Reach News

08 Nov ReACH Lab Undergraduate Research Assistant Receives Early Acceptance to FIU’s Medical School

Miguel Perez, one of our undergraduate research assistants, received acceptance into the Florida International University (FIU) Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (HWCOM). He decided to apply to FIU HWCOM’s Early Assurance Program because he was very interested in the values HWCOM stood for, the most important being giving back to and being present & accountable for our community. Coming from a Hispanic background himself, he can easily relate to the struggles of the lives of many immigrants that make up a majority of our population here in South Florida. 

His future goal as a doctor would be to become an orthopedic surgeon and practice here in the South Florida area. Aside from this, at some point in his career, he would really like to open up a free clinic where he could help treat patients dealing with severe substance abuse issues, eventually helping them wean off from their dependency and be a steppingstone in the path of restarting their lives.

Congratulations on this amazing achievement Miguel! We wish you the best in this future endeavor!

01 Nov ReACH Lab Director Presents at SHARC Research Seminar

The director of the ReACH Lab, Dr. Elisa Trucco, gave a presentation at the Southern HIV and Alcohol Research Consortium (SHARC) seminar on October 13th. This seminar brought together researchers from several educational institutions so that they could present their latest HIV and alcohol related research for interaction and feedback. The topic of Dr. Trucco’s presentation was understanding the etiological processes in the emergence of electronic cigarette use. She covered findings from the ACE project, which aims to understand risk and protective factors across multiple levels of influence impacting the initiation and escalation of e-cigarette use among a primarily Hispanic/Latina(o) sample recruited from South Florida.  

25 Oct ReACH Lab Director Presents at the National Hispanic Science Network

Dr. Elisa Trucco, director of the ReACH Lab, presented at the 2022 National Hispanic Science Network Conference. The conference took place from September 28th until September 30th in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The theme for this year’s conference was “‘Biological and Social Determinants of Drug Use: Addressing Hispanic Health Inequities in the Age of COVID,’ in recognition of COVID‐19’s exposure of the deep and enduring health inequities that negatively impact minority communities.” It was split into 3 scientific sessions that focused on 1) Alcohol Use and Abuse in the Age of COVID, 2) Opiates: Intersections of Race, Class, and Gender in a Global Pandemic, and 3) Elucidating the Unique Factors Driving Increases in Marijuana and Nicotine Vaping. Dr. Trucco presented during the third session and focused on understanding the etiological process of the emergence of electronic cigarette use. 

15 Aug ReACH Lab Hosts Annual Open House

Come join ReACH Lab Director, Dr. Elisa Trucco, and ReACH Lab graduate students, Julie, Nilo, and Sarah to learn more about applying to Clinical Psychology PhD Programs, FIU’s Clinical Science in Child and Adolescent Psychology Program, and the ReACH Lab. Two Virtual Open Houses will be offered: September 2nd at 2pm EST and September 14th at 7pm EST. Click here to register: ReACH Lab Virtual Open House 2022

01 Aug ReACH Lab Director Publishes Article on Sleep and Self-Control

Dr. Elisa Trucco, ReACH Lab Director, alongside peers from Florida International University, has published ‘Sleep problems and self-control: An examination of reciprocal effects across childhood and adolescence’ in the Journal of Criminal Justice. The article investigates possible reciprocal associations between sleep and self-control across seven waves of data spanning childhood through middle adolescence, using both a cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) and a random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) to test between- and within-person effects. Data was collected from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD), a longitudinal birth cohort study, with a total of 924 children for inclusion in the CLPM and 1162 for inclusion in the RI-CLPM.

Results from the CLPM model revealed a reciprocal association between self-control and sleep problems during childhood at the between-individual level, but no association was found during adolescence. Instead, a unidirectional effect of self-control on later sleep problems was observed. In addition, the RI-CLPM model revealed evidence of a reciprocal association between sleep problems and self-control during childhood at the within-individual level. Yet, once study participants entered adolescence, no significant cross-construct effects were observed. The finding that reciprocal associations were limited to childhood suggests that interventions to address sleep problems and deficits in self-control may be particularly effective if employed during this critical developmental period as opposed to waiting until youth enter adolescence. Early interventions that target sleep hygiene, such as psychoeducation and cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, may help promote gains in self-control during childhood. This, in turn, may prevent future involvement in delinquent behavior.

