Fostering Diversity in the Next Generation of Addiction Scientists
Specialized training programs designed to diversify the field of addiction science
Rising STARS (Scientific Training in Alcohol Research and other Substances) Program
Rising STARS is a collaboration between University of Southern California (USC),California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA), and Charles R. Drew University (CDU) that proposes to advance undergraduate training of underrepresented minorities (URMs) in the fields of alcohol and substance use disorders (ASUD). This unique and innovative educational and research experience program brings together three universities in Los Angeles that together represent one of the largest pools of talented URM students in the U.S.
The mission of the Rising STARS program is to develop the creativity and intellectual talents of our most motivated, undergraduate URM students with the focused goal of making their talents available to strong Ph.D. programs and enrich future addiction science research through their participation. Given the breadth and integration of the USC IAS with over 80 faculty involved in ASUD research, Rising STARS scholars will have the opportunity to train in preclinical, human laboratory, clinical, public health, and/or policy approaches that focus on ASUD research. We will provide the next generation of scientists’ real-world experiences and enrichment to propel them forward into graduate-level training and careers in ASUD and addiction sciences.
This is a 2-year program that begins the summer prior to junior year and ends the spring of senior year.
Program Highlights
Meet the Rising STARTS 2023 Cohort
Ariel Ford
Skyye Dodds-Lewis
Amal Roble
Olivia Diaz
Marina Kaypaghian
Nicolette Fajardo
Julio Rivera
CSUSB/CDU Smoke and Vape Free Scholars Initiative (CCSVFSI)
This collaborative training initiative is a partnership between California State University San Bernadino (CSUSB) and Charles R. Drew University (CDU) which aims to create a diverse workforce of scientists and advocates to achieve the goal of creating a smoke-and vape-free California. The CSUSB/CDU Smoke and Vape Free Scholars Initiative (CCSVFSI) cultivates a cohort of undergraduate and master’s students who are part of targeted groups by the tobacco industry – referred to as tobacco priority populations. This cohort is then trained to become scientists and leaders who will meet the emerging challenges in this field. Scholars in the CCSVFSI program will receive intensive research exposure and didactic training to promote their transition to doctoral programs and professional degrees (i.e., medical, social work, public health) in tobacco cessation-related fields.
USC will provide students with high quality tobacco and vaping research opportunities through a Scholar-Mentor Matching Strategy by which students are matched with a faculty research mentor based on space availability in the mentor’s laboratory and student’s research interests.
Program Specific Aims
- Provide didactic and participatory activities in tobacco control
- Provide world-class research internships
- Arrange participation in tobacco control and advocacy projects
- Provide culturally-sensitive mentoring activities and community engagement activities
The program will be led by two experts and long-standing collaborators in developing substance abuse training programs targeting diversity students, Cynthia Crawford, PhD at CSUSB and Theodore C. Friedman, MD, PhD at CDU.
For more information, please contact:
Nina Kirmiz, PhD
Research Program Administrator
kirmiz@usc.edu
CSUSB/CDU Smoke and Vape Free Scholars Initiative (CCSVFSI)
This collaborative training initiative is a partnership between California State University San Bernadino (CSUSB) and Charles R. Drew University (CDU) which aims to create a diverse workforce of scientist and advocates to achieve the goal of creating a smoke-and vape-free California. The CSUSB/CDU Smoke and Vape Free Scholars Initiative (CCSVFSI) will cultivate a cohort of undergraduate and master’s students who are part of groups that are targeted by the tobacco industry – referred to as tobacco priority populations – to develop them as scientists and leaders who will meet the emerging challenges in this field. Scholars in the CCSVFSI program will receive intensive research exposure and didactic training to promote their transition to doctoral programs and professional degrees (i.e., medical, social work, public health) in tobacco cessation-related fields.
USC will provide students with high quality tobacco and vaping research opportunities through a Scholar-Mentor Matching Strategy by which students are matched with a faculty research mentor based on space availability in the mentor’s laboratory and student’s research interests.
Program Specific Aims
- Provide didactic and participatory activities in tobacco control
- Provide world-class research internships
- Arrange participation in tobacco control and advocacy projects
- Provide culturally-sensitive mentoring activities and community engagement activities
The program will be led by two experts and long-standing collaborators in developing substance abuse training programs targeting diversity students, Cynthia Crawford, PhD at CSUSB and Theodore C. Friedman, MD, PhD at CDU.
For more information, please contact:
Nina Kirmiz, PhD
Research Program Administrator
kirmiz@usc.edu
Student and Trainee Spotlight
IAS Pilot Grant Program
IAS launched an inaugural Pilot Grant Program in 2021, providing support for postdoctoral and predoctoral scholars as well as assistant and early associate faculty members. IAS also houses the Student Association for Addiction Science (SAAS), which provides professional development and research and practice opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students at USC.
IAS Early Career Addiction Science Showcase (ECASS)
Annually, IAS hosts the Early Career Addiction Science Showcase. This event showcases early career researchers’ (Undergraduate, Post Baccalaureate, Master’s, PhD or other graduate students, Postdoctoral scholars, or Junior Faculty) cutting-edge research in addiction science. Empirical findings that have not been previously published are showcased at an annual event with podium presentations by each researcher. Topics include, but are not limited to: Clinical research, epidemiology, health policy/regulatory science, pharmacology, pre-clinical research, social and behavioral sciences, prevention/treatment research, and concepts in etiology.
