Personal Statement
My program of research focuses on understanding how psychological, social, and situational factors influence young adult substance use and also the development of brief interventions for young adults. In particular, my research investigates processes influencing substance use behaviors from day-to-day or moment-to-moment. I use different types of daily-level or ecological momentary assessment (EMA) designs to elucidate why and how substance use varies across different occasions for a given individual in relation to changes in cognitions and contextual characteristics. My program of research enhances our knowledge of the etiology of substance misuse to inform the refinement and development of brief personalized feedback interventions as well as real-time interventions.
I am currently Multiple Principal Investigator (MPI Fairlie/Ramirez) of a NIAAA-funded grant (R34AA027302) developing two versions of an online personalized feedback intervention that focuses on alcohol cue reactivity among young adult drinkers; the study includes a lab component with an alcohol cue reactivity session as well as an EMA component (daily surveys up to 4x/day over 17 days). In addition, I am the PI of a NIDA-funded grant (R21DA050131) that investigates marijuana-specific self-regulation processes in relation to marijuana use and consequences both across days and throughout the day to identify how psychological states and contextual factors influence these self-regulation processes using an EMA design (daily surveys 4x/day over 2 weeks). As PI, I completed data collection for a grant that examines unplanned heavy drinking, protective behavioral strategies, and alcohol-related consequences using daily surveys administered over eight consecutive weekends (NIAAA; R21AA024156).
Personal Statement
I am a Professor and Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the University of Washington’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and am Board Certified in Cognitive and Behavioral Psychology. I received my Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the UW in 2006 and returned to UW as a faculty member in 2010.
My research interests include problematic substance use (including alcohol and marijuana), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), identity and self-concept, and resilience. My work focuses on investigating implicit (i.e., non-conscious or automatic) cognitive processes and processes related to self-concept and identity that contribute to the development and maintenance of maladaptive behavior and psychopathology. A second line of my work focuses on developing and increasing access to briefer, effective interventions for individuals who are trauma-exposed. Support for my work has been provided by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the University of Washington’s Garvey Institute for Brain Health Solutions and the Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute. I also serve as a consultant for dissemination projects aimed at training community-based mental health workers in Cognitive Processing Therapy and other evidence-based treatment for PTSD in locally, nationally, and internationally.
Personal Statement
The transition to adulthood is the developmental period when alcohol use, marijuana use, and their associated consequences reach their lifetime peak. My scholarly interests focus on the etiology and prevention of substance use behaviors and consequences during adolescence and young/early adulthood. I have developed a highly successful portfolio of work bridging developmental, social, and motivational theory with applied prevention and intervention techniques to strategically address high-risk behaviors during the transition to adulthood.
My research addresses important questions regarding how recent marijuana legislation in Washington State impacts young adult marijuana use and consequences; what motivates young adults to engage in alcohol and marijuana use; how alcohol expectancies, alcohol use and consequences are linked in a natural feed-forward process that maintains high-risk behaviors; how developmental transitions and event timing influence use; and what are efficacious prevention and intervention strategies and for whom and under what conditions are these most effective.
Personal Statement
My primary interest is on determining how behavioral technologies can be used to improve alcohol and drug abuse outcomes for those suffering from addiction health disparities. Behavioral technologies are non-talk therapy approaches to addiction treatment, such as motivational incentives where we provide rewards for people who abstain from or reduce their drinking. This low-cost, strength based approach to addiction can be implemented in low-resources settings by non clinicians. In fact, our group is investigating how smartphones might be used to implement this treatment, allowing us to reach the millions of individuals suffering from alcohol problems worldwide.
My second research interest in evaluating the accuracy of alcohol biomarkers in addiction treatment settings. These include alcohol urine tests, such as ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and mobile phone linked Bluetooth breathalyzers. These tools allow us to accurately assess the success of alcohol treatments, as well as provide valuable research tools.
Importantly all of my research studies are conducted in collaboration with two communities that suffer disproportionately high rates of alcohol and drug misuse, 1) adults with severe mental illnesses, like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and 2) American Indians and Alaska Natives. My research team and I work closely with community partners who are providing addiction treatment to these populations with the goal of reducing the burden of alcohol and drug use in these communities.
Personal Statement
My research interests are focused on gene discovery and elucidation of molecular pathways underlying molecular mechanisms in cognitive decline caused by neurodegeneration and protein aggregation disorders. My current research projects involve both Mendelian (X-linked Parkinson and Spasticity) and complex disorders (such as Alzheimer’s disease).
We analyze familial forms of diseases using exome sequencing and linkage mapping approaches. Candidate variants are validated using live patient cells and post-mortem tissue. Further functional insights are gained by generation of model cell lines and/or transgenic mice. The strategy allowed uncovering various disease mechanisms central to pathogenesis: protein misfolding and aggregation, deletion/duplication of genic regions and tissue-specific alternative splicing.
Personal Statement
I am a Professor in the Division of Child Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, at the University of Washington, and the Medical Director of Child Study and Treatment Center, the State Hospital for children and adolescents in Washington State. My primary research focus addresses the genetics of neuropsychiatric disorders. Our research supports that a substantial portion of neuropsychiatric disease, including schizophrenia and autism, stems from individually rare deleterious mutations in genes important for brain development. My clinical research addresses the diagnosis and treatment of early-onset psychotic illnesses. I authored the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s diagnostic and treatment guidelines for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Personal Statement
I am interested in mood and anxiety disorders and the intersection of these with chronic medical illnesses. My approach to treatment is integrative. Working within a cognitive-behavioral framework, I use many traditional CBT methods, including hypnosis, mindfulness training, and concepts from third-generation cognitive and behavioral methods.
