ReACH Lab
Welcome to the Research on Adolescent and Child Health (ReACH) Laboratory at Florida International University. The overarching goal of our lab is to better understand how problem behavior, including alcohol and drug use, develops among children and adolescents. If we can identify the key biological, social, and individual risk and protective factors that contribute to alcohol and drug use, we can help improve prevention programing so that youths can ReACH their full potential.
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Presentations
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Our Interests
Genetic Factors
Understand how genes impact the degree to which adolescents are susceptible to social factors.
Peer Factors
Investigate the role peers play in either protecting or increasing risk for adolescent substance use.
Vaping
Examine whether vaping is harmful to adolescents' health and if vaping is a gateway to illicit drug use.
Neurobiological Factors
Test the impact that e-cigarette use has on the developing brain compared to regular cigarettes.
Personality Factors
Determine the role that personality and temperamental factors have in increasing the risk for adolescent substance use.
Family Factors
Identify the impact that maladaptive and positive parenting practices have on adolescent substance use.
Our Laboratory
Our laboratory is located in Academic Health Center 1 at Florida 
International University’s Modesto A. Maidique Campus in Miami, Florida. We are affiliated with the Department of Psychology and the Center for Children and Families (CCF). The CCF is a Preeminent Program at Florida International University comprised of a nationally recognized team of researchers and service providers committed to improving the lives of children and families struggling with mental health problems. The CCF is a one-stop care facility that provides effective, low-cost treatments to more than 3,000 families each year through clinical services and research programs. With a team of more than 30 of the nation’s best researchers and experts, the assistance of federal funding and university partnerships, the CCF continues to make discoveries about the cause, process, effects and treatment of child and adolescent mental health disorders. Since its establishment in 2010, the CCF has secured external funding for research from sources like the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Institution of Education Sciences (IES), the National Science Foundation (NSF), The Children’s Trust and the State of Florida, among others. The CCF also provides training and education to hundreds of students, and continuing education opportunities in evidence-based approaches to thousands of psychologists, mental health professionals and educators nationwide.