Graduate Students
Julie Cristello, M.S. / Graduate Research Assistant
Julie Cristello is a doctoral candidate in the Clinical Science in Child and Adolescent Psychology program. After graduating from Saint Anselm College in 2012, she worked as a Senior Clinical Research Coordinator and Grant Administrator for Dr. John Kelly at the Recovery Research Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital. During graduate school, her 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.
Since beginning graduate school, Julie has been recognized as an Emerging Scholar by the Society for Research on Adolescence, and has received a Flexibility Fund Award through the Academy of Psychological Clinical Science for additional training on social media and substance use. Julie previously served as a Student Representative on the Executive Board for APA Division 50 – Society of Addiction Psychology, and currently serves as the Clinical Science Representative on the APA Science Student Council.
Kelly, J.F., Fallah-Sohy, N., Cristello, J.V., Stout, R.L., Jason, L.A., & Hoeppner, B.B. (2021). Recovery Community Centers in the United States: Characteristics of new attendees and longitudinal investigation of the predictors and effects of participation. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, in press.
Lee, J.G., Cristello, J.V., Buckton, C.H., Carey, R.N., Trucco, E.M., Schenk, P.M., Ikegquonu, T., Hilton, S., Golden, S.D., & Conway, D.I. (2021). Messaging framing to inform cancer prevention pricing interventions in the UK and US: A factorial experiment, 2019. BMJ Open, in press.
Trucco, E.M., Cristello, J.V., Sutherland, M.T. (2021). Do parents still matter? The impact of parents and peers on early electronic cigarette use. Journal of Adolescent Health, in press.
Cristello, J.V., Sutherland, M.T., & Trucco, E.M. (2020). A preliminary validation of the Adolescent E-Cigarette Consequences Questionnaire. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 213: 108-118. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108118.
Cristello, J.V., Trucco, E.M., & Zucker, R.A. (2020). Exploring pathways to substance use: A longitudinal examination of adolescent sport involvement, aggression, and peer substance use. Addictive Behaviors, in press. DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106316
Trucco, E.M., Fallah-Sohy, N., Hartmann, S.A., & Cristello, J.V. (2020). Electronic cigarette use among youth: Understanding unique risks in a vulnerable population. Current Addiction Reports, in press.
Diez, S. L., Cristello, J.V., Dillon, F.R., De La Rosa, M. & Trucco, E.M. (2019). Validation of the Electronic Cigarettes Attitudes Survey for youth. Addictive Behaviors, 91: 216-221. DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2018.11.022
Hennessey, E.A., Cristello, J.V., & Kelly, J.F. (2019). RCAM: A proposed model of recovery capital for adolescents. Addiction Research & Theory, 1-8. DOI: 10.1080/16066359.2018.1540694
Kelly, J.F., Fallah-Sohy, N., Vilsaint, C., Hoffman, L., Jason, L.A., Stout, R.L., Cristello, J.V., & Hoeppner, B. (2019) New kid on the block: An investigation of the physical, operational, personnel, and service characteristics of recovery community centers in the United States. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment
Kelly, J.F., & Cristello J.V. (2018). 12-Step fellowship and recovery from addiction. In: H. Pickard, & S. Ahmed (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy and Science of Addiction. Abingdon, UK: Taylor & Francis.
Kelly, J.F., Cristello, J.V., Bergman B.G. (2018). Integrated 12-step facilitation to promote adolescent mutual-help involvement. In: P. Monti, S. Colby & T. O’Leary-Tevyaw (Eds.), Brief Interventions for Adolescent Alcohol and Substance Abuse (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.
Kelly, J.F., Bergman, B.G., Cristello, J.V. (2017). Alcoholics Anonymous and other mutual-help organizations. In: A.E. Wenzel (Ed.), Sage Encyclopedia of Abnormal and Clinical Psychology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Kelly, J.F., Fallah-Sohy, N., Cristello, J.V., Bergman, B.G. (2017). Coping with the grave and unpredictability of opioid addiction: An investigation of a rapidly expanding family-focused peer-support organization. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. DOI: 10.1016/j.jsat.2017.02.010
Kelly, J.F., Kaminer, Y., Kahler, C.W., Hoeppner, B.B., Yeterian, J., Cristello, J.V., Timko, C. (2017). A pilot randomized clinical trial testing integrated twelve-step facilitation (ITSF) treatment for adolescent substance use disorder. Addiction, 112(12), 2155-2166. DOI: 10.1111/add.13920
Kelly J.F., Yeterian J.D., Cristello J.V., Kaminer Y., Kahler C., Timko C. (2016). Developing and testing twelve-step facilitation for adolescents with substance use disorder: Manual development and preliminary outcomes. Substance Abuse: Research and Treatment, 10, 55-64. DOI: 10.4137/SART.S39635
Marcovitz, D., Cristello J.V., Kelly, J.F. (2016). Alcoholics Anonymous and other mutual help organizations: Impact of a 45-minute didactic for primary care and categorical internal medicine residents. Substance Abuse, 38(2), 138-190. DOI: 10.1080/08897077.2016.1214211
Cristello, J.V., Fallah-Sohy, N., Sutherland, M.T., Comer, J.S., Trucco, E.M. (2021, April). Do adolescent and caregiver media use moderate the association between COVID-19 fears and adolescent anxiety? Paper to be presented at the Society for Research in Child Development.
