Current Projects

Grant Funding

Current or Recently Completed Projects

The Impact of Thirdhand Tobacco Smoke Exposure on Infant Gut Microbiome Development and Human Milk in Hospitalized Preterm Infants
Thomas Northrup (PI)
Gulf Coast-Center for Precision Environmental Health (GC-CPEH; funded by NIEHS award) Pilot Program ($40,000) aimed to quantify associations of thirdhand/secondhand smoke exposure with infant gut microbiome development and the microbiome of mothers’ own milk using innovative Bayesian machine learning data analyses.

Integrated Care for Chronic Pain and Opioid Use Disorder: The IMPOWR Research Center at Montefiore/Einstein (IMPOWR-ME)
Vilma Gabbay/Joanna Starrels (PIs, Albert Einstein College of Medicine), Angela Stotts (Co-I; Subcontract PI)
This grant, funded through the NIH/HEAL initiative, examines acceptance and commitment therapy and a smartphone care-management application in individuals with co-occurring opioid use disorder and chronic pain.

 Reductions in Biopsychosocial Risks for Pregnant Latinas and their Infants: The Mastery Lifestyle Intervention
Jeanne Ruiz (PI; Microgen Laboratories), Angela Stotts (Co-I, Subcontract PI), Thomas Northrup (Co-I), Yoly Villarreal (Co-I); Rob Suchting (Co-I)
This is an NIH/NICHD-funded grant ($3.5 million) testing a behavioral group intervention based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Problem-Solving Therapy targeting psychological distress among Latina and African American pregnant women, to improve mental health functioning and potentially birth outcomes.

Assessing the Feasibility and Preliminary Effectiveness of the UTHealth Medical Legal Partnership
Winston Liaw (PI), Angela Stotts (Co-I), Thomas Northrup (Co-I), Rob Suchting (Co-I)
This project funded by the Texas Medical Center ($118,154) tested a screening and referral program to legal assistance for health-harming legal needs of primary care patients in community health centers.

Motivational Incentives to Reduce Secondhand Smoke in NICU Infants’ Homes
Angela Stotts (PI), Thomas F. Northrup (Co-I) and Yolanda Villarreal (Supplement)
This is a NIH/NHLBI-funded grant ($3.3 million) investigating an intervention to reduce household smoking in the homes of infants discharged from a neonatal ICU to a smoking household. Further, Dr. Villarreal received a supplemental grant (of $112,000) to explore cultural and familial influences on secondhand smoke exposure. The study is currently in a no-cost extension year and has recruited 360 participants.

Tablet-based Intervention to Prevent Substance-exposed Pregnancy in Primary Care
Mary M. Velasquez (PI; UT-Austin), Angela Stotts (Subcontract PI) and Thomas F. Northrup (Co-I);
This is a NIH/NIAAA-funded grant running through UT-Austin and part of the work has been subcontracted through UTHealth. This research is investigating an intervention to reduce substance-exposed pregnancies in preconception women.

Thirdhand Smoke Contamination in a Neonatal ICU
Thomas F. Northrup (PI) and Angela Stotts (Co-I)
This is a grant funded by NIH/NICHD ($100,000)  to explore residual nicotine in the neonatal ICU.

Facilitating treatment entry and family planning in substance-using NICU mothers
Angela Stotts (PI) and Thomas F. Northrup (Co-I)
This is an NIH/NIDA-funded grant ($450,000) to investigate an intervention targeting substance-using mothers of infants at high medical risk. This research could help decrease adverse health and social effects, and the large associated costs, from drug use during subsequent pregnancies and continued use by young mothers.

Primary care Opioid Use Disorders (PROUD) Treatment Trial – Phase 1 & 2
Mohammed Zare (PI), Angela Stotts (Co-PI) and Thomas F. Northrup (Co-I)
UTHealth, in partnership with Harris Health was one of ten NIH/NIDA Clinical Trials Network sites that participated in phase 1 of the PROUD study to explore electronic medical records in large healthcare systems to support the feasibility of phase 2 of the study to provide buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorders in primary care. Based on phase 1 data, UT/Harris Health is one of six sites participating in phase 2.

NIDA CTN Protocol 0068: Accelerated Development of Additive Pharmacotherapy Treatment (ADAPT-2) for Methamphetamine Use Disorder
Joy Schmitz (Site PI; Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences), Angela Stotts (Subcontract PI), Thomas F. Northrup (Protocol Manager), and Yolanda Villarreal (Quality Assurance)
This is a multi site trial funded by the NIH/NIDA Clinical Trials Network. UT Health is one of seven sites participating in a national, longitudinal randomized clinical trial. The trial is addressing methamphetamine use disorder with Naltrexone and Bupropion.