About the Pilot-Project Investigators
Dr. Robin GauthierInterpersonal conflict and drug use in the Great Plains
Dr. Gauthier's work shows how crucial relational processes are for answering pressing questions about health in a dynamic and changing world. Network theories share the fundamental premise that individual behaviors and outcomes cannot be fully understood without reference to the social context that facilitates and constrains access to risk, resources and support. She has applied this insight to several substantive problems including domestic violence support, epidemic potential, and intervention evaluation.
Dr. Tierney LorenzPredictors of sex-linked marijuana and alcohol use in sexual minority and heterosexual women
Dr. Lorenz is an Assistant Professor in the Psychology Department and Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her lab, the Women, Immunity and Sexual Health (WISH) lab, examines the interaction between women's mental, physical and sexual health, including the ways that sexual behavior impacts women's immune and endocrine function, as well as ways to help women with mental and/or physical health conditions have happy, healthy sexual lives.
Dr. Roberto AbadieAn ethnographic exploration of Opioid Agonist Treatment barriers and facilitators among opioid users in rural Nebraska
As a trained medical anthropologist, Dr. Abadie's research focuses on how different forms of social stratification, in particular, class, race, and ethnicity, contribute to produce and reproduce health inequalities in marginalized populations. He has conducted extensive fieldwork on the ethics of clinical trials, HIV risk, People Who Inject Drugs (PWID), and health disparities among Latino populations in a variety of settings in Latin America, the Caribbean and the US.
Dr. Palsamy PeriyasamyCocaine-mediated microglial activation involves epigenetic dysregulation of DNMT1/IncRNA Xist/PPARG signaling axis
Dr. Palsamy Periyasamy is an Instructor (Prof. Shilpa Buch’s Lab) in the Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, UNMC. His long-term goal is to investigate the epigenetic changes that occurred during HIV-1 infection and drug abuse leading to glial cells (microglia and astrocytes) activation and to identify potential therapeutic strategies for HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) treatment.
Dr. Sowmya YelamanchiliSex specific brain derived extracellular vesicle markers associated with chronic methamphetamine use
The long term goals of my independent research program are to understand the role of regulatory molecules such as genes, proteins and microRNAs in the pathogenesis of neurological disorders and in the field of drug addiction, specifically methamphetamine abuse. Over the last six years, my lab has been extensively studying the role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) which express a repertoire of cargo (cf. proteins, miRNA, lipids etc.) in an array of neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders. My lab uses various model systems including human biospecimens, rhesus macaques in addition to rodent models and in vitro based approaches to study brain dysfunction associated with chronic drug use. On these lines, my own research program focuses on investigating the role of extracellular vesicles in chronic methamphetamine (meth) abuse as well as sex differences associated with meth relapse. My lab has also shown significant success in standardizing EV isolation and characterizing the role of brain derived EVs (BDEs) in an array of neurological disorders cf. NeuroAIDS, Traumatic Brain Injury and in Methamphetamine/ Prescription opioid/Nicotine use disorders.
Dr. Amanda RodriguezFeasibility of Assessing the Effects of Substance Use on Auditory and Vestibular Function
Amanda Rodriguez, AuD, PhD, CCC-A is an Assistant Professor and Director of the Concussion and Vestibular Evaluation (CAVE) Laboratory at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders. She is also a Resident Faculty member in the Center of Brain, Biology and Behavior. She received her AuD/PhD in Audiology and Vestibular Function-Assessment from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. She then completed a T32 post-doc fellowship at Boys Town National Research Hospital. Her research interests include examining the effects of sports concussion on the vestibular system and identifying modifiable health risk factors associated with vestibular loss. Dr. Rodriguez is also a practicing vestibular audiologist in the community.
Dr. Michelle HughesFeasibility of Assessing the Effects of Substance Use on Auditory and Vestibular Function
Michelle Hughes, PhD, CCC-A is an Associate Professor and Director of the Cochlear Implant Research Laboratory (CIRL) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders. She received her MA in Audiology and PhD in Hearing Science from the University of Iowa, and completed her clinical fellowship in the Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Research interests involve examining the relation between physiology and perception in cochlear implants, investigating ways to incorporate telepractice into cochlear implant service delivery, and exploring ototoxicity effects secondary to substance misuse.