2020 Fellows
Astrid Cardona Acosta, BS
Doctoral Student, Behavioral and Cellular Neuroscience
Texas A&M University
eIRTI Senior Mentor: Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD
eIRTI Peer Mentor: Luis Natividad, PhD
Astrid Cardona-Acosta is a first-year PhD student in the Behavioral and Cellular Neuroscience program at Texas A&M University. Her research interests focus on the study of causal relationship between early life experiences such as stress and psychotropic drugs, brain biochemistry, and behavior. As a graduate student she has taken part in several projects such as the long-term physiological and behavioral consequences of adolescent exposure to methamphetamine and investigating the underlying comorbidity between major depressive disorder and western-style diet. However, she is specifically interested in assessing the long-term neurobiological consequences of benzodiazepine (Alprazolam) drug exposure during adolescence, as it is a highly sensitive period during development. Due to their abuse potential, benzodiazepines can act as a primer for drug addiction liability in adulthood that ultimately leads to polydrug abuse. By using a conditioned place preference paradigm, she is investigating how pre-exposure to alprazolam during adolescence dysregulates reward sensitivity to low doses of opioid drugs. Moreover, she aims to assess molecular targets within brain regions that regulate reward and mood such as the ventral-tegmental area and nucleus accumbens, to further investigate how early alprazolam exposure may induce reward sensitivity to other drugs of abuse. Her long-term career goal is to become a well-rounded independent neuroscientist to contribute to the knowledge about mechanism(s) underlying drug abuse to the scientific community.
Selected Publications:
Parise, E. M., Parise, L. F., Sial, O. K., Cardona-Acosta, A. M., Gyles, T. M., Juarez, B., Chaudhury, D., Han, M. H., Nestler, E. J., & Bolaños-Guzmán, C. A. (2021). The Resilient Phenotype Induced by Prophylactic Ketamine Exposure During Adolescence Is Mediated by the Ventral Tegmental Area-Nucleus Accumbens Pathway. Biological psychiatry, 90(7), 482–493. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.05.002, PMID: 34247781.
Sial, O. K., Gnecco, T., Cardona-Acosta, A. M., Vieregg, E., Cardoso, E. A., Parise, L. F., & Bolaños-Guzmán, C. A. (2021). Exposure to Vicarious Social Defeat Stress and Western-Style Diets During Adolescence Leads to Physiological Dysregulation, Decreases in Reward Sensitivity, and Reduced Antidepressant Efficacy in Adulthood. Frontiers in neuroscience, 15, 701919. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2021.701919, PMID: 34408623.
Cardona-Acosta, A. M. (2021). Behavioral and Neurobiological Consequences of Alprazolam Exposure During Adolescence(Doctoral dissertation).
Jessica Frankeberger, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Departments of Pediatrics and Global Health Sciences
University of California, San Diego
eIRTI Senior Mentor: Alice Cepeda, PhD
eIRTI Peer Mentor: Diana Sheehan, PhD
Jessica Frankeberger is a postdoctoral fellow in the Substance Use, HIV, and Related Infections T32 program in the Department of Pediatrics and Global Health Sciences in the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. She received her PhD in Behavioral and Community Health Sciences from the
University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. Her research focuses on the social and ecological contexts in which substance use, infections, and associated problems occur among vulnerable, reproductive-aged populations, including pregnant and postpartum persons and their children. Supported by a NIH/NIDA F31 fellowship, her doctoral dissertation examined individual, community, and geospatial factors contributing to maternal opioid overdose and related hospitalizations throughout the first year postpartum.
Selected Publications:
Sumetsky, N., Frankeberger, J., Coulter, R., Burke, J. G., Friedman, M. R., & Mair, C. (2022). Mental Health and Alcohol Use during and before the Early Phases of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Behavioral medicine (Washington, D.C.), 1–9. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/08964289.2021.2015278, PMID: 35000570.
Frankeberger, J., Gruenewald, P. J., Sumetsky, N., Lee, J. P., Ghanem, L., & Mair, C. (2021). Dual Use of Off-Premise Outlets for Alcohol and Grocery Purchases: Results From the East Bay Neighborhoods Study. Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs, 82(6), 758–766. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2021.82.758, PMID: 34762035.
