Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies

Postdoctoral Training Program Alumni

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Postdoctoral Training Program Alumni

Alumni of the CAAS Postdoctoral Training Program.

2025 alumni

Sarah Jane Chavez, Ph.D. (2022) in Interdisciplinary Research on Substance Use from UC San Diego and San Diego State University. Her research examines the etiology of alcohol and substance use among Latinx young adults and college students, with a specific focus on adversity, culture, and institutional belonging. Dr. Chavez is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at California State University, Fullerton. Mentor: Kate B. Carey, Ph.D.

Erin Ferguson Ph.D. (2023) in Clinical and Health Psychology from the University of Florida. Her research focuses on improving understanding of alcohol and cannabis use patterns among those with co-occurring chronic health conditions (e.g., HIV, pain). Dr. Ferguson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina. Mentors: Christopher Kahler, Ph.D. & Ana Abrantes, Ph.D.

Sarah Maloney, Ph.D. (2022) in Health Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University. Her research focuses on tobacco and cannabis use during pregnancy, with particular emphasis on how product characteristics influence user preferences, perceptions, and patterns of use. Dr. Maloney is currently a Postdoctoral Research Affiliate at the Center for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine at Brown University. Mentors: Laura Stroud, Ph.D., and Jennifer Tidey, Ph.D.

Roselyn Peterson, Ph.D. (2023) is Research Director and Clinical Faculty of the Clinical Psychology PsyD program at Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island. She completed her clinical psychology degree at the University of Central Florida, her clinical internship at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and went on to complete two years of postdoctoral training at the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies in the School of Public Health at Brown University. Her research focuses on the intersection of alcohol use and sexual violence, with a particular emphasis on protective behavioral strategies (PBS). Mentors: Jennifer Merrill, P.h.D., and Lindsay Orchowski, P.h.D.

2024

2023

2022

Jaqueline Contrera Avila, Ph.D. (2020) in Population Health Sciences from The University of Texas Medical Branch. Dr. Avila's research examines how tobacco exposure impacts cognitive decline in different countries and to intervene to reduce tobacco-related disparities among older adults at high risk for lung cancer. Dr. Avila is a tenure track Assistant Professor in the department of Gerontology at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Mentor: Jasjit S. Ahluwalia, M.D.

Arryn A. Guy, Ph.D. (2020) in Clinical Psychology from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Their work focuses on community-based participatory research with queer and trans communities to develop and implement evidence-based behavioral health interventions. Dr. Guy is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Illinois Institute of Technology. Mentor: Christopher Kahler, Ph.D.

Gabriela López, Ph.D. (2020) in Clinical Psychology from the University of New Mexico. Dr. López's work focuses on examining mental health and alcohol use disparities among sexual and racial/ethnic minority women with histories of sexual assault. She is a Research Scientist at Rhode Island Hospital and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Mentors: Jennifer E. Merrill, Ph.D., and Lindsay Orchowski, Ph.D.

Samuel Meisel, Ph.D. (2020) in Clinical Psychology from the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York. Sam’s research examines the role of social relationships (e.g., caregivers, peers) in the initiation, escalation, and treatment of adolescent substance use. Dr. Meisel is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Boston University. Mentors: Robert Miranda Jr. Ph.D. and Hayley Treloar Padovano, Ph.D.

Samantha Portis, Ph.D. (2020) in Medical Sciences with a concentration in Neuroscience from the University of South Florida. As a translational neuroscientist, her research focuses on medication development and pharmacotherapy trials for older adults with substance use disorders. Dr. Portis is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri, Columbia. Mentors: Damaris Rohsenow, Ph.D. & Robert Miranda, Ph.D.

David G. Zelaya, Ph.D. (2019) in Counseling Psychology from Georgia State University. David completed his clinical psychology residency at Harvard Medical School’s Cambridge Hospital. His program of research examines minority stress mechanisms through an intersectionality paradigm to address health disparities among queer people of color (e.g., Latinx sexual minorities) by developing behavioral health interventions. Dr. Zelaya is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Brown University. Mentors: Christopher Kahler, Ph.D. & Suzanne Colby, Ph.D.

