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Laura MacPherson, Ph.D. Research Assistant Professor Associate Director, Center for Addictions, Personality, and Emotion Research Center for Addictions, Personality, and Emotion Research Department of Psychology University of Maryland College Park, MD 20742 Office: 2103E, Cole Field House Phone: 301-405-7895 Fax: 301-405-3223 |
| Bio |
Background Information
Dr. MacPherson received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology in 2005 following completion of her clinical internship at the Brown Medical School Clinical Psychology Training Consortium. Subsequently, she was awarded a 2-year NIDA funded T32 Postdoctoral Fellowship at Brown's Center for Alcohol and Addictions Studies where she was also Project Director of a NIDA R01 grant investigating a brief motivational intervention for substance use among adolescents with psychiatric comorbidity. Dr. MacPherson joined the Department of Psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park as a Research Assistant Professor in Summer 2007 and serves as Associate Director of the affiliated Center for Addictions, Personality, and Emotion Research (CAPER). She currently holds a NIDA Career Development Grant (K23 DA023143) investigating the relationship between distress tolerance and adolescent smoking cessation.
Research Interests
Dr. MacPherson's clinical and research interests broadly include a developmentally-informed examination of the progression and cessation of addictive behaviors among adolescents and young adults to improve youth-tailored interventions. Current projects and interests include: 1) examining distress tolerance as a mechanism underlying relapse among adolescent smokers, 2) identifying trajectories of appetitive (e.g., risk taking propensity) and avoidant (e.g., distress tolerance) reinforcement based processes as they relate to changes in adolescent substance use and risk behaviors over time, 3) developing and testing behavioral activation-based cessation interventions for adult and adolescent smokers with a focus on reward processing mechanisms underlying treatment effects, and 4) developing instruments targeting motivational and behavioral self-change processes in adolescent and young adult substance use.
Dr. MacPherson mentors graduate students in the Clinical Psychology Program in conjunction with Dr. Lejuez through the Center for Addictions, Personality, and Emotion Research (CAPER). Interested students should be sure to mention both Dr. MacPherson and Dr. Lejuez in their application for admission. .
Selected Publications
MacPherson, L. Tull, M.T., Matusiewicz, A. et al. (in press). Randomized controlled trial of behavioral activation smoking cessation treatment for smokers with elevated depressive symptoms.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.
MacPherson, L., & Myers, M.G. (in press). Examination of a process model of adolescent smoking self-change efforts in relation to gender. Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse.
MacPherson, L., Magidson, J., Reynolds, E., Kahler, C.W., & Lejuez, C.W. (revise and resubmit). Changes in sensation seeking and risk-taking propensity predict increases in alcohol use among early adolescents. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
Myers, M.G.,& MacPherson, L., (2009). Assessing coping with temptations for adolescent smoking: A preliminary study. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 11, 940-944.
MacPherson, L., (2009) Stipelman, B.A., Duplinsky, M., Brown, R.A., & Lejuez, C.W. (2008). Distress tolerance and pre-smoking treatment attrition: Examination of moderating relationships . Addictive Behaviors, 33, 1385-1393.
MacPherson, L., Strong, D.R., & Myers, M.G. (2008). Using an item response model to examine the nicotine dependence construct as characterized by the HONC and the mFTQ among adolescent smokers. Addictive Behaviors, 33, 880-894.
Myers, M.G. & MacPherson, L., (2008). Adolescent reasons for quitting smoking: Initial psychometric evaluation. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 22, 129-134.
MacPherson, L., Strong, D.R., Kahler, C.W., Abrantes, A.M., Ramsey, S., & Brown, R.A. (2007). Association of post smoking treatment change with future smoking and cessation efforts among adolescents with psychiatric comorbidity. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 9, 1297-1307.
Myers, M.G., MacPherson, L., Jones, L., & Aarons, G. (2007). Measuring adolescent smoking cessation strategies: Instrument development and initial evaluation. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 9, 1131-1138
MacPherson, L., Myers, M.G., & Johnson, M. (2006). Adolescent definitions of change in smoking behavior: An investigation. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 8, 683-687.
MacPherson, L., & Myers, M.G. (2004). Invariance study of an adolescent survey-based smoking-related cognitions scale: Examination across Hispanic & Caucasian groups. Preventive Medicine, 39 ,1027-1036.
Myers, M.G., & MacPherson, L. (2004). Smoking cessation efforts among substance-abusing adolescents. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 73, 209-213.
Grants
Currently Funded
Distress Tolerance and Adolescent Smoking Cessation
Principal Investigator: Laura MacPherson, Ph.D.
Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
Type and Number: K23 DA023143
Project Period: 3 years
Total Direct Costs: $514,368
Overall Goal:To provide training in biobehavioral and affective mechanisms in adolescent smoking,
relapse phenomena, and basic research. The primary research aim is to examine the pre-quit influence
of distress tolerance on relapse to smoking in adolescents.
Behavioral Measurement of Negative Reinforcement in Adolescent Alcohol Use/Abuse
Principal Investigator: Carl W. Lejuez, Ph.D.
Role : Co-Investigator
Agency: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Type and Number:R21 AA017685
Project Period:2 years
Total Direct Costs: $285,420
Overall Goal:To develop and validate an assessment tool that focuses on adolescent alcohol use to avoid and/or ameliorate negative emotions and
experiences. This task will help in understanding the role of negative reinforcement processes underlying alcohol use and problems.
Investigating College Student Cigarette Smoking Self-Change
Principal Investigator: Mark G. Myers, Ph.D.
Role: Consultant/Co-Investigator
Agency: California Tobacco Related Disease Research Program
Type and Number: 16IT-0208
Total Project Period: 2 years
Total Direct Costs: $138,596
Stage II Trial of Novel Behavioral Activation Intervention for Smoking Cessation
Principal Investigator: : Laura MacPherson, Ph.D.
Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
Type and Number: R01 DA018730
Project Period: 4 years
Total Direct Costs: $1,474,416
Priority Score First Submission: 29 (new NIH scoring system)
Behavioral Technologies for Predicting HIV Risk
Principal Investigator: : Carl W. Lejuez, Ph.D.
Role: Co-Principal Investigator
Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
Type and Number: R01 DA018647
Project Period: 5 years
Total Direct Costs: $3,140,215
Priority Score First Submission: 41 (new NIH scoring system)
Novel Behavioral Intervention for Low Income Depressed Smokers in Drug Treatment
Principal Investigator: : Carl W. Lejuez, Ph.D.
Role: Co-Investigator
Agency: National Cancer Institute
Type and Number:R01 CA148681
Project Period: 3 years
Total Direct Costs: $1,105,212
Behavioral Activation Intervention, Reward Processing and Youth Smoking Cessation
Principal Investigator: Laura MacPherson, Ph.D.
Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
Type and Number: R21 DA029445.
Project Period: 3 years
Total Direct Costs: $400,000