I am a public health applied researcher, with a primary focus on high-risk addictive behaviors and social mechanisms of behavior change. Specifically, I have focused on social and motivational influences on the etiology, prevention, and treatment of high-risk addictive behaviors in high-risk populations (e.g., alcohol use and gambling among emerging adults). As a faculty member of the PREMIER Center, I am interested in correcting normative misperceptions as an intervention for opioid use, opioid use disorder, prescription drug misuse, prescription drug diversion, opioid and synthetic opioid (e.g., fentanyl and xylazine) overdoses, opioid/synthetic opioid-related mortality, and treatment for opioid/synthetic opioid use (e.g., medication-assisted therapies and medication for opioid use disorder (MAT/MOUD)). Specifically, I am interested in understanding how social norms, history of trauma and mood disorders, social determinants (e.g., health literacy), health equity, and race/ethnicity are related to the use of opioids/synthetic opioids, prescription drug misuse, and use of MAT/MOUD.

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas and a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT). I am trained in conducting Motivational Interviewing (MI) with a variety of populations to impact several behavioral outcomes, including outpatient substance users (to reduce cocaine, alcohol, and heroin use), veterans (to encourage adherence to colorectal cancer screening guidelines), and parents of babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) (to reduce environmental tobacco smoke in NICU infants’ homes). I have also conducted manualized relapse prevention therapy based on empirically supported therapeutic theories, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in an outpatient substance use treatment center at the University of Texas Health Science Center Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

I have also served as teaching faculty in a medical school setting, having taught Biostatistics/Epidemiology and Behavioral Sciences.