2021

2020

Ryan Carpenter, Ph.D. (2018) in in Clinical Psychology from the University of Missouri, Columbia. He uses intensively longitudinal approaches and mobile technology to understand, treat, and prevent alcohol, opioid, and other substance use as it occurs in daily life. Dr. Carpenter is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. Mentor: Robert Miranda, Ph.D.

Noah Emery, Ph.D. (2018) in Clinical Psychology from the University of South Dakota. His research uses mobile technology (e.g., smart phone applications, wearable devices) to identify mechanisms of behavior change that underlie substance use vulnerability and factors affecting treatment success in youth, with the goal of developing interventions targeting these mechanisms. Dr. Emery is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Colorado State University. Mentor: Robert Miranda, Ph.D.

Sarah Helseth, Ph.D. (2017) in Clinical Science in Child and Adolescent Psychology from Florida International University. She is a clinical researcher and licensed clinical psychologist working to reduce the public health impact of substance use disorders through the development and dissemination of effective behavioral interventions. Dr. Helseth is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Brown University. Mentor: Sara Becker, Ph.D.

Lidia Meshesha, Ph.D. (2018) in Clinical Psychology from the University of Memphis. Her research focuses on examining innovative and technologically enhanced approaches for improving treatment outcomes for alcohol use disorder. Dr. Meshesha is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Psychology Department at the University of Central Florida. Mentors: Ana Abrantes, Ph.D. and Jane Metrik, Ph.D.

Kelli Scott, Ph.D. (2018) in Clinical Psychology from Indiana University. Her research focuses on enhancing the implementation of evidence-based substance use interventions on community treatment settings, with a specific focus on enhancing the use of measurement-based care in opioid use disorder treatment. Dr. Scott is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Brown University. Mentor: Sara Becker, Ph.D.

Alexander Sokolovsky, Ph.D. (2017) in Clinical Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. His research focuses on the etiology and consequences of tobacco use and dependence in young adults and adolescents and the application of intensive longitudinal research methods to better characterize these behaviors. Dr. Sokolovsky is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Brown University. Mentor: Kristina Jackson, Ph.D.

2019

2018

2017

Melissa Cox, Ph.D. (2016) in Health Behavior from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research examines contextual influences on adolescent alcohol use. Dr. Cox is an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) in the Department of Health Education and Promotion at East Carolina University. Mentor: Kristina Jackson, Ph.D.

Angelo DiBello, Ph.D. (2015) in Social Psychology from the University of Houston. His research aims to leverage social psychological theories as tools for reducing defensiveness and enhancing the receptivity and duration of prevention and intervention efforts. Dr. DiBello is an Assistant Professor at the Center for Alcohol and Substance Use Studies at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Mentor: Kate Carey, Ph.D.

William Lechner Ph.D. (2015) in Clinical Psychology from Oklahoma State University. His research aims to examine novel treatment modalities targeting executive function deficits in addiction. Dr. Lechner is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Kent State University, Ohio. Mentor: Christopher Kahler, Ph.D.

Hector Lopez-Vergara, Ph.D. (2014) in Clinical Psychology from the University at Buffalo (SUNY). His research involves investigating individual-level and social predictors of the initiation of adolescent alcohol use, with an emphasis on using advanced quantitative methods to disaggregate predictors of alcohol use initiation versus the early escalation of drinking. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Rhode Island. Mentor: Kristina Jackson, Ph.D.

Matthew Meisel, Ph.D. (2015) in Behavioral and Brain Sciences from the University of Georgia. His research utilizes social network analysis to examine how network composition and structure are related to addictive behavior. Dr. Meisel is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Brown University. Mentor: Nancy Barnett, Ph.D.

Mary Beth Miller, Ph.D. (2015) in Clinical Psychology from Oklahoma State University. Her research aims to enhance understanding of the etiology of substance use disorders in order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of treatment. Dr. Miller is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Mentor: Kate Carey, Ph.D.

Mollie Miller, Ph.D. (2014) in Experimental Psychology from the University of Vermont. Her research investigates the mechanisms contributing to increased smoking rates among vulnerable populations, particularly adults with comorbid psychopathology or substance dependence. She is a fellow at the FDA Center for Tobacco Products in Washington, D.C. Mentor: Jennifer Tidey, Ph.D.