Cepeda, A., Nowotny, K.M., Frankeberger, J.,Ramirez, E., Rodriguez, V.E., Perdue, T., & Valdez, A.(2020).Examination of multilevel domains of minority stress: Implications for drug useand mental and physical health among Latina women who have sex with women and men. PLOS One, 15(3), e0230437. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230437, PMID: 32214323.
Mair, C., Frankeberger, J., Gruenewald, P., Morrison, C., & Freisthler, B. (2019). Space and place in alcohol research. Current Epidemiology Reports, 6(4), 412-422. doi: 10.1007/s40471-019-00215-3.=, PMID: 34295613.
Nowotny, K.M., Frankeberger, J.,Cepeda, A., & Valdez, A. (2019). Trajectories of heroin use: A15-year retrospective study of Mexican American menwho were affiliated with gangs during adolescence. Drug & Alcohol Dependence, 204,107505.doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.06.008, PMID: 31550612.
Funding:
NIDA. F31. (July 2020- June 2023). Social ecological contexts of opioid overdose and hospital readmission in the postpartum period. Principal Investigator.
Audrey Hai, PhD, MSW
Assistant Professor, Social Work
Tulane University
eIRTI Senior Mentor: James Anthony, PhD, MSc
eIRTI Peer Mentor: Catalina Lopez-Quintero, MD, PhD, MPH
Audrey Hang Hai is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Tulane University. She received her PhD in social work from the University of Texas at Austin and her MSW from University of Southern California. Dr. Hai has dedicated her scholarship to helping reduce Latinx health disparities with a focus on substance use interventions specifically designed or adapted for that population. She is especially interested in technology-based interventions for their potential to break the barriers to treatment commonly experienced by Latinxs (e.g., immigration related issues, stigma, cost/insurance) and their potential to make a large public health impact at a lower cost. Her short-term goal is to secure a K01 Mentored Research Scientist Development award to support further training and career development activities needed to become an independent NIH-funded intervention researcher. Some of Dr. Hai’s recent publications can be found in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, and Journal of Behavioral Medicine.
Selected Publications:
Hai, A. H., Oh, S., Lee, C. S., Kelly, J. F., Vaughn, M. G., & Salas-Wright, C. P. (2022). Mutual-help group participation for substance use problems in the US: Correlates and trends from 2002 to 2018. Addictive behaviors, 128, 107232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.107232, PMID: 35042001.
Salas-Wright, C. P., Cano, M., Hai, A. H., Cano, M. Á., Oh, S., Piñeros-Leaño, M., & Vaughn, M. G. (2022). Alcohol abstinence and binge drinking: the intersections of language and gender among Hispanic adults in a national sample, 2002-2018. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 57(4), 727–736. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-021-02154-1, PMID: 34374827.
Hai, A. H., Lee, C. S., Abbas, B. T., Bo, A., Morgan, H., & Delva, J. (2021). Culturally adapted evidence-based treatments for adults with substance use problems: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Drug and alcohol dependence, 226, 108856. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108856, PMID: 34274617.
Hai, A. H., Lee, C. S., John, R., Vaughn, M. G., Bo, A., Lai, P., & Salas-Wright, C. P. (2021). Debunking the myth of low behavioral risk among Asian Americans: The case of alcohol use. Drug and alcohol dependence, 228, 109059. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.109059, PMID: 34600252.
Hai, A. H., Hammock, K., & Velasquez, M. M. (2019). The efficacy of technology-based interventions for alcohol and illicit drug use among women of childbearing age: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research,43(12), 2464-2479.
Hai, A. H., Franklin, C., Park, S., DiNitto, D.M., & Aurelio, N. (2019). The efficacy of spiritual/religious interventions for substance use problems: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 202, 134-148. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.04.045, PMID: 33471629
Hernandez, M., Barrio, C., Gaona, L., Fernandez, P. H., Hai, A. H.,& Lim, C. (2018). Hope and schizophrenia within the Latino family context. Community Mental Health Journal, 55, 42-50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-018-0354-5, PMID: 30506465.
