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Principal Investigator: Ruschelle Marie Leone
Organization: GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $185,220
Funding agency: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
PROJECT ABSTRACT
The overarching goal of this Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award (K01) is to provide Dr.
Ruschelle Leone with the training and research activities needed to become an independent investigator. Her
program of research will focus on developing and evaluating innovative integrated programs for heavy episodic
drinking, cannabis use, and sexual assault. Research estimates 1 in 5 college women experiences sexual assault.
Alcohol, cannabis, and sexual assault victimization have a reciprocal association; alcohol and cannabis are known
risk factors for sexual assault, and women who experience sexual assault are at an increased risk of developing
alcohol and cannabis use disorders. Although prevention efforts targeting potential perpetrators and bystanders
is critical, these programs have yet to demonstrate reductions in rates of sexual assault victimization or
perpetration. As part of comprehensive sexual assault programming, feminist scholars have called for the use of
risk reduction programs to empower women by increasing a woman's ability to recognize and resist sexual
assault by providing skills to avoid, interpret, and resist sexual assault. However, these programs have yet to
directly target alcohol and cannabis use within an integrated framework. This innovative proposal includes
training activities to ensure that Dr. Leone achieves the following four new career goals: 1) Develop expertise in
reducing alcohol misuse, cannabis use, and sexual assault; 2) Receive training in the development and testing of
integrated interventions for alcohol misuse, cannabis use, and sexual assault victimization; 3) Obtain advanced
training in multilevel and longitudinal data analyses; and 4) Hone skills in grant-writing, responsible conduct of
research, and professional development. The mentorship team includes expert psychologists, physicians, and
public health scientists in the following areas: development of web-based interventions for alcohol and sexual
assault (Gilmore), treatments for alcohol and cannabis use (Gray), social norm interventions for alcohol and
cannabis prevention (Neighbors), sexual assault risk reduction programs (Senn), qualitative methods for
intervention development (Salazar), design and analysis of clinical trials (Hayat), and program implementation
(Self-Brown). Dr. Leone will apply the skills acquired during the training activities to a research project focused
on the development of an integrated program for heavy episodic drinking, cannabis use, and sexual assault risk
reduction. The research project includes mixed-methods research to develop program content, assess the
usability and acceptability with college women who engaging in heavy episodic drinking and cannabis use, and
conduct a feasibility randomized controlled trial. This project will establish feasibility of conducting a larger
randomized clinical trial testing the efficacy of the integrated program. The proposed training and research
activities will prepare Dr. Leone for an independent research career focused on the development and evaluation
innovative integrated programs for heavy episodic drinking, cannabis use, and sexual assault. This project is
directly in line with several NIH priorities and will inform a R-level grant to conduct a randomized clinical trial.
Terms: <Active Follow-up><Address><Age><Alcohol Chemical Class><Alcohol Drinking><Alcohol consumption><Alcohols><Applied Skills><Area><Assertiveness><Attention><Back><Behavioral><Cannabis><Career Development Awards><Career Development Awards and Programs><Career Development Programs K-Series><Clinical><Cognitive Disturbance><Cognitive Impairment><Cognitive decline><Cognitive function abnormal><Control Groups><Cues><Data><Data Analyses><Data Analysis><Development><Disturbance in cognition><Dorsum><Drug usage><Education><Educational aspects><EtOH drinking><EtOH use><Evaluation><Event><Evidence based intervention><Expectancy><Female><Focus Groups><Future><Goals><Grant><Health><Impaired cognition><Impairment><Individual><Intervention><Intervention Strategies><Investigators><K-Awards><K-Series Research Career Programs><K01 Award><K01 Mechanism><K01 Program><Mental Health><Mental Hygiene><Mentored Research Scientist Development Award><Mentored Training Award><Mentors><Mentorship><Methods><NIAAA><NIH><National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism><National Institutes of Health><On-Line Systems><Online Systems><Outcome><Patient Self-Report><Perception><Persons><Physicians><Play><Prevention><Primary Prevention><Psychological Health><Psychologist><Public Health><Qualitative Methods><Qualitative Research><R-Series Research Projects><R01 Mechanism><R01 Program><Randomized><Randomized, Controlled Trials><Recommendation><Reporting><Research><Research Activity><Research Career Program><Research Grants><Research Methodology><Research Methods><Research Personnel><Research Project Grants><Research Projects><Research Scientist Development Award><Research Training><Researchers><Resistance><Risk><Risk Factors><Risk Reduction><Role><Sampling><Scientist><Self-Report><Strategic Planning><Survivors><THC co-use><THC use><Target Populations><Testing><Tetrahydrocannabinol co-use><Tetrahydrocannabinol use><Time><Training><Training Activity><United States National Institutes of Health><Victimization><Woman><Writing><active followup><aged><ages><alcohol abuse therapy><alcohol abuse treatment><alcohol ingestion><alcohol intake><alcohol intervention><alcohol involvement><alcohol misuse><alcohol misuse prevention><alcohol myopia><alcohol product use><alcohol treatment><alcohol use><alcohol use disorder><alcoholic beverage consumption><alcoholic drink intake><assaulted sexually><binge alcohol consumption><binge drinking><cannabis use><cannabis use disorder><career><clinical trial analysis><cognitive dysfunction><cognitive loss><college><college student><collegiate><data interpretation><design><designing><develop therapy><developmental><drinking><drug use><early adulthood><efficacy testing><emerging adult><empowerment><episodic drinking><ethanol consumption><ethanol drinking><ethanol ingestion><ethanol intake><ethanol misuse><ethanol product use><ethanol use><ethanol use disorder><evidence base><experience><fighting><follow up><follow-up><followed up><followup><high risk><innovate><innovation><innovative><internet-based intervention><intervention development><interventional strategy><involvement with alcohol><marijuana use><marijuana use and disorder><marijuana use disorder><motor impairment><movement impairment><movement limitation><online computer><perpetrators><personalized normative feedback><post intervention><prevent alcohol misuse><programs><psychoeducation><qualitative reasoning><randomisation><randomization><randomized control trial><randomized, clinical trials><randomly assigned><recruit><reduce risk><reduce risks><reduce that risk><reduce the risk><reduce these risks><reduces risk><reduces the risk><reducing risk><reducing the risk><research and methods><resistant><responsible research conduct><risk perception><risk-reducing><sex><sexual assault><sexual attack><skill acquisition><skill development><skills><social norm><social role><theories><therapy development><training module><treatment development><unhealthy alcohol use><university student><usability><web based><web-based intervention>