CBHRS associate professor Dr. Diane King (co-investigator) and research professional Alex Edwards (project manager) are collaborating with psychology professor Dr. Patrick Dulin (principal investigator) on a clinical trial to reduce drinking. Funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, study participants will test either a smart-phone app or a chatbot version of an evidence-based program called Step Away.
ISER researchers study a range of health-related issues, from costs of healthcare to ways of reducing suicide rates and measures of children’s well-being. They also evaluate health programs. Our capacity to study issues related to Alaskans’ health was expanded in 2015, when the Center for Behavioral Health Research and Services became a part of ISER.
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ISER faculty are working to inform the Municipality of Anchorage's COVID-19 efforts through a partnership between ISER, the UAA Division of Population Health Sciences, and the UAA College of Arts and Sciences. The group is involved in three distinct projects. First, Dr. Cueva, Dr. DeFeo, and Dr. Berry contributed to a series of publications focusing on specific areas in which the pandemic has impacted Anchorage and its residents, with recommendations for monitoring further impacts and potential responses/interventions. Of the published papers, Dr. Cueva and Dr. DeFeo took the lead on Education; considering the pandemic’s effect on early childhood, K12, and postsecondary systems, they noted the impacts of school and facility closures on students and communities, and provided recommendations to limit negative outcomes and plan for the future. Dr. Berry authored a paper on the economic impact of the hunker down order.
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The coronavirus crisis has dramatically affected economic and social behavior in Alaska. Getting immediate measures of the impact on economic activity is limited by the inherent lags built into the collection of data on economic variables such as employment and sales. Dr. Mouhcine Guettabi turned to some near-real-time electronic data to get a more immediate sense of how activity has been impacted.
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The Institute of Social and Economic Research’s (ISER) Dr. Kevin Berry recently co-wrote an article with Dr. Katherine Lee (University of Idaho) published in The Hill. The piece, Why a go-it-alone approach to combatting the coronavirus won't work, addresses the current coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) and why we need coordinated international efforts in order to minimize the overall effects.
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Drs. Katie Cueva and Jen Schmidt of the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) traveled to Northwest Arctic Alaska to discuss cancer education for high school students. Cancer is the leading cause of death in the state, and Alaska Native people bear a disproportionate burden of mortality and cancer risk factors. Working with communities to understand and prevent cancer can help lower the unnecessary loss of life from this disease.
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A new paper by CBHRS researchers Dr. Bridget Hanson and Becky Porter describes experiences of Alaskans using naloxone to prevent opioid overdose in their peers. Participants described naloxone as easy to use and effective in reversing overdose. They emphasized the need to have naloxone widely available in order to prevent overdose death.
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Participants in a study that compared an alcohol intervention app (Step Away) to an Artificial Intelligence (AI) version (Step Away Chatbot), emphasize that positivity, personalization, tailored tips and the ability to track their drinking were the most helpful features for sustaining their engagement with the program.
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On a recent Talk of Alaska episode, ISER's Dr. Kevin Berry was one of the guests that discussed pandemic preparedness and what has been learned from the 1918 outbreak of the Spanish flu which killed millions worldwide and devastated rural communities in Alaska.
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CBHRS researchers are evaluating Project HOPE, the State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services’ Narcan® distribution and overdose education program. Narcan® is a nasal spray medication that reverses opioid overdose. The public distribution of opioid overdose rescue kits is a best practice strategy to reduce opioid-related deaths.
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Researchers from ISER's Center for Behavioral Health Research and Services (CBHRS) shared work evaluating Alaska's response to the opioid crisis at the recent meeting of the American Evaluation Association held in Minneapolis, MN.