Alyssa Lozano, MS
Doctoral Student, Public Health
University of Miami
eIRTI Senior Mentor: Richard Cervantes, PhD
eIRTI Peer Mentor: Miguel Cano, PhD
Ms. Alyssa Lozano, M.S. received her Masters of Science in Prevention Science and Community Health at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She works in the area of the promotion of behavioral health and family functioning among various groups of Hispanic youth, including sexual and gender minorities. Her research interests include a focus on qualitative research to inform intervention development. Specifically, she is interested in the development of family-based preventive interventions which address family functioning and reduce and prevent inequities in substance use and mental health outcomes among groups of Hispanic youth.
Selected Publications:
Lozano, A., Estrada, Y., Tapia, M. I., Dave, D. J., Marquez, N., Baudin, S., & Prado, G. (2022). Development of a family-based preventive intervention for Latinx sexual minority youth and their parents. Cultural diversity & ethnic minority psychology, 28(2), 227–239. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000506, PMID: 34735168.
Fernandez, A., Lozano, A., Lee, T. K., Messiah, S. E., & Prado, G. (2022). A Healthy Lifestyle Intervention for Hispanic Families: Moderating Effects of Education, Income, Nativity. Journal of nutrition education and behavior, 54(2), 125–134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2021.05.001, PMID: 34175217.
Lozano, A., Fernández, A., Tapia, M. I., Estrada, Y., Juan Martinuzzi, L., & Prado, G. (2021). Understanding the Lived Experiences of Hispanic Sexual Minority Youth and their Parents. Family process, 60(4), 1488–1506. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12629, PMID: 33438248.
Fernandez, A., Lozano, A., Lee, T. K., Estrada, Y., Messiah, S. E., & Prado, G. (2021). A Family-Based Healthy Lifestyle Intervention: Crossover Effects on Substance Use and Sexual Risk Behaviors. Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research, 22(5), 602–608. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-021-01220-z, PMID: 33689118.
Lozano, A., Liu, F., Lee, T. K., Prado, G., Schwartz, S. J., Leventhal, A. M., Kelleghan, A. R., Unger, J. B., & Barrington-Trimis, J. L. (2021). Bidirectional associations between e-cigarette use and alcohol use across adolescence. Drug and alcohol dependence, 220, 108496. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108496, PMID: 33461153.
Daisy Ramirez, PhD, MPH
Post-Doctoral Associate, Epidemiology
Florida International University
eIRTI Senior Mentor: Carlos Rodriguez, PhD
eIRTI Peer Mentor: Angela Bazzi, PhD, MPH
Daisy Ramírez-Ortiz is a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Epidemiology at the Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work at Florida International University. Daisy completed a PhD in Epidemiology at Florida International University in May 2020 and much of her research work during the PhD program focused on HIV/AIDS and alcohol use disparities affecting diverse groups of Latinos. She was a project coordinator and co-investigator for the Project on Health among Emerging Adult Latinos (Project HEAL). She currently works in the NIH -funded research projects: Just-in-Time Adaptive Interventions For Improving Young Latino Sexual Minority’s Success in HIV Therapy and Women-centered HIV Care Practices that Facilitate HIV Care Retention and Viral Suppression in the Presence of Adverse Sociocultural Factors. Her particular research interest is in improving linkage, retention and reengagement in HIV care and treatment in Latino populations by developing targeted public health interventions that address the unique and complex challenges to HIV care faced by Latinos in the United States. Her aspiration is to become an independent researcher and leader in HIV/AIDS and health disparities research.
Selected Publications:
Fernandez, S. B., Ward, M. K., Ramírez-Ortiz, D., Flores, A., Santander, T. G., Dawit, R., Ibarra, C., Garcia, A., Ladner, R., Brock, P., Jean-Gilles, M., Ibañez, G., Dévieux, J., Beach, M. C., & Trepka, M. J. (2022). Clients’ Perspectives on Patient-Centeredness: a Qualitative Study with Low-Income Minority Women Receiving HIV Care in South Florida. Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities, 10.1007/s40615-022-01281-y. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-022-01281-y, PMID: 35426056.
Ramírez-Ortiz, D., Seitchick, J., Polpitiya, M., Algarin, A. B., Sheehan, D. M., Fennie, K., Cyrus, E., & Trepka, M. J. (2021). Post-immigration factors affecting retention in HIV care and viral suppression in Latin American and Caribbean immigrant populations in the United States: a systematic review. Ethnicity & health, 1–41. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/13557858.2021.1990217, PMID: 34647837.