27 Jul ReACH Lab Graduate Student Receives Clinical Science Outstanding Student Achievement Award

Julie Cristello, sixth-year doctoral candidate in the Clinical Science Program, was recognized with the Outstanding Student Achievement Award by the Clinical Science faculty this Summer. Julie’s research, leadership, advocacy, and service were recognized. Julie’s program of research has examined the influence of normative youth behavior (e.g., social media and sport involvement) on adolescent substance use. Julie is specifically interested in how behavior on social media sites (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat) can influence alcohol and drug use among teens.

Congratulations on yet another amazing accomplishment Julie, you make the ReACH lab proud!

29 Jun ReACH Lab Graduate Student Awarded the 2022 UGS GSAW Award

Sarah Hartmann, a 3rd year graduate student in the ReACH Lab, was recently awarded the University Graduate School Excellence Award for Outstanding Paper/Manuscript for her Masters thesis. Sarah’s thesis examined the potential differential predictive ability of dimensions and profiles of adolescent temperament for early initiation and use of alcohol and e-cigarettes utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM), latent profile analysis (LPA), and logistic regression. The manuscript, Risk Factors for Early Use of E-Cigarettes and Alcohol: Dimensions and Profiles of Temperament, was published in the journal of Development and Psychopathology.

Congratulations on this well-deserved achievement, Sarah!

17 Jun ReACH Lab Alumna Accepted to Baylor University Psy.D. Program

Brigitte Madan, the former ACE Project Senior Research Assistant, is heading to Waco, Texas to attend Baylor University’s Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology Program. Brigitte was the Senior Research Assistant in the ACE Project for nearly 4 years, and will be leaving Miami to pursue her career and education goals. At Baylor University, Brigitte hopes to gain the skills and knowledge that will better her as a psychologist. She is a firm believer that clinical practices should be informed by the science of psychology to better treat her patients. Baylor’s science-practitioner approach to learning combined with its small class size and effort to incorporate diversity in the classroom make it a great fit for her. Her goal is to create evidence-based intervention programs focused on adult Latinx mental health education and resources.  

Congratulations on this accomplishment Brigitte, and thank you for all your work with the ReACH Lab!

06 Jun ACE Project Graduate Student Presents Data Blitz at UF CARE Symposium

ACE Project second-year graduate student, Benjelene Sutherland, presented her ongoing research “The association of amygdala-insula functional connectivity and adolescent e-cigarette use via sleep problems and depressive symptoms” at the University of Florida Center for Addiction Research & Education (CARE) 9th annual symposium. This presentation won the Data Blitz award as one of the best presentations of the symposium. This was Benjelene’s second year in a row winning this award. The project examined the mediated effects of sleep problems and depressive symptoms between amygdala-insula functional connectivity and e-cigarette use among teens.

04 May ReACH Lab Graduate Student to Attend University of Mississippi Medical Center Psychology Internship Training Program

Congratulations are in order for ReACH Lab 5^th Year Graduate Student, Megan Hare, after being accepted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) Psychology Internship Training Program! The UMMC Internship Program employs a “cognitive-behavioral orientation within a scientist-practitioner model”, and aims to train interns to be “competent in assessment, intervention, supervision and consultation skills,” with a focus on “individual and cultural differences and diversity.” UMMC’s program matches perfectly with Megan’s training goals, as she aims to gain breadth in evidence-based interventions with complex and severe psychopathologies across a diverse of settings (e.g., inpatient, pediatric). Megan also hopes to enhance her ability to deliver culturally-responsive care and broaden her skillset working on interdisciplinary teams.

Following Megan’s training at UMMC, she hopes to obtain a post doctoral or faculty position to continuing researching how transdiagnostic child and parent factors (e.g., emotional competence, early adversity) influence response to treatment, focusing on pathways of resilience in marginalized families.

The ReACH Lab is so proud of you Megan, congratulations on this amazing achievement!