Biography
Iam an expert in multiple health risk behaviors that contribute to the development of chronic diseases including tobacco use, heavy drinking, poor sleep, and physical inactivity. My research focuses on better understanding these behaviors and their co-occurrence in order to develop innovative interventions that improve people's lives. I am interested in how technology (e.g., smartphones, biosensors, social media, electronic health records) can increase the reach and effectiveness of interventions and improve health outcomes across behaviors. I utilize various research designs and methods to answer these questions including clinical trials, qualitative studies, laboratory-analogue models, daily experience sampling/biosensors, and implementation and dissemination research. My work has generated important scientific contributions. These include the unique treatment needs and preferences of individuals with multiple health risk profiles, the value of intervening on more than one risk behavior, the utility of social media and other health concerns (e.g., sleep) for reaching and engaging individuals about their heavy alcohol use, and the negative reciprocal association between poor sleep and alcohol use among young adults. Current studies include: (1) a RCT of a multimodal mobile sleep intervention for heavy-drinking young adults; (2) implementation of a sustainable tobacco treatment model for patients treated across the statewide Yale Cancer Center care network via electronic health record tools, proactive outreach, and pharmacist-led care; (3) a preliminary test of switching from combustible cigarette smoking to novel oral nicotine pouches among adult smokers; (4) a RCT of a mobile tobacco cessation intervention for lung cancer screening patients; and (5) a RCT of financial incentives for promoting tobacco cessation among patients undergoing surgery for cancer. In addition to my research activities, I direct the Tobacco Treatment Service at Smilow Cancer Hospital and teach/mentor medical students, residents, and fellows in addiction and behavioral medicine.