroscientist at the RAND Corporation. Locker’s interests include health and mental health in active military service members and veteran populations, retention and resiliency in service members, caregiver support, military readiness, social isolation and loneliness, women's heath and family health, intimate partner violence, domestic violence, elder abuse, stress in the death care worker population, biotechnology, government medicine development, military medical transport, and elder abuse.
Locker has been working on traumatic brain injury in veterans, military medical transport, solider performance and human readiness, and military mental health and wellness. She has also been working on domestic conflict, elder abuse, death care workers, holistic health, and programs to promote well-being in at-risk populations. Locker enjoys interdisciplinary work and tackling complex and relevant societal issues.​
Locker earned her Ph.D. in neuroscience at the Pennsylvania State University investigating nicotine and alcohol use in adolescent females. After graduation Locker was a post-doc at the National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety/Centers for Disease Control where she examined potential causes and treatments for Gulf War Illness in veterans, and she also worked at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center researching pathways associated with cognitive symptoms of mental disorders (e.g., schizophrenia).  

Research Focus

Recent Projects

  • Improving Care and Support for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury
  • US Transportation Command on Evaluating DoD’s Rights and Authorities in Patient Movement
  • Exploratory Research into the Impacts of Marine Corps Body Composition and Military Appearance Program (BCMAP) Standards on Individual Outcomes, Talent Management, and Military Readiness.
  • DoD Medicine Governance
  • Assessment of Impact of Mental Health Campaigns on Negative Perceptions About Mental Health Conditions and Treatment and Awareness of Resources

Selected Publications

Locker, A.R., Finucane, M.L., Roth, E.A., Carman, K., Breslau, J. , Nationally Representative Sample Shows an Increase in Domestic Conflict since the Outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic., Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness., 2021

Breslau, J., Finucane, M.L., Locker, A.R., Baird, M.D., Roth, E.A., Collins, R.L. , A longitudinal study of psychological distress in the United States before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. , Preventative Medicine, 2020

Commentary

  • Christina Bojorquez and Kimberly Decoursey pitch a tent in their encampment next to a freeway in Los Angeles, California, October 14, 2019, photo by Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

    Unaccompanied Women Become an Official Homeless Subpopulation in LA County

    Unaccompanied homeless women are more likely than other subgroups to be chronically homeless, to have mental illness, and to have work limitations. Los Angeles County is now recognizing these women as a subgroup in the official homeless count. An assessment will also be conducted to identify this group's unique needs.

    Nov 23, 2020 The RAND Blog

  • A woman peeks through a blind in a window, photo by lathuric/Getty Images

    After COVID-19: Prevent Homelessness Among Survivors of Domestic Abuse

    Without assistance, domestic violence survivors are more likely to be forced into homelessness. Now could be the time to invest in programs that help victims—before a second wave of COVID-19 cases pushes more families into unsafe environments.

    Jul 2, 2020 The RAND Blog

Publications