Recently, Emmely was a co-author on a publication entitled, “Exploring the Relationship between Experience and Pain among a Population of Current Medical Cannabis Users in Florida.”
A note from Emmely
During my time at SHARC, I fulfilled the role of a Central Research Coordinator for a Multi-Site Clinical Trial as part of a P01 component project. I worked on the Less is More Study (LIM), which focuses on the role Contingency Management (CM) may play in motivating the reduction or abstinence of heavy drinking in older adults living with HIV. The study encompasses aspects of gamified and non-gamified CM coupled with mHealth technology such as ecological momentary assessments (EMA) and alcohol monitoring biosensors paired with mobile smart-phone apps.
I was responsible for day-to-day operations, training research staff, overseeing regulatory activities, and working with participants. I began working on the Less is More Study with Dr. Robert Leeman’s Ethanol, Drug, and Gambling Experimental (EDGE) Lab in 2021, which was housed in UF’s Department of Health Education & Behavior at the time. Dr. Leeman remains the main PI for LIM, but upon his departure to Northeastern University, the study transitioned to SHARC in 2022. I am very grateful for the research-related knowledge and experience I gained over the last 3 years.
I am now the Project Coordinator for the National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS) under the direction of Dr. Linda Cottler in the Department of Epidemiology at UF. This research is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to provide timely, salient, and valuable information on emerging substance use trends – particularly the increase of new psychoactive substances (NPS) such as fentanyl and other synthetic drugs. NDEWS incorporates and leverages real-time, ongoing novel surveillance methods to identify early signals of shifts in drug use trends and the onset of drug epidemics. These findings are disseminated widely through many outlets such an accessible public website, webinars, official reports, peer-reviewed publications, and media in order to inform National, State, and local agencies, the substance use research field and the community at large.
