Faculty and Staff
The Center for Addiction Medicine maintains a highly collaborative team with backgrounds in behavioral interventions, neuroimaging, and cognitive neuroscience. Faculty, post-docs, and staff all provide the complementary skills and expertise needed to study the underlying causes and risk factors of addictive behavior and to test new treatments for addictive disorders. The faculty and fellows have appointments at both Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital.
Founding Director and Principal Investigator, Center for Addiction Medicine; Cox Family Professor of Psychiatry in the Field of Addiction Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Evins is the Cox Family Professor of Psychiatry in the field of addiction medicine at Harvard Medical School and the founder and director of the Center for Addiction Medicine at MGH. Dr. Evins completed her residency in adult psychiatry at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center and the Longwood Psychiatry Residency Training Program. In addition, she completed…more
Elizabeth R. Spallin Professor of Psychiatry in the Field of Addiction Medicine at Harvard Medical School; Founder and Director of the Recovery Research Institute
Dr. Kelly is the Elizabeth R. Spallin Professor of Psychiatry in Addiction Medicine at Harvard Medical School – the first endowed professor in addiction medicine at Harvard. He is also the Founder and Director of the Recovery Research Institute at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Associate Director of the Center for Addiction Medicine (CAM) at MGH…more
Director of Neuroscience and Principal Investigator, Center for Addiction Medicine; Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Jodi Gilman is an Associate Professor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the Director of Neuroscience at the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Addiction Medicine. She received her PhD in Neuroscience from Brown University and completed her postdoctoral fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital in the Department of Psychiatry…more
Co-Director of Research; Director of School-Based Research and Program Development; Director of Neuropsychology; Principal Investigator, Center for Addiction Medicine; Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Schuster is a licensed clinical psychologist. She received her BA from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2007 and her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2014. She received specialized training in neuropsychology as a pre-doctoral intern and post-doctoral fellow at MGH/Harvard Medical School…more
Program Director, Center for Addiction Medicine; Assistant in Research Psychiatry and Instructor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Pachas received her medical degree from San Martin de Porres University and received health services management and public health training from the National University Mayor de San Marcos in Lima, Peru. She also completed an Addiction Fellowship at Harvard Medical School. Her research interests are the development of behavioral treatments and evidence-based novel treatments for smoking cessation and relapse prevention in people with…more
Joanna Streck, Ph.D
Principal Investigator
Joanna Streck completed her doctoral training in addiction and tobacco regulatory science at the University of Vermont Vermont Center on Behavior and Health and went on to complete her predoctoral internship in Behavioral Medicine and K12 fellowship in addiction at MGH/HMS. Her primary program of research seeks to identify effective tobacco cessation and harm reduction interventions for vulnerable populations who smoke with a focus on those with co-morbid SUD.
Director, MGH Center of Excellence for Psychosocial and Systemic Research; Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Corinne Cather earned her undergraduate degree in biopsychology at Hamilton College in Clinton, NY and her doctorate in clinical psychology from Rutgers University where she received specialized training in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and behavioral medicine. She completed an internship at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (formerly Rutgers) and joined…more
Director of Biostatistics and Principal Investigator, Center for Addiction Medicine; Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Hoeppner is a health psychologist with expertise in fine-grained longitudinal methodology, which she uses to explicate the mechanisms underlying behavioral change. During her graduate training (Univ. of RI, MA in psychology in 2003, M.S. in statistics in 2005, Ph.D. in psychology in 2007), Dr. Hoeppner collaborated on numerous health behavior change projects, which used…more
Director of Dual Diagnoses Studies at the Depression Clinical Research Program; Principal Investigator; Assistant Professor of Psychology, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Pedrelli is a clinical psychologist with expertise in comorbid disorders. She received her Ph.D in Clinical Psychology from the Joint Doctoral Program at the University of California San Diego and San Diego State University and completed her post-doctoral work at MGH. Her program of research focuses on explicating the etiology of co-occurring Mood Disorders and…more
Associate Director of the Recovery Research Institute
Brandon G. Bergman, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and Associate Director at the Recovery Research Institute (RRI). He is also the RRI Associate Director of Communications, providing content and oversight for the RRI website, and the monthly RRI Recovery Bulletin. Dr. Bergman’s research targets the intersection between professional-clinical and freely accessible, community-based services for individuals with substance use disorder including…more
Associate Director of Recovery Health Equity
Dr. Corrie Vilsaint serves as the Associate Director of Recovery Health Equity at the MGH Recovery Research Institute, research scientist at the Center for Addiction Medicine, and Instructor at Harvard Medical School…more
Research Scientist
Dr. David Eddie is the Associate Director of Clinical Translational Recovery Science at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Recovery Research Institute and Center for Addiction Medicine, a clinical psychologist in Massachusetts General Hospital’s Department of Psychiatry, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, and a diplomate of the American Board of Addiction Psychology… more
Research Fellow/Statistician
Dr. Kevin Potter graduated from Grinnell College with a B.A. in Psychology and received his Ph.D. in Quantitative Psychology from Ohio State University. He began working for the Center for Addiction Medicine in August of 2018 as a statistician. His research involves applying modern statistical…more
Meghan Costello, Ph.D
Postdoctoral Fellow
Meghan Costello is a K12 Postdoctoral Fellow in Substance Use and Addiction Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. She received her PhD in Clinical and Quantitative Psychology at the University of Virginia. Her research focuses on leveraging peer interpersonal processes to promote adolescent well-being. She works to incorporate near-peer and paraprofessional interventionists into school-based preventative mental health care in adolescence.