Cristello, J.V., Duong, J., Simo Fiallo, N., Comer, J.S., Timmons, A.C. (2021, April). Can caregiver smartphone use predict child and caregiver mental health? An application of machine learning. Poster to be presented at the Society for Research in Child Development.
Cristello, J.V., Moreno, M.A., Sutherland, M.T., & Trucco, E.M. (2021, March). Injunctive norms as a mediator between alcohol and marijuana Instagram exposure and use intentions. Poster submitted to the Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction Conference.
del Valle, N., Cristello, J.V., Sutherland, B., Madan B. Sutherland, M.T., & Trucco, E.M. (2021, March). Rule-breaking discrepancies as a mediator between parental monitoring and adolescent e-cigarette use. Poster submitted to the Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction Conference.
Hartmann, S., Cristello, J.V., Manresa, O., Sutherland, M.T., Trucco, E.M. (2021, March). Cognitive interviews aid in the refinement of an adolescent e-cigarette use questionnaire. Poster Submitted to the Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction Conference.
Cristello, J.V. (Chair), & Kong, G (Co-Chair), E-cigarette use among youth: An examination of behaviors, motives, and policies (2020, August). Paper symposium presented at the American Psychological Association Convention, Washington, DC.
Cristello, J.V., Sutherland, M.T., & Trucco, E.M. (2020, August). The impact of Instagram content on perceived harm due to alcohol and marijuana use among adolescents. Poster presented at the American Psychological Association Convention, Washington, DC.
Fosco, W., Valente, M., Cristello, J.V., Fallah-Sohy, N., Hartmann, S., & Trucco, E.M. (July, 2020). Environmental predictors of problematic alcohol use in adulthood: A twin study. Annual SPR Sloboda and Bukoski Cup. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Society for Prevention Research, virtual conference.
del Valle, N., Cristello, J.V., Madan B., Sutherland, B., Sutherland, M.T., & Trucco, E.M. (2020, June). An examination of caregiver-adolescent discrepancies on internalizing behaviors and adolescents’ intentions to use e-cigarettes. Poster accepted to the annual scientific meeting of The College on Problems of Drug Dependence (cancelled due to COVID-19), Hollywood, FL
Cristello, J.V. (Chair), Navigating career transitions in addiction research and clinical practice (2020, April). Panel accepted to the Society of Addiction Psychology Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction Conference, San Diego, CA (cancelled due to COVID-19, information presented online). DOI:10.17605/OSF.IO/XGY9K.
Cristello, J.V., Sutherland, M.T., & Trucco, E.M. (2020, April). Validation of the Adolescent E-Cigarette Consequences Questionnaire. Poster accepted to Society of Addiction Psychology Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction Conference, San Diego, CA (cancelled due to COVID-19, presented in a virtual poster session). DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/XGY9K.
Trucco, E.M., Cristello, J.V., & Sutherland, M.T. (2020, March). Do parents still matter? The impact of parents and peers on electronic cigarette attitudes and intentions. In E.M. Trucco (Chair), Blowing smoke: Individual, social, and biological factors linked to electronic cigarette use among teens and young adults. Paper symposium accepted to the Society for Research on Adolescence Biennial Meeting, San Diego, CA (cancelled due to COVID-19).
Diez, S. L., Cristello, J.V., Dillon, F.R., De La Rosa, M. & Trucco, E.M. (2020, January). Validation of the Electronic Cigarettes Attitudes Survey (ECAS) for Latinx and Non-Latinx Black Youth. Paper symposium presented at the annual conference of the Society for Social Work and Research, Washington, DC.
Buckton, C.H., Ikegwuonu, T., Lee, J.G., Carey, R., Cristello, J.V., Trucco, E.M., Golden, S., Conway, D.I., & Hilton, S. (2019, November). Advancing cancer prevention pricing interventions across the UK and US: Optimising message framing – a qualitative formative study. Poster presented at the European Public Health Conference 2019, Marseille, France.
Buckton, C.H., Ikegwuonu, T., Lee, J.G., Carey, R., Cristello, J.V., Trucco, E.M., Golden, S., Conway, D.I., & Hilton, S. (2019, September). Advancing cancer prevention pricing interventions across the UK and US: Optimising message framing – a qualitative formative study. Poster presented at the Society for Social Medicine & Population Health and International Epidemiology Association European Congress Joint Annual Scientific Meeting 2019, Cork, Ireland.
Cristello, J.V., Trucco, E.M., & Zucker, R.A. (2019, April). Exploring pathways to adolescent substance use: A longitudinal examination of sport participation. Poster presented at the Society of Addiction Psychology Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction Conference, Providence, RI.