Oswaldo Moreno, Ph.D. (2015) in Clinical Psychology from Clark University. His research focuses on Latina/o mental health, health disparities, and cultural and contextual approaches to understanding psychopathology (depression and substance use disorders). Dr. Moreno is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. Mentor: Lynn Hernandez, Ph.D.

Hayley Treloar Padovano, Ph.D. (2014) in Clinical Psychology from the University of Missouri. Her research utilizes ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methods and a range of statistical techniques to model person- and contextual- level risk factors for the progression of alcohol involvement among adolescents and emerging adults. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University. Mentor: Robert Miranda, Ph.D.

2016

Mark Celio, Ph.D. (2013) in Clinical Psychology from Binghamton University (SUNY). He examines the behavioral economics of alcohol-related sexual decision making, while developing expertise in sexual minority health, qualitative research methods, and translational science. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Brown University. Mentor: Peter Monti, Ph.D.

Anne Fernandez, Ph.D. (2013) in Clinical Psychology from the University of Rhode Island. Her research focuses on mechanisms of change within BMIs as well as studying the impact of alcohol use on elective surgery. She is an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. Mentors: Brian Borsari, Ph.D. and Jane Metrik, Ph.D.

Carolina Haass-Koffler, Pharm.D. (2009) in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of California, San Francisco. She is a translational investigator who coalesces preclinical and clinical research towards examining biobehavioral mechanisms of addiction and developing novel medications. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior and in the Department of Behavior and Social Sciences at Brown University. Mentor: Robert Swift, M.D.

Shannon Kenney, Ph.D. (2006) in Sociology from Brown University. Her research has focused on examining the predictors and mechanisms of substance misuse in adolescents and young adults. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University. Mentor: Nancy Barnett, Ph.D.

Ethan Mereish, Ph.D. (2014) in Counseling Psychology from Boston College. His research focuses on understanding the effects of social, psychological, and cultural determinants of health for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals and racial/ethnic minorities as well as factors that promote their resilience. He is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Studies at American University in Washington, D.C. Mentor: Robert Miranda, Ph.D.

Mollie Monnig, Ph.D. (2014) in Clinical Psychology from the University of New Mexico. Her research uses magnetic resonance imaging to study the brain’s white matter in alcohol use disorders. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Brown University. Mentor: Peter Monti, Ph.D.

Ali Yurasek, Ph.D. (2014) in Clinical Psychology from the University of Memphis. She investigates mechanisms of change within BMIs and learning process coding to examine client and clinician utterances. to predict change talk and subsequent reductions in substance use, as well as exploring secondary gains associated with these interventions. She is an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) in the Health Education and Behavior department at University of Florida, Gainesville. Mentor: Brian Borsari, Ph.D. and Anthony Spirito, Ph.D.

2015

2014

2013

Caitlin C. Abar, Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA. Postdoctoral Mentor: Kristina Jackson, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Developmental Psychology, SUNY-Brockport, NY.

Jordan M. Braciszewski, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI. Postdoctoral Mentor; Robert Stout, Ph.D. Associate Research Scientist, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI.

Jacques Gaume, Ph.D. in Life Sciences from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. Postdoctoral Mentors: Richard Longabaugh, Ph.D. and Molly Magill, Ph.D. Head of Research, Alcohol Treatment Center at Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Matthew A. Maccani, Ph.D. in Medical Sciences, Brown University. Postdoctoral Mentor: Valerie Knopik, Ph.D. Biotechnology Consultant and Mobile App Developer, Hershey, PA

Kimberly H. McManama O'Brien, Ph.D. in Social Work, Boston College. Chestnut Hill, MA. Postdoctoral Mentor: Anthony Spirito, Ph.D. Research Scientist, Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.

Allecia E. Reid, Ph.D. in Psychology, Arizona State University. Postdoctoral Mentor: Kate Carey, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Psychology, Colby College, Waterville, ME.

Daniel Rounsaville, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD. Postdoctoral Mentor: Peter Friedmann, M.D. Clinical Psychologist, Brockton VA ADTP (Alcohol and Drug Treatment Program), Brockton, MA.

