About
The PATH lab is a dedicated team of students and professionals passionate about addressing trauma and substance use while paying attention to individual identity, contextual factors, and public policy. Broadly, our work ranges from examining the definition of trauma, developing and evaluating treatments for co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders (SUD), leveraging technology to enhance treatment access and sustainability, and examining how identity (e.g., racial identity) interacts with co-occurring trauma and substance use.
Research Aim (s)
We harness a diversity of approaches ranging from mixed methods to longitudinal designs with the following aims:
1) To adapt treatments for co-occurring PTSD and OUD
2) To integrate psychotherapy treatments with medications treatment
3) To assess minoritized groups experiences of co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders
4) To leverage technology to better understand and advance trauma and substance use healthcare.
Active Research Projects
- The HOPE Study (K23 DA055209; PI: Saraiya) – This NIH-funded K23 award aims to adapt and test the integrated treatment COPE (Concurrent Treatment of PTSD and SUB Using Prolonged Exposure; Back et al. 2014) for co-occurring PTSD and opioid use disorder (OUD) among individuals stabilized on medications for OUD.
- African American Racial Trauma (AART) Study (PI: Bauer) – This survey-based project aims to assess the relationship between race-based Criterion A traumatic events and non-race-based Criterion A events with PTSD symptom severity. It also aims to test how racial discrimination moderates this relationship.
- Women with Opioid Use and Trauma Scoping Review – This team aims to review extant literature on women with co-occurring opioid use and trauma exposure to better understand the gender-specific presentation of this comorbidity.
- Project Harmony Secondary Analysis (PI: Morgan Lopez & Hien) – This integrative data analysis will examine treatment outcomes for individuals with co-occurring OUD and PTSD across >10 randomized clinical trials.
Personnel
Core Faculty – Tanya Saraiya
Students – Sonali Singal, Tamina Daruvala, Priya Johal and Chloe Rosenkranz
- Past Personnel: Sarah Helpinstill and Daphne Gray
Affiliates – Amber Jarnecke, Delisa Brown, Sudie Back, Alexandria Bauer, Donte Bernard, Denise Hien, Teresa Lopez-Castro, Christal Badour, and Caitlyn Hood