Cristello, J.V., Trucco, E.M., & Zucker, R.A. (2019, February). Exploring pathways to adolescent substance use: A longitudinal examination of sport participation. Poster presented at the Miami International Child and Adolescent Mental Health Conference, Miami, FL.
Cristello, J.V., Vilsaint, C.V., & Kelly, J.F. (2017, March). Expanding the repertoire of rewarding behaviors: Participation in extracurricular activities is associated with less severe substance use disorder among treatment seeking youth. Poster presented at the Society of Addiction Psychology Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction Conference, Albuquerque, NM.
Kelly, J.F., Fallah-Sohy, N., Cristello, J.V., & Bergman, B.G. (2017, March). Coping with the enduring unpredictability of opioid addiction: An investigation of a rapidly expanding family-focused peer-support organization. Poster presented at the Society of Addiction Psychology Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction Conference, Albuquerque, NM.
Kelly, J.F., Fallah-Sohy, N., Cristello, J.V., & Bergman, B.G. (2017, March). Emergence of therapeutic factors in a support group for parents and family members of addicted loved ones. Poster presented at the Society of Addiction Psychology Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction Conference, Albuquerque, NM.
Cristello, J.V., Kelly N.W., & Kelly J.F. (2016, October). Peer support for mood disorders: Characterizing membership of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) mutual support organization. Poster presented at the Massachusetts General Hospital Clinical Research Day, Boston, MA.
Cristello, J.V., Vilsaint, C.L., Kelly, N.W., Hoeppner, B.B., & Kelly, J.F. (2016, June). Cross-validation of the Timeline Followback (TLFB; Form 90) and Weekly Substance Use Form (WSUF) among treated adolescents. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism, New Orleans, LA.
Fallah-Sohy, N., Cristello, J.V., Vilsaint, C.L., Jason, L.A., Stout, R.L., & Kelly, J.F. (2016, June). Clinical and public health utility of recovery community centers. Paper symposium presented at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism, New Orleans, LA.
Fallah-Sohy, N., Cristello, J.V., Vilsaint, C.L., Jason, L.A., Stout, R.L., & Kelly, J.F. (2016, June). Clinical and public health utility of recovery community centers. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism, New Orleans, LA.
Fallah-Sohy, N., Vilsaint, C.L., Cristello, J.V., Jason, L.A., Stout, R.L., & Kelly, J.F. (2016, June). Characterization of addiction recovery community centers in the Northeastern United States. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism, New Orleans, LA.
Kelly, J.F., Cristello, J.V., Yeterian, J.D., Kaminer, Y., Kahler, C.W., & Timko, C. (2016, June). Findings from the first randomized controlled trial of adolescent twelve-step facilitation. Oral symposium and poster presented at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism, New Orleans, LA.
Kelly, J.F., Yeterian, J.D., Cristello, J.V., Kaminer, Y., Kahler, C.W., & Timko, C. (2016, June). Developing and testing twelve-step facilitation for adolescents with substance use disorder: Manual development and preliminary outcomes. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism, New Orleans, LA.
Cristello, J.V., Vilsaint, C.L., Kelly, N.W., & Kelly, J.F. (2016, March). Cross-validation of the Timeline Followback (TLFB; Form 90) and Weekly Substance Use Form (WSUF) among treated adolescents. Poster presented at the Harvard Psychiatry Research Day, Boston, MA.
Fallah-Sohy, N., Vilsaint, C.L., Cristello, J.V., Jason, L.A., Stout, R.L., & Kelly, J.F. (2016, March). Characterization of addiction recovery community centers in the Northeastern United States. Poster presented at the Harvard Psychiatry Research Day, Boston, MA.
Marcovitz, D., Kelly, J.F., & Cristello, J.V. (2016, April). Alcoholics Anonymous and other mutual-help organizations: Impact of a 45-minute didactic. Poster presented at the 47th annual conference of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
Marcovitz, D., Cristello, J.V., & Kelly, J.F. (2016, March). Can a 45-minute didactic help internal medicine residents more effectively treat substance use disorders (SUD)? Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training, Austin, TX.
Marcovitz, D., Cristello, J.V., & Kelly, J.F. (2015, September). Can a 45-minute didactic help internal medicine residents more effectively treat substance use disorders (SUD)? Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Academic Psychiatry, San Antonio, TX. Received the 2nd place award at the poster session.
Marcovitz, D., Cristello, J.V., & Kelly, J.F. (2015, April). Can a 45-minute didactic help internal medicine residents more effectively treat substance use disorders (SUD)? Poster presented at the Massachusetts General Hospital Community and Public Psychiatry Symposium, Boston, MA.
Cristello, J.V., Troisi, J., & Bonner, L. (2012, August). Synthesis of the quaternary form of Mecamylamine. Poster presented at the annual conference of the American Chemical Society, Philadelphia, PA.
