Our Team

Dr. Hagar Hallihan, PhD (Principal Investigator)

Dr. Hallihan is a Research 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 college students.

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 (K99AA030665, 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 College Students (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 college students with AUD.

 

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.

Sangeun Lee, Ph.D., RN, Postdoctoral Research Associate

Ms. Sangeun Lee is a Postdoctoral Research Associate for the Department of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). She supports Dr. Hagar Hallihan with data collection and statistical data analyses. Sangeun 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. Sangeun 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.

Eunyoung(Joy) Shin, Undergraduate Research Assistant

Ms. Joy Shin is a Research Assistant in ABSTAIN Laboratory in the Department of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago(UIC). Currently a senior nursing student, Joy brings a multidisciplinary background, having earned her Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication in 2016. She possesses a keen interest in exploring health disparities and studying anesthesiology in the future. In her role, Joy supports Dr. Hagar Hallihan and the team in participant recruitment and data collection.