Lindsey Nichols, Andrew Prior, and Lauren Berny presented their research at American Psychological Association’s Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction Conference. Lindsey presented her dissertation findings on whether adolescents mental health and social support predict post-substance use treatment trajectories. Andrew presented his collaborative research with the Addiction Science Dissemination and Implementation Lab at University of Missouri, which focused on the social ecology of collegiate recovery. Lauren presented preliminary findings from a psychological network analysis of items measuring perceived social and psychological benefits of substance use in a clinical sample of adolescents. In their downtime, they enjoyed exploring the city of Denver along with Dr. Tanner-Smith.

Lauren Berny, a doctoral candidate in prevention science, received an R36 dissertation research grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This prestigious grant will support her analysis of data from the Effectiveness of Recovery High Schools as Continuing Care study, evaluating the long-term effects of recovery high school attendance  and exploring whether affiliation with pro-recovery peers mediates those effects. Interviews about the grant and its potential implications were featured on KVAL and affiliated stations, and a profile was also featured in the The University of Oregon’s Around the O. Additional information on the study can be found on the National Institute of Health’s RePORTER.

Frank Mojekwu, a doctoral candidate in counseling psychology, is completing his clinical internship at the Clement J. Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Milwaukee, WI, after a successful defense of his dissertation, entitled “Conflicting attitudes: Could gun control policy ambivalence influence gun owners’ participation in gun violence prevention?” Frank’s dissertation committee members included Drs. Jessica Cronce, Clare Evans, Benedict McWhirter, Rhonda Nese, and Emily Tanner-Smith. Congratulations to Frank and well done by all!

Lindsey Nichols, a doctoral candidate in counseling psychology, is completing her clinical internship within the Child-Juvenile Justice training track at the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University in Providence, RI. Lindsey begins her internship after a successful defense of her dissertation, entitled “Post-substance use treatment trajectories of adolescent substance use disorders: Examining the moderating roles of mental health and social support.” Lindsey’s dissertation committee members included Drs. Jessica Cronce, Wendy Hadley, Alayna Park, Maria Schweer-Collins and Emily Tanner-Smith. Congratulations to Lindsey and well done by all!

In April, Dr. Tanner-Smith provided a keynote presentation at the 2024 Oregon Children and Youth Behavioral Health Summit, hosted by the United Way of Lane County and the Coalition of Oregon School Administrators. Dr. Tanner-Smith discussing ongoing research examining the effectiveness of school-based prevention program aimed at preventing student depression and anxiety.

Lauren Berny, a prevention science doctoral candidate, was interviewed by Portland’s KGW News about her recent project on suicidal thoughts and behaviors among adolescents with histories of substance use disorder. Her research was conducted as part of an Injury Prevention Fellowship from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Society for Public Health Education. The results suggest that school and community connectedness may buffer the effects of interpersonal violence and mental health conditions on suicide attempts and were recently published in the Child Psychiatry & Human Development and Child and Youth Services Review. A more in-depth feature on the study and its importance to public health promotion was also recently published by the University’s Oregon News.