Cristello, J.V., Troisi, J., & Bonner, L. (2012, July). Synthesis of the quaternary form of Mecamylamine. Poster presented at the annual conference of the New Hampshire IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence, Whitefield, NH.
Cristello, J.V. (2012, April). Anxiety, Stress and Academic Self-Efficacy in College Students. Poster presented at the annual meeting to Showcase Our Art and Research, Manchester, NH.
Megan Hare / Graduate Research Assistant
Megan Hare is a doctoral student in the Clinical Science in Child and Adolescent Psychology program. Prior to FIU, she worked as a Research Coordinator in the Child Stress and Emotion Lab under Lea Dougherty, Ph.D. and as a Research Assistant under Andrea Chronis-Tuscano, Ph.D. in the Maryland ADHD Program.
Megan’s research interests include examining parent and child factors influencing treatment response using a transdiagnostic approach, specifically focusing on pathways of resilience. She is currently working on her dissertation, which looks to create a unifying theory of emotional competence in children and adolescents.
Hare, M., Garcia, A., Hart, K., & Graziano, P. (2021). Intervention Response Among Preschoolers with ADHD: The Role of Emotion Understanding. Journal of School Psychology.
Hare, M., & Graziano, P. (2020). Cost-Effectiveness of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy: Examining Intensive and Group Formats. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research.
Hare, M., & Graziano, P. (2020). The Interaction of Temperament and Parenting in Preschoolers with ADHD. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology.
Graziano, P., Ros, R., & Hare, M. (2020). Condensing Parent Training: A Randomized Trial Comparing the Efficacy of a Briefer More Intensive Version of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (I-PCIT). Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.
Hare, M., Kroll-Desrosiers A., & Deligiannidis, K. (2020). Peripartum depression: does risk versus diagnostic status impact mother-infant bonding and perceived social support?. Journal of Depression and Anxiety.
Duan, C., Hare, M., Staring, M., & Deligiannidis, K. (2019). Examining the relationship between perinatal depression and neurodevelopment in infants and children through structural and functional neuroimaging research.International Review of Psychiatry.
Merrill, B., Hare, M., Wells, E., Piscitello, J., Schatz, N., & Fabiano, G. (2021, November). Evidence-Based Treatment Research for Childhood ADHD: Reporting and Representation of Minoritized and Marginalized Youth. In B. Merrill (Chair), Improving Equity in the Treatment of Diverse Youth with ADHD and Related Difficulties: Examining Barriers to Care, Treatment Effectiveness, and Cultural Fit. Symposium to be presented at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies 54th Annual Convention 2021.
Hernandez, M., Spiegel, J., Hare, M., Dick, A., & Graziano, P. (2020, November) Examining the role of executive functioning in young children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Poster presented virtually at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies 54th Annual Convention 2020.
Pintos Lobo R., Toma A.., Bottenhorn K., Hare M., Smith D., Moor A., Cowan I., Valdes J., Musser E., Laird A (2020, September) . Neural systems underlying RDoC social constructs: An activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis. Flux 2020 Virtual Congress, 2020.
Hernandez M., Hare, M., & Graziano, P. (2020, February). Examining the role of executive functioning processes in predicting treatment outcomes in preschoolers with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Poster presented at the Miami International Child and Adolescent Mental Health Conference, Miami, Fl.
Hare, M., Garcia, A., Hart, K., & Graziano, P. (2018, November). Treatment Response Among Preschoolers with ADHD: The Role of Emotion Understanding. Poster presented at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Annual Convention, Washington, DC.
Gold, D., Ohr, P.S., Mazza, S.J., Gross, A., Hare, M., & Mazzer, C. (2017, November). Examination of Group Format Parent-Child Interaction Therapy Adapted for Social Anxiety Disorder. Poster presented at the 51st annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, San Diego, California
Merwin, S., Hare, M., Rose, S., & Dougherty, L. R. (2015, May). The moderating role of parents’ depression on the association between parenting behavior and stress physiology. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Psychological Science, New York, NY.
Chauhan, K., Raphael, S., Chahil, M., Hare, M., Dougherty, L. R. (2015, April).Maternal diabetes: associations with mother and child personality. Poster presented at the Maryland Undergraduate Research Day, College Park, MD.
Hare, M., Renk, K. (2014, April). The relationship of parents’ job stress and child functioning in the context of spillover effects, parenting and marital stress, and parents’ perceptions. Poster presented at The Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence, Orlando, FL.
Sarah Hartmann (she/her) / Graduate Research Assistant
Sarah Hartmann is a doctoral student in the Clinical Science in Child and Adolescent Psychology program. Prior to joining the REACH Lab at FIU, Sarah completed her undergraduate work at the University of Louisville. There she worked in both an adolescent/young adult substance use lab and an ADHD lab. Within both labs, Sarah chose to examine transdiagnostic cognitive-affective vulnerability factors for substance use.
