Harris Search Associates Recruits Inaugural Director of National Center for Opioid Research and Clinical Efficacy at the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute
October 9, 2025 – Following a national search that included a highly competitive candidate pool, Harris Search Associates has placed Alicia Allen as the inaugural director of the National Center for Opioid Research and Clinical Efficacy (NCOR) at the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute and Associate Professor, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).
Dr. Allen previously served at the University of Arizona and is a behavioral epidemiologist with extensive expertise in opioid use disorder, particularly in women’s health and substance misuse during the perinatal period. As the founder and director of the Recovery through Engaging and Empowering Women (RENEW) Research Team at the University of Arizona, her work integrated epidemiological and clinical trial methods to understand and address addiction in women of reproductive age. Dr. Allen recently received the New Innovator (DP2) Award from the National Institutes of Health for her work exploring the role of hormones and infant caregiving activities on opioid misuse during the early postpartum period.
At NCOR, Dr. Allen will lead a team developing the state-of-the-art research infrastructure to study how the opioid crisis affects children and families, developing evidence-based prevention and treatment programs physicians can use for their patients and building partnerships to supplement existing prevention efforts across the state. She emphasized NCOR’s commitment to supporting education and sharing knowledge about opioid and substance use disorders and informing state and national policies to improve child health outcomes.
“The NCOR team is dedicated to reducing the stigma around opioid use disorder so that families feel empowered to seek treatment and sustain recovery,” Dr. Allen said. “NCOR’s research and community outreach will improve the trajectory of children’s health and give families a healthier tomorrow.”
Arkansas Children’s is the only health care system in the state solely dedicated to caring for Arkansas’ 850,000 children. The private, non-profit organization includes two pediatric hospitals with 361 licensed beds, a pediatric research institute and USDA nutrition center, a philanthropic foundation, a nursery alliance, statewide clinics, and many education and outreach programs — all focused on fulfilling a promise to define and deliver unprecedented child health.
Harris Search Associates, an IIC Partners member firm, is a global higher education executive search and board advisory consulting firm with 44 offices in 33 countries worldwide. The firm’s higher education executive search practice is focused on identifying and attracting leaders to support the growth of clients in the areas of research, science, engineering, academic medicine, and healthcare enterprises. Clients include leading universities, research parks, institutes, academic medical centers, and healthcare organizations driving global innovation and discovery. Founded in 1997, Harris Search Associates was modeled after the first premier management consulting firms. In addition to its Ohio headquarters, the firm has regional offices in San Francisco and Dallas.
Related: Harris Search Associates Assists Simmons University with Search for New Dean
Jeff Harris is the founder of the firm and leads the higher education, academic medicine, and healthcare administration practices. Prior to establishing the firm in 1997, Mr. Harris worked five years for a leading retained executive search firm where he concentrated on senior assignments on behalf of leading engineering, research, and health sciences clients. He is the global leader of the IIC Partners higher education/academic medicine practice, and from 2010 to 2013, was appointed to the board of IIC Partners as vice chair for the Americas.
Northwest State Community College Search
Harris Search Associates recently recruited Darin Seiler as chief information officer of Northwest State Community College. Mr. Seiler has over 25 years of technology experience, driving data-informed decision-making and leading transformative IT initiatives. He most recently served as chief information officer at Adrian College where he oversaw all areas of administrative and academic technologies and led a team of seven full-time staff and 13 part-time student workers. As CIO, Mr. Seiler spearheaded a multi-year project to migrate the campus to a new ERP cloud solution, including the student information system, admissions, billing, advancement, payroll/HR, business office, and data integrations.
Located in Archbold, OH, Northwest State Community College is a public two-year community college accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The college is divided into four academic divisions with nearly 70 degree and certificate programs available. The four academic divisions are the arts & science division, business & public services division, nursing & allied health division, and the STEM & industrial technologies division.
Related: Harris Search Associates Seeking CFO for Central State University
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
