Harm reduction is a public health intervention, where treatment goals include reducing harm related to substance use, rather than abstinence from those substances.  Harm reduction is effective at reducing incidence of HIV, hepatitis C, and opioid overdose.  However, stigma related to harm reduction services persists among the public.  Therefore, the current project aims to evaluate patient and provider perceptions of harm reduction services at opioid treatment providers (OTPs) in southeastern Michigan. This project is part of Maria Zarcone’s master’s thesis.

This project is evaluating whether undergraduate students use e-cigarettes and alcohol at the same time. There is evidence that nicotine and alcohol have reciprocal reinforcing effects, however, few studies have investigated the relation between e-cigarettes (a more novel product) and their use with alcohol. Grant Saba led this project for his undergraduate honors thesis.

This project is ongoing in the lab and is an investigation of whether individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD) who are overweight discount food more steeply than those who are regular weight. There is empirical evidence showing this relation in typically developing adults, but there has not been studies on those with IDD. This project is led by Aaron Swieterman for his undergraduate honors thesis.

This project is focused on improving the well-being of our 4 graduate programs in the Psychology Department. Partnering with the Graduate Wellness Committee and the Psychologists of Color group, we are hosting regular community service and community bonding events that will be available to the graduate students to increase their integration into the Ypsilanti community, their social wellness, and their physical activity.