Sarah’s research interests include cognitive affective vulnerability factors for psychopathology across the lifespan, with specific focus on cognitive affective associations with substance use. During graduate school she hopes to contribute to the extant pool of knowledge regarding cognitive affective antecedents and consequences of adolescent substance use. Long term, she would welcome the opportunity to design and implement programming which would leverage preexisting programs/institutions (e.g., prenatal visits, child wellness visits, annual physicals, schools) to expand the reach of psychoeducation and prevention programming in historically underserved communities.
Trucco, E.M., Fallah-Sohy, N., Hartmann, S.A., & Cristello, J.V. (2020). Electronic cigarette use among youth: Understanding unique risks in a vulnerable population. Current Addiction Reports, in press.
Hartmann, S. A. & McLeish, A. C. (in press). Associations between transdiagnostic cognitive-affective vulnerability factors, negative reinforcement drinking motives, and problematic alcohol use among undergraduates. Journal of Dual Diagnosis.
Hartmann, S. A., & McLeish, A. C. (2020). Tolerance for specific negative affective states and coping-oriented cannabis use motives among college student cannabis users. Journal of American College Health.
Hartmann, S.A., Hayes, T., Sutherland, M.T., Trucco, E.M. (2021, April). Risk Factors for Adolescent Substance Use: Dimensions and Typologies of Temperament. Poster to be presented at the Society for Research in Child Development.
Zapata, M., Hartmann, S.A., Sutherland, M.T., Trucco, E.M. (2021, April). Social Goals Moderate the Relation Between Friend Use and Approval and Adolescent Intentions to Initiate Substance Use. Poster to be presented at the Society for Research in Child Development.
Hartmann, S.A., Cristello, J.V., Manresa, O., Sutherland, M.T., Trucco, E.M. (2021, March). Cognitive interviews aid in the refinement of an adolescent e-cigarette use questionnaire. Poster Submitted to the Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction Conference.
Hartmann, S.A. & McLeish, A.C. (2018, March). The Role of Tolerance of Specific Negative Emotions in Coping-Oriented Marijuana Use Motives. Poster presented at the 52nd annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Washington, DC.
Hartmann, S.A., Slaughter, K.E., & Rosen, P.J. (2018, January). Perceived Perfectionism Estimates Externalizing Behaviors, Above and Beyond ADHD. Poster presented at the 31st annual convention of the Association for Psychological Science, San Francisco, CA.
Hartmann, S.A., Slaughter, K.E., & Rosen, P.J. (2017, December). Prevalence of Somatic Complaints in Children with ADHD. Poster presented at the 2018 National Conference on Undergraduate Research, Oklahoma City, OK.
Hartmann, S.A., Slaughter, K.E., & Rosen, P.J. (2017, November). Presentation of Somatic Complaints: ADHD and ADHD with a Comorbid Internalizing Disorder. Poster presented at the 64th annual meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association, Charleston, SC.
Nilofar Fallah-Sohy (she/her) / Graduate Research Assistant
Nilo Fallah-Sohy is a doctoral student in the Clinical Science in Child and Adolescent Psychology program. She received her BS at the University of Maryland in 2013, where she worked as an undergraduate research assistant at the Social and Moral Development Laboratory, under the direction of Dr. Melanie Killen, contributing to several developmental studies examining children’s and adolescents’ social cognition, morality, and peer relationships. From 2014-2019, she worked as a senior clinical research coordinator and grants manager at the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Addiction Medicine and Recovery Research Institute, under the direction of Dr. John Kelly; there, she served as the lead coordinator on multiple projects evaluating non-professional treatment and recovery support services both for individuals with substance use disorder and their family members.
Nilo’s research interests include the screening and prevention of substance use and co-occurring disorders among children and adolescents in educational and other non-professional, community-based settings. During graduate school, she hopes to bring her developmental and clinical research experiences full circle, in order to examine social contexts (i.e., peers, family) and cultural influences (i.e., acculturation, ethnic identity) as risk and protective factors of adolescent engagement in substance use.
Kelly, J. F., Stout, R., Jason, L., Fallah-Sohy, N., Hoffman, L., & Hoeppner, B. (In press). One-stop shopping for recovery: An investigation of participant characteristics and benefits derived from U.S. recovery community centers. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
Kelly, J. F., Fallah-Sohy, N., Vilsaint, C., Hoffman, L. A., Jason, L. A., Stout, R. L., . . . Hoeppner, B. B. (2020). New kid on the block: An investigation of the physical, operational, personnel, and service characteristics of recovery community centers in the United States. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 111, 1-10. doi:10.1016/j.jsat.2019.12.009
Kelly, J.F., Abry, A.W., & Fallah-Sohy, N. (2019). Mutual-help and peer support models for opioid use disorder. In J.F. Kelly & S.
Wakeman (Eds.), Treating Opioid Addiction. New York, NY: Springer Science.
Bergman, B.G., Fallah-Sohy, N., Hoffman, L.H. & Kelly J.F. (2019). Psychosocial Approaches in the treatment of opioid use disorders. In J.F. Kelly & S. Wakeman (Eds.), Treating Opioid Addiction. New York, NY: Springer Science.
