Research Projects
• College of William and Mary
• George Mason University
• Virginia Commonwealth University
• Virginia Tech
College of William and Mary
Principal Investigator: Robert Barnet, Co PI’s: Joshua
Burk and Pamela Hunt
Collaborating Partners: Virginia Commonwealth University,
George Mason University
The primary objective of this project is to develop a better understanding
of the behavioral and neural processes altered by adolescent nicotine
administration. The study will use animal models to assess factors relevant
to the human condition, i.e. chronic and adolescent factors, as they
relate to nicotine administration and the associated impact, both short-
and long-term, on attention, learning, and memory. It will also specifically
delve into the nature of memory impairment; not simply whether it is
present.
George Mason University
Principal Investigator: Bob Smith
Collaborating Partners: Virginia Commonwealth University,
College of William and Mary, other GMU Departments, VYTP Research Coalition
This project will use animal models to generate additional insight
into alterations on normal development resulting from nicotine use.
Specifically, it will document the sequence of developmental events
leading from adolescent dosing to the increased likelihood of adult
addiction, investigate the extent of nicotine-induced alterations in
adult social/emotional behavior following adolescent use, and use this
biological and behavioral data to generate recommendations for educational
efforts as well as possible pharmacological remediation efforts.
Virginia Commonwealth University
Principal Investigator: Bob Balster
Collaborating Partners: GMU, JMU, UVA, VT, W&M
The project will study psycho-social factors that influence youth tobacco
use. Major components include coordinating a multi-university, multi-disciplinary
coalition of scientists, sub-contracting with other universities through
a small grants program, creating a work group to plan methods for better
translation of research to practice, convening a workgroup to develop
partnerships between researchers and groups conducting prevention programming,
and planning and implementing a conference focusing on translating youth
tobacco use prevention research to practice.
Principal Investigator: Faye Belgrave
Collaborating Partners: Virginia State University,
James Madison University, public school districts
The study will assess how factors such as familial, contextual and
cultural variables affect smoking at different developmental periods
in African-American Youth. It will also examine whether coping skills,
peer influence, and stress mediate the effects of these variables as
they relate to tobacco use. Further, the researchers will determine
whether these variables serve as protective factors against adolescent
smoking. This longitudinal study will also investigate how previous
smoking attempts, economic status, geographical location, and other
demographic characteristics impact the outcomes as they relate to a
cross-section of variables.
Principal Investigator: Steve Danish/Earl Dowdy
Collaborating Partners: Virginia Tech, Amherst Co.
Schools, Appomattox Co. Schools, Brunswick Co. Schools, Charles City
Co. Schools, Charlotte Co. Schools, Cumberland Co. Schools, Essex Co.
Schools, Gloucester Co. Schools, Lancaster Co. Schools, New Kent Co.
Schools, Northumberland Co. Schools, Nottoway Co. Schools, Orange Co.
Schools, Richmond Co. Schools
The project will test a model health promotion program, Living Free
of Tobacco (LIFT+) in 6 rural middle schools and compare them to 6 rural
control schools receiving no intervention. The researchers will study
the comparative effects of the program vs. no program on youth tobacco
use rates. It will also assess the impact on dietary choices and family
intervention as they relate to the use of tobacco products. The project
will also evaluate the psychosocial characteristics of students for
whom the intervention is maximally effective, quantify program implementation
fidelity as it relates to program success, and contribute to translation
of this research into school-based health education practices.
Principal Investigator: Billy Martin
Collaborating Partners: College of William and Mary,
George Mason University
The study is a combined effort of animal, molecular biology and genetic
epidemiology to study the biological component to tobacco addiction.
This includes identifying specific candidate genes responsible for vulnerability
to nicotine addiction, factors leading to nicotine dependence and the
role of genes, how environmental factors positively or negatively influence
genetic risk, and behavioral effects of nicotine in adolescent laboratory
animals with emphasis on development.
Virginia Tech
Principal Investigator: Peggy Meszaros
Collaborating Partners: James Madison University, Virginia
Commonwealth University, Virginia Treatment Center for Children, New
River Valley Community Services, Via College of Osteopathic Medicine,
VYTP Research Coalition
The primary aim of this project is to study the co-morbidity of smoking
and mental health disorders in adolescents. The study will use a community
development team to design a prevention intervention for youth receiving
community-based mental health services, pilot test the preventive intervention
in community sites to determine feasibility, gather data on effectiveness,
refine the design to prepare for a randomized clinical trial, and begin
preparing for an external funding application.
