★ Some of our projects may be currently recruiting! 
ASPIRE
Alcohol contributes to over 93,000 deaths, and the loss of 2.7 million years of potential life in the U.S. each year. Alcohol use disorders frequently have a pediatric origin, and pediatric primary care offices, where the majority of adolescents receive health care, are a promising venue for early identification and intervention through screening and brief counseling. The goal of the ASPIRE (Adolescent Substance use Prevention Intervention Research) study is to address the evidence gap in primary care-based alcohol screening and brief intervention for adolescents. ASPIRE is a large, multi-site, cluster-randomized effectiveness trial comparing a computer-facilitated Screening and Brief Intervention (cSBI) system to usual care in patients ages 14 to 17 arriving for well-visits at pediatric primary care practices within the national American Academy of Pediatric Research in Office Settings (PROS) network.
🔹 PI: Harris, Shrier
✉️ aspirestudy@childrens.harvard.edu
📝 Publications
CAN-DO
★ Currently recruiting research participants and Young Adult Advisory Board (YAAB) members! The goal of the CAN-DO (CANnabis – Digital interventions to Optimize health) research study is to test an intervention called MOMENT-V (Momentary Self-Monitoring and Feedback + Motivational Enhancement Therapy – Virtual). MOMENT-V is a counseling plus mobile health (mHealth) intervention designed for young adults who use cannabis frequently. Previously, the in-person MOMENT intervention has been evaluated for its feasibility and intervention effects, showing high feasibility and promising outcomes in a primary care setting; the virtual MOMENT-V has been pilot-tested. CAN-DO is designed to determine intervention feasibility and acceptability, trial feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of the intervention. Additionally, it involves exploring an oral fluid testing approach to biologically measuring cannabis use.
🔹 PI: Shrier
✉️ can-do@childrens.harvard.edu
🔗 Information
📝 Publications
Primary Connections for Youth and Families (PCYF)
The PCYF study is a collaboration between CABHRe and the Partnership to End Addiction. Funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), PCYF will test two Screening and Brief Intervention (SBI) models that are based in our CRAFFT Interactive approach: a standard, adolescent-only SBI versus a model that includes parents/caregivers. Study results will inform clinical practice about whether and how to include families in SBI for adolescents in primary care.
🔹 PI: Hogue, Co-I: Shrier, Harris
🔗 Information
✉️ pcyf.study@toendaddiction.org
📝 Publications
Safer Sex Intervention
Safer Sex Intervention is designed to reduce sexual risk behaviors and prevent the recurrence of sexually transmitted infection (STI) among young women ages 13 to 23 diagnosed with an STI. This clinic-based, individualized intervention is delivered at the time of STI diagnosis and/or treatment by a health educator in one 30- to 50-minute session. One of two interventions will guide the session, based on the young woman’s discussion with the health educator and self-identified stage of behavior change. To purchase this intervention package, visit the SSI webpage or contact safersex@childrens.harvard.edu.
🔹 PI: Shrier
🔗 Information
✉️ safersex@childrens.harvard.edu
📝 Publications
SOFTA
★ Currently recruiting research participants! Young adults are using cannabis at higher rates than ever, and those who have problems with cannabis use may not get treatment. Remotely delivered interventions can help address common challenges to accessing treatment. Remote trials of these interventions are needed to establish whether they work. However, a practical, observable method of biologically measuring cannabis use has not been established for the remote environment. Furthermore, a reasonable outcome of treatment may be less use, but a method of biologically measuring reductions in use has not been established. SOFTA (Study of an Oral Fluid Testing Approach) is designed to see how oral fluid (saliva or spit) can be used in research studies to test for cannabis use by video.
🔹 PI: Shrier
🔗 Information
✉️ softa@childrens.harvard.edu
Understanding Vape Marketing Study
The purpose of this study is to develop an electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) counter-marketing lesson for adolescents. The lesson will involve short videos designed to improve adolescents’ cognition of e-cigarette marketing in the retail environment with the overall goal of reducing their susceptibility to use, intent to use, and actual use of e-cigarettes. Through this study, the study team will identify and refine the key messages that would make this lesson acceptable, feasible to implement, and effective in altering e-cigarette-related perceptions and potentially behaviors.
🔹 PI: Gaiha
✉️ vapestudy@childrens.harvard.edu
Previous Projects
CRAFFT Interactive in CHADIS
The purpose of the this project is to integrate a computer-facilitated CRAFFT screening and clinician brief counseling system into the CHADIS online clinical process support tool (www.chadis.com) to support pediatric primary care clinicians more effectively addressing substance use in their adolescent patients. The project includes development of a new adolescent substance use module in the CHADIS system, informed by both clinician and teen feedback, and testing its implementation and efficacy outcomes in a multi-site quality improvement trial.
🔹 PI: Howard, Sturner, Harris, Shrier
🔗 Information about the CRAFFT
🔗 Information about CHADIS
📝 Publications
GROW Zambia
The GROW Zambia project was a pilot randomized controlled trial of the GROW (Global Resilience Oral Workshop) curriculum among young adolescents in Zambia. GROW is a spiritually-based character strengths and resiliency training curriculum developed by Dana Seale, MAPP, to strengthen youth resilience and hope, and reduce risk for substance use and related risk behaviors. Each curriculum lesson teaches one of the 24 character strengths from positive psychology, and utilizes evidence-based teaching strategies to make the lesson engaging and interactive. The Zambian trial was the first large implementation and efficacy trial of GROW in the world. More information about the program and trial results can be found at www.growglobalresilience.com.
🔹 PI: Harris, Seale
🔗 Information
📝 Publications
MARSSI
MARSSI (Momentary Affect Regulation – Safer Sex Intervention) aims to reduce unintended pregnancy among young women with depression by combining clinic-based counseling with mobile technology. The MARSSI program offers brief sexual risk reduction counseling and cognitive-behavioral skill teaching in a clinical setting. At home, mobile technology supports self-monitoring, and provides real-time, context-responsive messaging for young women reporting poor affective states or maladaptive cognitive states.
🔹 PI: Shrier
✉️ marssi@childrens.harvard.edu
📝 Publications
SEE-ME/Think Aloud
The SEE-ME (Screening for Early and Emerging Mental Experiences) study pilot tests a 23-item scale assessing recent psychotic-like experiences among youth ages 14 to 21. These questions are designed to fill a gap in primary care psychosis screening and treatment, as there is a lack of consensus around whether all youth should be screened for psychotic symptoms. The questionnaire will be compared to the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), a validated depression screening tool, for overlap.
🔹 PI: Woodberry, BCH Site PI: Shrier
🔗 Information
Substance Use and Adolescent Brain Development
This project was a collaborative effort between Dr. Sion Kim Harris and Dr. Marisa Silveri, director of the Neurodevelopmental Laboratory on Addictions and Mental Health (NLAMH) at McLean Hospital. The aim of this longitudinal multi-modal brain imaging study was to ascertain the effects of alcohol use initiation among early adolescents (ages 13-14) on brain structure/connectivity and cognition using multiple magnetic resonance-based imaging approaches (MRI, fMRI, DTI, MRS) and neuropsychological assessments over 3 years of follow-up.
🔹 PI: Silveri, Co-I: Harris
🔗 Information
📝 Publications