Kelly, J.F., Abry, A.W., & Fallah-Sohy, N. (2019). Twelve-Step and Mutual Help Programs. In Y. Kaminer & K. Winters (Eds.), Clinical Manual of Youth Addictive Disorders. Washington, DC.: American Psychiatric Association Publishing.
Kelly, J.F., Bergman, B.G. & Fallah-Sohy, N. (2018). Mechanisms of Behavior Change in 12-Step Approaches to Recovery in Young Adults. Current Addiction Reports, 5(2): 134-145.
Bergman, B.G., Kelly J.F., Fallah-Sohy, N., & Makhani, S. (2017). Emerging adults, mutual-help organizations, and addiction recovery: What does the science tell us? In D.C. Smith (Ed.), Emerging adults in substance use disorder treatment. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Kelly, J.F., Fallah-Sohy, N., Cristello, J.V., Bergman, B.G. (2017). Coping with the grave and unpredictability of opioid addiction: An investigation of a rapidly expanding family-focused peer-support organization. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. DOI: 10.1016/j.jsat.2017.02.010
Fallah-Sohy, N., Abry, A.W., & Kelly, J.F. (2017, March). Characterizing and examining the benefits of recovery community center membership. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Addiction Psychology, Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction, Albuquerque, NM.
Kelly, J.F., Fallah-Sohy, N., Cristello, J.V., Bergman, B.G. (2017, March). Coping with the enduring unpredictability of opioid addiction: An investigation of a rapidly expanding family-focused peer-support organization. Poster presented at the Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction Conference, Albuquerque, NM.
Kelly, J.F., Fallah-Sohy, N., Cristello, J.V., Bergman, B.G. (2017, March). Emergence of therapeutic factors in a support group for parents and family members of addicted loved ones. Poster presented at the Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction Conference, Albuquerque, NM.
Fallah-Sohy, N., Cristello, J.V., Vilsaint, C.L., Jason, L.A., Stout, R.L., Kelly, J.F. (2016, June). Clinical and public health utility of recovery community centers. Oral symposium and poster presented at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism, New Orleans, LA.
Fallah-Sohy, N., Vilsaint, C.L., Cristello, J.V., Jason, L.A., Stout, R.L., Kelly, J.F. (2016, June). Characterization of addiction recovery community centers in the Northeastern United States. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism, New Orleans, LA.
Fallah-Sohy, N., Vilsaint, C.L., Cristello, J.V., Jason, L.A., Stout, R.L., Kelly, J.F. (2016, March). Characterization of addiction recovery community centers in the Northeastern United States. Poster presented at the Harvard Psychiatry Research Day, Boston, MA.
Benjelene Sutherland (she/her) / Graduate Research Assistant
Benjelene is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Psychology at FIU, specializing in Cognitive Neuroscience under the Neuroinformatic and Brain Connectivity (NBC) lab. She graduated from FIU with a B.A. in Psychology with a double major in Philosophy of the Mind. She worked on the Antecedents and Consequences of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ACE) project, which examined the risk and protective factors leading to electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) usage among teenagers, alongside the impact of ENDS usage on the developing brain.
Benjelene’s academic and career goals revolve around gaining a better understanding of adolescent substance use etiology in the context of brain function and modifiable risk factors (e.g., emotion regulation, sleep) that can inform prevention strategies to reduce use onset. Namely, Benjelene is interested in those neurobiological differences that can impact adolescent substance use by employing task-based and resting-state fMRI analyses.
Sutherland, B.D., Viera P.M., Crooks, K.E., Flannery, J.S., Hill-Bowen, L.D., Riedel, M.C., Laird, A.R., Trucco, E.M., Sutherland, M.T. The association of amygdala-insula functional connectivity and adolescent e-cigarette use via sleep problems and depressive symptoms. Addictive Behaviors, 135: 107458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107458
Sutherland, B.D., Sutherland, M.T., & Trucco, E.M. Electronic cigarette use intentions mediate the association between low self-control and future use by internalizing symptoms. Substance Use and Misuse. https://doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2022.2115848
Sutherland, B.D., Fallah-Sohy, N., Kopera, M., Jakubczyk, A., Sutherland, M.T., & Trucco, E.M. Alexithymia mediates the association between childhood trauma and adolescent e-cigarette use. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 236: 109500. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2022.109500
Conference Oral Presentations
Hartmann, S. A., Sutherland, B. D., Sutherland, M. T., & Trucco, E. M. (Submitted). Alexithymia mediates the relation between adverse childhood experiences and the use of alcohol to cope with negative affect during adolescence. In H. Karoly (Chair), Novel approaches to understanding the role of affect in alcohol use. Abstract submitted for invited symposium to be presented at 47th Annual RSA (Research Society on Alcohol) Scientific Meeting.
