Boston University Center for Addictions Research and Services

Collaborations

The Center collaborates with individuals and organizations within and outside Boston University. Within Boston University, the Center’s collaborating faculty members are from disciplines such as social work, public health, management, geography, economics, and medicine. Faculty members associated with the Center are compensated through grants. The Center also collaborates with several schools and departments of Boston University including:

Nationally, locally and regionally, collaborators in the areas of HIV prevention and substance abuse treatment include:

Current Faculty Collaborators
Lisa Sullivan, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Biostatistics, Mathematics and Statistics and Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Education in Public Health and serves as a consultant to the Center on Addiction Research and Services. She is also Chair of the Biostatistics Department at the Boston University School of Public Health. Lisa is co-author of a textbook entitled Introductory Applied Biostatistics, and the recipient of numerous teaching awards including the Norman A. Scotch award and the prestigious Metcalf Award, both for excellence in teaching at Boston University . Lisa is a statistician on the Framingham Heart Study working primarily in developing and disseminating cardiovascular risk functions. She is active in multidisciplinary research projects in areas such as cardiovascular disease, cognitive function, HIV/AIDS, emergency medicine, prenatal diagnosis and autism.

Sara Bachman, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Research at the Boston University School of Social Work, has conducted extensive research and consultation in the area of state health policy for vulnerable populations, with a particular emphasis on issues related to serving vulnerable populations through managed care systems. She has also conducted research through a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Substance Abuse Policy Research Program to examine the best practices among managed care plans that provide substance abuse treatment services to individuals who receive SSI Disability benefits through Medicaid managed care plans. In addition Dr. Bachman is working with the Massachusetts Division of Health Care Finance and Policy to conduct multiple assessments of the impact of Massachusetts health reform initiatives.

Luz Marilis López, Ph.D., M.S.W., M.P.H. , joined the Boston University School of Social Work faculty in September 2005. Dr. López has almost 10 years of experience in the fields of HIV/AIDS and substance abuse working with diverse populations. She has served as program manager of federal SAMHSA and CSAT multi-site research programs for women with co-occurring substance abuse and psychiatric disorders and violence. Her research focuses on the areas of addiction, trauma, populations-at-risk, HIV prevention, and Latino culture. Dr. López was born and raised in Puerto Rico . She completed her MPH and Ph.D. degrees at Tulane University in New Orleans , Louisiana .

Joseph R. Merighi, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Human Behavior at Boston University School of Social Work and an Investigator at the Portuguese Center for Social Work History and Research in Lisbon, Portugal. Currently, Professor Merighi is on the editorial board of the Journal of Nephrology Social Work, and he serves as a consulting editor for Social Work and the Journal of Social Work Education. He has published much of his research in social work and psychology journals, and has been an invited speaker at national and international conferences. Prof. Merighi received an Outstanding Young Educator Award from the California Junior Chamber of Commerce and he was the recipient of a Teacher Scholar Award from the Institute for Teaching and Learning at San José State University. In addition to his research and teaching, Prof. Merighi has provided consultation services to national and regional organizations such as the Council of Nephrology Social Workers, Health Education and Training Center, and United Cerebral Palsy. Professor Merighi received his MSW and PhD from the University of California at Berkeley.

Humberto Reynoso-Vallejo, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor on Social Welfare Policy and Human Behavior at the Boston University School of Social Work. Dr. Reynoso-Vallejo has extensive experience working with diverse ethnic/racial groups in different geographical areas of Mexico, as well as in the Greater Boston Area. His major research interests include health services research, substance abuse, effects of social inequalities to racial/ethnic groups, and health related issues among diverse communities. His current research focuses on the role of social capital in substance abuse epidemiology and treatment. He was trained as an anthropologist in Mexico, received a master in social work from Simmons College, and his doctorate in social policy from Brandeis University.

Consultants at UCLA
Robert Schilling, Ph.D. is Professor of Social Welfare at the UCLA School of Public Policy and Social Research. Formerly, he was a professor at Columbia University School of Social Work where he co-founded and directed the Social Intervention Group. He has practiced for many years in child welfare, youth, and developmental disability settings. In his research, Dr. Schilling seeks to develop, adapt, and test sociobehavioral interventions designed to ameliorate social and health problems of low-income populations in the U.S. and the developing world. The bulk of his research focuses on substance abuse and related problems including HIV transmission and family violence. Dr. Schilling has written over 120 articles and other professional publications, including articles in Social Work, Science, The New England Journal of Medicine, The Journal of the American Medical Association, The American Journal of Public Health, and The American Psychologist.

Back to Top