Christopher P. Salas-Wright, Ph.D. in Social Work, Boston College. Postdoctoral Mentor: Lynn Hernandez, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Boston University School of Social Work, Boston, MA.

Meenakshi Subbaraman, Ph.D. in Epidemiology, University of California, Berkley. Postdoctoral Mentor: Robert Stout, Ph.D. Biostatistician, Alcohol Research Group, Emeryville, CA.

Golfo K. Tzilos, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI. Postdoctoral Mentor: Caron Zlotnick, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Family Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.

2012

2011

2010

2009

Christy Capone, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI. Postdoctoral Mentor: Robert Swift, M.D. Psychologist, Providence VAMC, Providence, RI.

Travis Cook, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, University of California, San Diego/San Diego State University Joint Doctoral Program. Postdoctoral Mentor: Damaris Rohsenow, Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist, VAMC, Boston, MA.

John Hayes, Ph.D. in Nutrition and a certificate in Quantitative Research Methods (Psychology), University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT. Postdoctoral Mentor: Nancy Barnett, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Food Science, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA.

Lynn Hernandez, Ph.D. in Life-Span Developmental Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL. Postdoctoral Mentor: Anthony Spirito, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University.

Bettina Hoeppner, Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI. Postdoctoral Mentor: Kristina Jackson, Ph.D. Director of Biostatistics, Center for Addictive Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital.

John Hustad, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY. Postdoctoral Mentors: Nancy Barnett, Ph.D. and Brian Borsari, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA.

Adam Leventhal, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, TX. Postdoctoral Mentor: Christopher Kahler, Ph.D. Professor of Preventative Medicine, University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA.

Molly Magill, Ph.D. in Social Work Research, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA. Postdoctoral Mentors: Timothy Apodaca, Ph.D. and Robert Stout, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University.

Lara Ray, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, University of Colorado at Boulder. Postdoctoral Mentor: Robert Miranda, Ph.D. Professor, Clinical Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, CA.

Kristen Stone, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN. Postdoctoral Mentor: Barry Lester, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University.

Leila Tarokh, Ph.D. in Psychology, University of California, Irvine, CA. Postdoctoral Mentor: Mary Carskadon, Ph.D. Senior Scientist, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, Switzerland.

2008

2007

2006

Alicia Justus, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. Postdoctoral Mentor: Michael Stein, M.D, and Robert Miranda, Ph.D. Occupational Psychoogist, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM.

John Kelly, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, University of California, San Diego/San Diego State. Postdoctoral Mentor: Christopher Kahler, Ph.D. Elizabeth R. Spallin Associate Professor, Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA.

Heather LaChance, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from University of Colorado at Boulder. Postdoctoral Mentor: Christopher Kahler, Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist, Compassion in Practice, LLC, Denver, CO.

James MacKillop, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, State University of New York at Binghamton, NY. Postdoctoral Mentors: Robert Miranda, Ph.D. and Peter Monti, Ph.D. The Peter Boris Chair in Addictions Research at St. Jospeh's Healthcare, Hamilton and McMaster University in Toronto, Canada.

Meghan McDevitt-Murphy, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL. Postdoctoral Mentor: Tracey Shea, Ph.D. Professor, Psychology, University of Memphis, TN.

John McGeary, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology/Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder. Postdoctoral Mentors: Peter Monti, Ph.D. and Damaris Rohsenow, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University.

Jeffrey Meehan, Ph.D. in Clinical Science and Social Cognitive Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. Postdoctoral Mentor: Gregory Stuart, Ph.D. Research Professional, Boston, MA.

James Murphy, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL. Postdoctoral Mentors: Nancy Barnett, Ph.D. and Suzanne Colby, Ph.D. Professor, Psychology, and Director of Clinical Training, University of Memphis, TN.

C. Teal Pedlow, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, Postdoctoral Mentors: Kathleen Morrow, Ph.D., Kenneth Mayer, M.D., and Nancy Barnett, Ph.D. Until her death in 2018, Dr. Pedlow was an Associate Professor of Psychology at University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth.

Daniel Squires, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM. Postdoctoral Mentor: Nancy Barnett, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Practice of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University.

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

1996

1995

1994

1993

1992

1991

1990

1989