Sutherland, B.D., Hill-Bowen, L.D., Trucco, E.M. & Sutherland, M.T. (2023, June). Working memory alterations predict adolescent e-cigarette use and positive outcome expectancies via alexithymia. Oral communication presented to the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, Denver, Colorado.
Sutherland, B.D., Hill-Bowen, L.D., Trucco, E.M. & Sutherland, M.T. (2023, May). Working memory alterations predict adolescent e-cigarette use and positive outcome expectancies via alexithymia. Oral presentation presented to the 2nd Annual Psychology Graduate Recognition Awards and Flash Talks at FIU, Miami, FL.
Sutherland, B.D., Viera P.M., Crooks, K.E., Flannery, J.S., Hill-Bowen, L.D., Riedel, M.C., Laird, A.R., Trucco, E.M., Sutherland, M.T. (2022, May). The association of amygdala-insula functional connectivity and adolescent e-cigarette use via sleep problems and depressive symptoms. Oral presentation presented to the 1st Annual Psychology Graduate Recognition Awards and Flash Talks at FIU, Miami, FL.
Sutherland, B.D., Viera P.M., Crooks, K.E., Flannery, J.S., Hill-Bowen, L.D., Riedel, M.C., Laird, A.R., Trucco, E.M., Sutherland, M.T. (2022, April). The association of amygdala-insula functional connectivity and adolescent e-cigarette use via sleep problems and depressive symptoms. Oral presentation virtually presented to the UF CARE 9th Annual Symposium.
Sutherland, B.D., Fallah-Sohy, N., Kopera, M., Jakubczyk, A., Sutherland, M.T., & Trucco, E.M. (2021, June). Alexithymia mediates the association between childhood trauma and adolescent substance use. Oral presentation virtually presented to the Society Prevention Research Conference.
Flannery, J.S., Villar, M., Madan B., Sutherland, B.D., Viera Perez, P., Crooks, K., Trucco, E.M. & Sutherland, M.T. (2020, June). Peer Influences on adolescents’ intentions for future electronic nicotine delivery system use. Oral presentation virtually presented to the annual scientific meeting of The College on Problems of Drug Dependence, Hollywood, FL.
Conference Poster Presentations (underline represents a mentored lab member)
Bruzos, M.J., Sutherland, B.D., Sutherland, M.T. & Trucco, E.M. (poster accepted). Acculturation gap conflict and self-control mediates the association between negative affect and sleep problems for Hispanic/Latino(a) adolescents. Poster to be presented to the Society for Research on Adolescence.
Sutherland, B.D., Hill-Bowen, L.D., Trucco, E.M. & Sutherland, M.T. (2023, April). Working memory alterations predict adolescent e-cigarette use and positive outcome expectancies via alexithymia. Poster presented to the UF CARE 10th Annual Symposium, Gainesville, Florida.
Sutherland, B.D., Flannery, J.S., Riedel, M.C., Hill-Bowen, L.D., Viera Perez, P.M., Crooks, K.E., Laird, A.R., Trucco, E.M. & Sutherland, M.T. (2022, November). Amygdala-insula functional connectivity and its mediating role between hopelessness, depression, and adolescent substance use. Poster presented to Society for Neuroscience Conference, San Diego, California.
Sutherland, B.D., Flannery, J.S., Riedel, M.C., Hill-Bowen, L.D., Viera Perez, P.M., Crooks, K.E., Laird, A.R., Trucco, E.M. & Sutherland, M.T. (2022, June). The association of amygdala-insula functional connectivity and sleep via negative affect among teens. Poster presented to the Organization for Human Brain Mapping Conference, Glasgow, Scotland.
Hill-Bowen, L.D., Riedel, M.C., Flannery, J.S., Viera Perez, P.M., Crooks, K.E., Sutherland, B.D., Hartmann, S.A., Laird, A.R., Trucco, E.M. & Sutherland, M.T. (2022, June). Neurocognitive predictors of adolescent drug use: Working memory-related PCC deactivation and cognitive failures. Poster presented to the Organization for Human Brain Mapping Conference, Glasgow, Scotland.
Viera Perez, P.M., Sutherland, B.D., Flannery, J.S., Riedel, M.C., Hill-Bowen, L.D., Crooks, K.E., Laird, A.R., Trucco, E.M. & Sutherland, M.T. (2022, June).Amygdala-Insula Resting-State Functional Connectivity Predicts Substance use in Adolescents. Poster presented to the Organization for Human Brain Mapping Conference, Glasgow, Scotland.
Rodrigues, N.B., Sutherland, B.D., Sutherland, M.T. & Trucco E.M. (2022, March). Brain and behavior: Cognitive failures are associated with sensation-seeking via adolescent marijuana use. Poster presented to the Undergraduate Research Conference at FIU, Miami, FL.
