The proposed research will be a preliminary investigation into the potential association between microbiota abundance, hormone levels, peripheral inflammation and current symptoms (psychiatric and cognitive) in Veterans with and without a history of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). This work has the potential to form a new line of research that could ultimately provide new treatment options for individuals who have persisting symptoms following mTBI.
Geographic Area: Seattle/Puget Sound
Project SARAH (Sexual Assault, Recovery & Hope)
Project SARAH is a randomized clinical trial providing treatment for PTSD and alcohol use in the first year following sexual assault for individuals who identify as female. The study aims to test 1) the role of fear and reward in recovery following sexual assault; 2) the efficacy of a PTSD vs an alcohol intervention for promoting recovery; and 3) the type and amount of intervention needed to best promote recovery (e.g., whether individuals need both PTSD and alcohol interventions and whether recovery is improved by intervening on PTSD or alcohol use first).
The Doorway Project
The Doorway project is a University of Washington and YouthCare-led initiative focusing on addressing youth homelessness in the University District through continuous community-engaged collaboration with U District service providers and community members. The primary aim of the project is to center the voices of youth and young adults in the U-district who are experiencing homelessness in order to co-develop and evaluate a comprehensive and effective model that reduces youth homelessness and improves quality of life for all affected.
Estia: computerized intervention targeting cognitive control deficits in depressed adults
Project: EVO (or “EVO”) is a mobile 3D video game that has been shown to reduce older adults’ susceptibility to interference by augmenting sustained attention and working memory abilities (e.g. cognitive control) through targeted adaptive algorithms. The combination of peer-reviewed validity, adaptivity, and fun video game mechanics elevates the EVO platform beyond other at-home training tools while reducing burden associated with tedious task replication. We propose to study EVO as a potential intervention for the treatment of depression, a disorder that worsens medical outcomes, promotes disability, increases expense, and complicates medical care by clouding the clinical picture and undermining treatment adherence.
Project ACE
The objective of this research is to develop and test brief interventions that aim to reduce young adult alcohol misuse by providing personalized feedback regarding alcohol craving. The project involves two phases; one using qualitative methods to inform the intervention development; and a second testing the feasibility, acceptability, and initial efficacy of personalized feedback interventions.
Project Transitions
The transition to adulthood is characterized by many changes in various domains of life (e.g., living situation, education, work, romantic relationships) and some transitions may be more impactful on health than others. Project Transitions is designed to understand not only major life changes (e.g., marriage, parenting), but also the many smaller life changes that occur during young adulthood and the impact on immediate and long-term changes in alcohol use and consequences.
The Teen Identity Project (TIP)
The proposed research aims to qualitatively assess identification with cannabis and develop novel measures of cannabis identity to evaluate as cognitive and developmental risk factors for adolescent cannabis misuse. Findings from the proposed research are intended to improve the prediction of cannabis misuse among adolescents and to potentially identify a novel target for prevention and intervention strategies that aim to reduce cannabis misuse.
Project SAM Transitions
This study is conducting secondary analyses on data collected from an unprecedented, recent longitudinal study of young adult drinkers recruited from the community in WA State after adult marijuana use was legalized for recreational purposes, Project Transitions. Analyses will increase our knowledge of concurrent and simultaneous use of alcohol and marijuana across months, specifically examining substitution or complementary effects across substances and short-term potential consequences, and how reaching the legal age for marijuana influences trajectories of use. The project will provide answers to novel research questions that are of critical public health importance and have implications for young adult prevention and intervention strategies.