Below are the presenters and winners of our past showcases. * Denotes “Best Abstract Award Winner
ECASS Presentations
ECASS 2022
Interactive Effects of Financial Strain and Distress Tolerance on Pre-Quit Tobacco Withdrawal Symptoms in Smokers Preparing to Initiate a Quit Attempt
Mariel S. Belo, MA, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences
Pain Trajectories and Alcohol Use Disorder Outcomes Among Veterans During COVID-19 *
Shaddy K. Saba, MA, PhD (c), Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
A Systematic Review of Endpoints Used in Clinical Trials of Drugs to Treat Opioid Use Disorder
Christine Van, Pharm. D (c), Kaylene Okada, Pharm. D (c), School of Pharmacy
Youth Nicotine Addiction: Strategic Defiance of Regulatory Oversight by the Disposable Electronic Nicotine Delivery System Industry
Griffin Riggs, BS (c), MS (c), Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, School of Pharmacy
Medicaid expansions and smoking cessation among low-income smokers
Sam Melville, BS, Keck School of Medicine
Revisiting trait resilience in the context of harm reduction: An exploration of cannabis-related protective behavioral strategies and consequences
Reagan E. Fitzke, BS, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine
Cigarette Smoking and Depression: Examining a Parallel Process Growth Model in Veterans
Denise Tran, PhD, Keck School of Medicine
Addictive Interaction of E-cigarette Use and Mental Health Symptoms with Risk of Cigarette Smoking Initiation Among Young Adults in the United States
Alyssa F. Harlow, PhD, MPH, Keck School of Medicine
Cannabis Legalization and Taxation: Effects of the Black-Market Growth and Sale of Cannabis in California *
Harlan Tsui, BS (c), School of Pharmacy
Social Connection Subtance Use, and Society *
Nina C. Christie, MPH, PhD (c), Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, Keck School of Medicine
Youth Susceptibility to “Tobacco-Free” Oral Nicotine Products in Comparison to Cigarettes and E-Cigarettes *
Erin A. Vogel, PhD, Keck School of Medicine
ECASS 2023
PRESENTATIONS
Factors Associated with Utilization of In-school and Outside Therapy Services *
Gisselle Soto Rivas, Dana and David Dornsife School of Letters, Arts, and Sciences
Waiting for Rock Bottom: Healthcare Engagement Before and After Initiation of Medication Assisted Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder *
Emily Johnson, MD, MPH, Keck School of Medicine
An Examination of Pregaming Behavior and Motives Among Sexual and Gender Minority College Students *
Keegan Buch, BA, Keck School of Medicine
Moral Injury in Medicine: A Structural Approach to Physician Burnout *
Siddhi Ganesh, AB, BS, Population and Public Health Sciences, KSOM
Investigating The Enduring Impact of The COVID-19 Pandemic on Physical Activity and Health Behaviors in High School Students *
Ariana Coba Clementel, Dana and David Dornsife School of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Coping and Health-Related Cannabis Motives Mediate the Relationship Between Childhood Trauma and Problematic Cannabis Use Over Time Among Emerging Adult Cannabis Users *
Brigid Conn, PhD, ABPP, Keck School of Medicine
Disposable Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) and Underage Nicotine Addiction – A Survey of College Students *
Griffin Riggs, BA/MS (c), Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy
The Negative Impact of Targeted Encampment Sweeps on the Ontological Security of Unhoused People Who Use Drugs *
Jesse Goldshear, PhD, MPH, Population and Public Health Sciences, KSOM
POSTERS
Are E-Cigarette Home Bans Associated with Reduced Frequency of E-Cigarette Use? A Pilot Study Among Young Adults in Southern California During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Rohan Minocha, Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine
College Student Food Restriction on Alcohol and Marijuana Use Days: Exploring Motivations and Consequences Across Singular and Co-Use Groups
Ireland Shute, Dana and David Dornsife School of Letters, Arts, and Sciences
Trends in Adolescent Mental Health through the COVID-19 Pandemic by Sociodemographic Characteristics and History of Substance Use
Lilia Margaryan, Population and Public Health Sciences, KSOM
Oral Dihydromyricetin (DHM) Ameliorates Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease Lipid Dyshomeostasis
Srija Ponna, Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy
Polypharmacy and Medication Use Patterns Associated with Unintentional Drug Overdose in the U.S.
Shyam Krishnan Ondanat Veetil, BS, Viterbi School of Engineering
Dihydromyricetin Ameliorates Inflammatory Markers in Mice with Alcohol-Associated Fatty Liver Disease
Alina Idrissova, BS, Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy
Mistrust and Miscommunication; A Qualitative Study of the Experiences of Black and Latina Patients Using Cannabis During Pregnancy and their Healthcare Providers
Erin Gould, MPH, CHES, Population and Public Health Sciences, KSOM
Preclinical Evaluation of Sodium Butyrate’s Potential to Reduce Alcohol Consumption: A Dose Escalation Study in C57BL Mice in Antibiotic – Enhanced Binge-Like Drinking Model
Greg Havton, BS, Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy
A Laboratory Protocol for Obtaining Transdermal and Breath Alcohol Biosensor Data: Next Steps Toward Collecting Data in the Field
Georgia Wong, BA, Dana and David Dornsife School of Letters, Arts, and Sciences
Combating Nicotine Addiction Using Poly-ADP-Ribose Based Carrier
Jiawei Li, PhD (c), Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy
Relationships Between Binge Drinking and Alcohol Expectancies By ALDH2*2 in Asian American College Students
Emily Saldich, BA, Dana and David Dornsife School of Letters, Arts, and Sciences
Perceived Risk of Relapse in Emotionally Significant Situations: The Role of Social Relationships
Nina Christie, MA, MPH, Dana and David Dornsife School of Letters, Arts, and Sciences
Exploring Participant Feedback on Using a Smartphone Web-App to Self-Calibrate Models that Estimate BrAC from Transdermal Alcohol Biosensor Data
Kyla-Rose Walden, BA, Dana and David Dornsife School of Letters, Arts, and Sciences