Sutherland, B.D., Fallah-Sohy, N., Kopera, M., Jakubczyk, A., Sutherland, M.T., & Trucco, E.M. (2021, April). Alexithymia mediates the association between childhood trauma and adolescent substance use. Poster virtually presented to the UF CARE 8th Annual Symposium.
del Valle, N., Cristello, J.V., Sutherland, B., Madan B. Sutherland, M.T., & Trucco, E.M. (2021, March). Rule-breaking discrepancies as a mediator between parental monitoring and adolescent e-cigarette use. Poster virtually presented to the Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction Conference.
Sutherland, B.D., Sutherland, M.T., & Trucco, E.M. (2021, March) The synergistic effect of low self-control and internalizing symptoms on adolescent electronic cigarette use intentions. Poster virtually presented to the Society for Research on Adolescence Biennial Meeting.
Crooks, K., Flannery, J.S., Sutherland, B.D., Villar, M., Madan B., Viera Perez, P., Trucco, E.M. & Sutherland, M.T. (2020, June). Interdependent effects of worry/fear and obsessive-compulsive symptomatology on adolescent electronic nicotine delivery system use intentions. Poster virtually presented to the annual scientific meeting of The College on Problems of Drug Dependence, Hollywood, FL.
del Valle, N., Cristello, J.V., Madan B., Sutherland, B.D., Sutherland, M.T., & Trucco, E.M. (2020, June). An examination of caregiver-adolescent discrepancies on internalizing behaviors and adolescents’ intentions to use e-cigarettes. Poster accepted to the annual scientific meeting of The College on Problems of Drug Dependence, Hollywood, FL.
Viera Perez, P., Crooks, K., Flannery, J.S., Villar, M., Madan B., Sutherland, B.D., Trucco, E.M. & Sutherland, M.T. (2020, June). Parental monitoring and peer influences mediate intentions for future electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) use among adolescents with ADHD symptomatology. Poster virtually presented to the annual scientific meeting of The College on Problems of Drug Dependence, Hollywood, FL.
Sutherland, B.D., Sutherland, M.T., & Trucco, E.M. (2020, February) The synergistic effect of low self-control and internalizing symptoms on adolescent electronic cigarette use intentions. Poster presented at the Miami International Child & Adolescent Mental Health Conference, Miami, FL.
Invited talks
Sutherland, B.D. & Viera Perez, P. (2023, October). “E-cigarette use/vaping. What you need to know.” Presentation offered to 2023 Miami Dade County Public Schools Student Services Conference.
Fallah-Sohy, N. & Sutherland, B.D. (2023, March). “Vaping Prevention Presentation & Recent Study Findings” Virtual presentation offered to Youth Action Team Meeting, United Way of Broward County Commission on Behavioral Health and Drug Prevention.
Cristello, J.V. & Sutherland, B.D. (2022, May). “Brake the vape.” Virtual presentation offered to Youth Action Team Meeting, United Way of Broward County Commission on Behavioral Health and Drug Prevention.
Sutherland, B.D. & Crooks, K. (2021, October). “What educators need to know about e-cigarettes use/vaping among teens” Virtual presentation offered to 2021 Miami Dade County Public Schools Student Services Conference.
Community Outreach Presentations
Sutherland, B.D. & Viera Perez, P. (2022, November). “E-cigarette use/vaping. What you need to know.” Presentation offered to Robert Morgan School, Miami, FL.
Sutherland, B.D. & Crooks, K. (2022, May). “E-cigarette use/vaping. What you need to know.” Presentation offered to Miami Arts Studio, Miami, FL.
Sutherland, B.D., Viera P.M., Crooks, K.E., Flannery, J.S., Hill-Bowen, L.D., Riedel, M.C., Laird, A.R., Trucco, E.M., Sutherland, M.T. (2022, March). “The association of amygdala-insula functional connectivity and adolescent e-cigarette use via sleep problems and depressive symptoms.” Presentation offered to Current Topics in Neuroscience Colloquium Series.
Sutherland, B.D. & Crooks, K. (2021, October). “E-cigarette use/vaping. What you need to know.” Virtual presentation offered to Student Success Centers.
Sutherland, B.D. & Fallah-Sohy, N. (2021, April). “E-cigarette use/vaping. What you need to know.” Virtual presentation offered to Youth Co-Op Preparatory Charter School.
Sutherland, B.D. & Fallah-Sohy, N. (2021, April). “E-cigarette use/vaping. What you need to know.” Virtual presentation offered to Miami Arts Studio.
Sutherland, B.D. & Fallah-Sohy, N. (2021, March). “E-cigarette use/vaping. What you need to know.” Virtual presentation offered to Miami Southridge Sr. High School.
Sutherland, B.D. & Flannery, J.S. (2021, January). “E-cigarette use/vaping. What you need to know.” Virtual presentation offered to Broward Youth Coalition at Youth United Summit event.
Trucco, E.M. & Sutherland, B.D. (2019, July). “El Uso de Cigarrillos Electrónicos (E-Cigarrillos). Lo que los padres necesitan saber.” Virtual presentation offered to Miami-Dade County Public School’s Parent Academy Virtual Campus.