Ramírez-Ortiz, D., Forney, D. J., Sheehan, D. M., Cano, M. Á., Romano, E., & Sánchez, M. (2021). Pre- and Post-immigration HIV Testing Behaviors among Young Adult Recent Latino Immigrants in Miami-Dade County, Florida. AIDS and behavior, 25(9), 2841–2851. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-021-03233-9, PMID: 33751312.
Ramirez-Ortiz, D., Rojas, P., Sánchez, M., Cano, M. A., De La Rosa, M. (2019). Associations of Self-Silencing and Traditional Gender Attitudes with HIV Prevention Behaviors among Latina Immigrant Farmworkers. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 21(2), 430-433.doi: 10.1007/s10903-018-0773-y, PMID: 30030668.
Cano, M.A., Sánchez, M., Rojas, P., Ramírez-Ortiz, D., Polo, K.L., Romano, E., & De La Rosa, M. (2018). Alcohol Use Severity Among Adult Hispanic Immigrants: Examining the Roles of Family Cohesion, Social Support, and Gender, Substance Use and Misuse, 53(4), 668-676.doi:10.1080/10826084.2017.1356333, PMID: 28910173.
Cho-Hee Shrader, MPH
Postdoctoral Scholar, Epidemiology
Florida International University
eIRTI Senior Mentor: Danielle Ompad, PhD, MHS
eIRTI Peer Mentor: Nalini Negi, PhD, MPH
Cho-Hee Shrader is a postdoctoral scholar in the department of Global HIV Implementation Science at Columbia University. Her recently funded NIMHD F31 dissertation focuses on the synthetization of social network and geospatial analysis to characterize the influence of homophily on the access to PrEP-related information within social networks and communities. Specifically, she aims to understand how homophily among Latino men who have sex with men on substance misuse, Latino cultural values, and acculturation stress, affects the configuration of friendship networks, and how in turn, these configurations affect access to PrEP information within networks. She is affiliated with Dr. Mariano Kanamori’s Latinx Health Disparities and Social Network Lab and contributes her geospatial knowledge to Dr. Susanne Doblecki-Lewis’ mobile PrEP project and the CoVPN5 5001 study.
Selected Publications:
Kanamori, M., Shrader, C. H., St George, S., Adkins, T., Bartholomew, T. S., Sanchez, M., & de la Rosa, M. (2022). Influences of immigration stress and occupational exploitation on Latina seasonal workers’ substance use networks: a qualitative study. Journal of ethnicity in substance abuse, 21(2), 457–475. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332640.2020.1778591, PMID: 32609076.
Shrader, C. H., Arroyo-Flores, J., Stoler, J., Skvoretz, J., Carrico, A., Doblecki-Lewis, S., & Kanamori, M. (2021). The Association Between Social and Spatial Closeness With PrEP Conversations Among Latino Men Who Have Sex With Men. Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999), 88(4), 366–375. https://doi.org/10.1097/QAI.0000000000002777, PMID: 34342298.
Shrader, C. H., Arroyo-Flores, J., Skvoretz, J., Fallon, S., Gonzalez, V., Safren, S., Algarin, A., Johnson, A., Doblecki-Lewis, S., & Kanamori, M. (2021). PrEP Use and PrEP Use Disclosure are Associated with Condom Use During Sex: A Multilevel Analysis of Latino MSM Egocentric Sexual Networks. AIDS and behavior, 25(5), 1636–1645. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-020-03080-0, PMID: 33387134.
Kanamori M, Shrader C, De La Rosa M. A Timely Concern: Would Immigration Policies and Enforcement Actions Influence Higher Alcohol Dependence Among Latina Seasonal Farmworkers? Journal of Agromedicine. 2020: pp. 1-7, PMID: 32238054.
Algarin AB, Shrader CH, Bhatt C, Hackworth BT, Cook RL, Ibañez GE. The Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Continuum of Care and Correlates to Initiation among HIV-Negative Men Recruited at Miami Gay Pride 2018. Journal of Urban Health. 2019: pp.1-10, PMID: 31165357.
Funding:
F31. NIMHD. September 2020-August 2021. Latinx MSM Prep Disparities Due to Immigration Stress and Drug Use Networks. Principal Investigator.