Dr. Michael Dennis received his PhD in Psychology from Northwestern University under a NIH fellowship to train more methodologists in how to implement and improve the quality of community-based behavioral health research. His dissertation focused on implementing randomized field experiments in criminal and civil justice research to improve their impact on practice, establishing a career-long dedication to evidence-based methodologies.

He currently serves as Director of the Lighthouse Institute (LI), a division of Chestnut Health Systems conducting community-based research, program evaluation, and training on evidence-based practices. Under his leadership, LI has grown to include offices in Bloomington-Normal and Chicago, Illinois, and Eugene, Oregon, with offsite staff operating in over two dozen states.

Dr. Dennis oversees more than 110 LI staff members operating four major centers related to training on assessment, evidence-based treatment, family coaching, and program evaluation. He also champions the Lighthouse Institute's Native-led national Native Center of Excellence, which provides specialized support and research for Indigenous communities.

Lighthouse Institute currently works with community-based agencies in all 50 of the United States, four U.S. territories, and over four dozen tribal serving agencies. Their global impact extends to all Canadian provinces and over a dozen other countries, making Dr. Dennis a key figure in international behavioral health research and cross-cultural program evaluation.