Lizzie Birmingham

Through research and practice, MSW student Lizzie Birmingham addresses impacts of substance use disorder

In the Behavioral Neurophysiology Lab in the College of Liberal Arts, researchers work to understand the effects of cocaine and opiate drug use on the human body, researching topics ranging from the roles of specific scaffolding proteins in drug relapses to examining how adolescent stress alters the brain’s response to cocaine. As the lab’s resident research technician, Lizzie Birmingham, a master of social work student, is responsible for ensuring the lab has everything it needs to function. In addition to organizing the lab’s scheduling, ordering supplies, and managing...
School of Social Work
Students
Substance Use
illustration of web of people

Social networks impact odds of stopping injection drug use, study finds

People with a history of injection drug use were found to have better odds of stopping injection when their social networks included more people who don’t inject, according to new research from Abby Rudolph, associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics.  The findings, published in the journal Addiction, are part of ongoing research that Rudolph and colleagues have been conducting to examine the social context of opioid use in rural Eastern Kentucky, a region hit hard by the opioid crisis and Hepatitis C.  In her work, Rudolph uses social network analyses to unders...
Substance Use
Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Research
the entrance to prevention point philadelphia

Study explores COVID-19's impact on persons with substance use disorder

While COVID-19 has challenged every organization and population, its effects have disproportionately affected more vulnerable groups, such as individuals with substance use disorder (SUD). More than 23 million Americans experience SUD, but even in the absence of a pandemic only around 10 percent receive treatment. They are more likely to be unstably housed, have chronic health conditions, and may not have easy access to bathrooms or other resources with running water to wash hands. They may have few financial resources to obtain masks and sanitizers.  The facilities that offer...
Coronavirus
Substance Use
Social and Behavioral Sciences
young adult in therapy

Thomas co-authors guidebook on early psychosis and substance use

Substance use is a major problem among young people who are experiencing early psychosis, but there’s been little guidance to help healthcare professionals work with patients who are dealing with these issues together. Now, Elizabeth Thomas, a research assistant professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, has shared her expertise by co-authoring a new government-published guidebook on the subject. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has made First-Episode Psychosis and Co-Occurring Substance Use Disorders available for dow...
Collaborative on Community Inclusion
Substance Use
Social and Behavioral Sciences