Our Team

Dr. Hagar Hallihan, PhD (Principal Investigator)

Dr. Hallihan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine and directs the ABSTAIN Lab. Her overall research interests focus on alcohol use disorder (AUD) among young adults. She is interested in: (a) examining the neural mechanism underlying the susceptibility to alcohol addiction, (b) developing and assessing behavior change alongside technological interventions aimed at enhancing the well-being and outcomes of young adults with problematic drinking, and (c) investigating the impact of these interventions on cognitive function and their correlation with AUD among young adults.

Research Projects:

1. StuDy AimED at Increasing AlCohol AbsTinEnce (DEDICATE), funded by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), K99/R00 career development award (K99/R00AA030665, Hallihan: PI): This study is testing an integrated AUD randomized controlled trial intervention, among young adults, to improve treatment efficacy and inform about the neural mechanisms of treatment.
2. Pilot Trial to Evaluate PROblem Solving Therapy and APPLE Watch for young adults (PRO-APPLE Pilot), funded by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) Health Equity Pilot Program (HEPP), (Hallihan: PI, Rospenda: Co-I, Miranda: Co-I): This study combines evidence-based therapeutic interventions with modern technological solutions, specifically Apple Watch features such as sleep management, regular walk, and heart rate to augment problem solving therapy targeting young adults with AUD.
3. University of Illinois Maternal Health Research Center of Excellence, funded by National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (U54HD113087, Caskey and Glassgow: MPI), Hallihan (Co-I): The goal is to address maternal mortality and morbidity by establishing a Maternal Health Research Center of Excellence.

Dr. Kathleen M. Rospenda, PhD

Dr. Kathleen Rospenda is Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry and an Adjunct Member of the Graduate Faculty in UIC’s School Public Health. From 2018-2022, she was the Director of the Targeted Research Training Program in the Great Lakes Center for Occupational Health and Safety. She is an affiliate of the UIC Center for Healthy Work, a National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-funded Center of Excellence for Total Worker Health®.

Dr. Rospenda’s research centers on occupational stressors and their impact on mental health, physical health, and drinking behavior. She is a leading researcher in the area of workplace harassment. Primarily funded by the National Institutes of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) since 2002, Dr. Rospenda conducted the first representative national study of workplace harassment and discrimination, use of health and mental health services, and alcohol use/abuse, and the first study investigating the impact of harassment experiences at work and school on college student drinking behavior over time. She has also researched the impact of conflict between work and caregiving roles on mental health and drinking behavior in a community sample.

Currently, Dr. Rospenda is conducting an NIAAA-funded follow-up study investigating the long-term effects of prior chronic exposure to sexual harassment and generalized workplace harassment on health, mental health, substance misuse, and mortality. Dr. Rospenda is also Co-PI on a national survey project to identify the impact of chronic stressors on substance misuse among middle-aged adults.

Dr. Sangeun Lee, PhD, RN, KPMHN, Assistant Professor at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Dr. Sangeun Lee, a former Postdoctoral Research Associate at the ABSTAIN lab, is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and is affiliated with the ABSTAIN lab. She supports Dr. Hagar Hallihan with statistical data analyses. Dr.Lee completed her Ph.D in nursing science from UIC, and she earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. Based on her extensive research experience in South Korea, one of her primary research interests is women’s health, especially reproductive and mental health in young adults. Dr.Lee is currently identifying the factors that affect the decision-making process for fertility preservation among young Asian American women for her doctoral dissertation study, and one of her professional goals is to develop effective interventions for psychological symptoms in this population.

Folarin Olanrewaju, PhD Student

Folarin is a second year PhD student in Nursing at University of Illinois Chicago, with a keen interest in alcohol use disorder (AUD) and health disparities research. He is dedicated to advancing evidence-based interventions for AUD through quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. His current focus includes exploring the impact of behavioral and pharmacological interventions on alcohol consumption among adults living with AUD.
As a Research Assistant at the UIC ABSTAIN lab, Folarin helps to facilitate participants’ recruitment, interview scheduling, and data collection for projects examining the effectiveness of behavioral interventions on alcohol consumptions and other patient outcomes. Passionate about advocating for the expansion of healthcare services to vulnerable populations, he is actively involved in initiatives that promote equitable healthcare solutions for underserved populations. Folarin aspires to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice by leveraging data-driven insights to inform public health policies and intervention strategies.

Adelana Akinfe, Neuroscience Student

Adelana is a neuroscience student at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Chemistry. As a member of the Honors College and a Dean’s List student, he is committed to academic excellence while actively pursuing my passion for healthcare. He is currently assisting with participants recruitment and data collection at the ABSTAIN lab.