Kristina Conroy, Ph.D
Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Addiction Medicine; Clinical Fellow, MGH Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Dr. Conroy is a postdoctoral fellow at the MGH Center for Addiction Medicine. She completed her undergraduate degree at Middlebury College, her doctorate degree at Florida International University, and her clinical fellowship (child/adolescent focus) at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Broadly, her research focuses on collaborating with schools and other community organizations to strengthen mental health supports for youth from low-income and ethnically/racially minoritized backgrounds. She has specific interests in utilizing community-based participatory research methods, expanding workforce support for school staff, and elevating the cultural and contextual relevance of supports for youth anxiety and traumatic stress.
Program Manager
Caroline Gray is a Program Manager for the Center for Addiction Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she primarily oversees research operations and professional development. Caroline started at the center in 2021, working under Dr. Randi Schuster, overseeing iDECIDE, as well as school-based programs…. more
Julia Jashinski, M.S.W., LCSW
Program Manager
Julia Jashinski is the Program Manager for the Center, overseeing grants applications, budget management, funding and regulatory compliance, and supporting operations for a number of active projects. Ms. Jashinski works closely with the CAM investigators to support meaningful research that focuses on improving outcomes for people who use drugs. She is a graduate of the Ohio State University (2019, B.S.) and Boston University (2021, MSW).
Emily Hennessy Ph.D. 
Associate Director of Biostatistics, Recovery Research Institute
Emily A. Hennessy is Associate Director of Biostatistics at the Recovery Research Institute and Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Hennessy was a Fulbright Scholar to Norway where she completed an M.Phil. in Health Promotion and focused on adolescent well-being. She completed her Ph.D. in Community Research and Action at Vanderbilt University and her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Connecticut in the Systematic Health Action Research Program (SHARP) Lab. Dr. Hennessy’s research examines factors associated with health behavior change among adolescents. Her primary area of research, adolescent substance use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery, is funded by a career development award (K01) from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. This study examines social network and recovery capital mechanisms of the recovery process in adolescents using social identity mapping. A secondary area of her research is in conducting evidence syntheses and in improving methods for evidence synthesis. She serves as Associate Methods Editor for the International Coordinating Group of the Campbell Collaboration and is on the editorial board of Psychological Bulletin.
Alexandra Abry 
Director of Operations and Finance, Recovery Research Institute
Alexandra Abry graduated from Bates College, where she received her Bachelors degree in Psychology. At the Recovery Research Institute, Alexandra has worked on a variety of projects, including the Cochrane review on Alcoholics Anonymous and 12-Step Facilitation, a SAMHSA systematic review on recovery support services, the National Recovery Study, and the Recovery Community Center study, among others.
Lauren Hoffman, Ph.D. 
Research Scientist, Recovery Research Institute
Dr. Lauren Hoffman is a Research Scientist at the Recovery Research Institute within the Center for Addiction Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, and an Assistant Professor of Psychology within the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Her current research is funded by NIDA, and seeks to elucidate the biopsychosocial correlates of successful substance use disorder treatment and recovery, with an emphasis on opioid use disorder and translation to real-world populations. The ultimate goal of her research is to leverage identified biological and psychosocial correlates to develop and test novel interventions that more effectively address barriers to successful treatment and sustained recovery. In addition to her research activities, Dr. Hoffman serves as Chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee for the American Psychological Association’s Society of Addiction Psychology.
Dr. Hoffman received her Bachelor of Arts from San Diego State University with honors in Psychology. She received her MS and PhD in Psychology with an emphasis in Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Florida. She completed her post-doctoral training at the Recovery Research Institute, as a Research Fellow in Psychology within the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Alex Russell Ph.D. 
Research Scientist, Recovery Research Institute
Dr. Alex Russell is a Member of the Faculty at Harvard Medical School and Researcher at the Recovery Research Institute within Massachusetts General Hospital. His research, funded by a K01 early career development award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), leverages data from popular social media platforms (e.g., Twitter, TikTok) to explore the nature and influence of social media on alcohol use disorder (AUD) and AUD help-seeking behaviors with the goal of informing public health interventions intended to mobilize AUD treatment and recovery service engagement among young adults.
Richard Fletcher Ph.D. 
Research Science Affiliate, Recovery Research Institute and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Dr. Richard Ribon Fletcher is a member of the research faculty at the Recovery Research Institute and Center for Addiction Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital and is also a research scientist at MIT. Dr. Fletcher develops new technologies for use in mental health research and behavior medicine. Dr. Fletcher was an early creator of mHealth systems for Just-in-Time Interventions (US Patent 8,655,441) and developed the MIT Media Lab’s first generation of wireless sensor bands for ambulatory measurement of psychophysiology (now Empatica). Dr. Fletcher currently works on digital phenotyping methods for smart phones, chatbots, and machine learning algorithms to detect affect and predict behavior. Dr. Fletcher is also very active in global health supporting underserved communities.
Dr. Fletcher has undergrad degrees in Physics and Electrical Engineering from MIT and earned his PhD in Information Technology at the MIT Media Lab. Dr. Fletcher has held previous academic appointments at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (Psychiatry) and Bedford VA hospital, and he is also a military veteran (US Air Force).
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Recovery Research Institute
Dr. Samuel Acuff is a postdoctoral research fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Recovery Research Institute and a Clinical Fellow at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Acuff completed his doctoral training in clinical psychology in the psychology department at the University of Memphis. Dr. Acuff completed his clinical psychology internship at the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University. His research is informed by behavioral economics and attempts to illuminate environmental and contextual influences on the development of and recovery from substance use disorders, with a particular focus on social factors. Dr. Acuff’s dissertation was funded by a F31 through NIAAA and connected electrophysiological event-related potentials with behavioral economic constructs and explored the interaction between social and alcohol stimuli on neural correlates of reward. During his postdoctoral fellowship, Dr. Acuff intends to develop and to contribute to impactful recovery science through the lens of behavioral economic theory.
Anthony Jannetti B.A. 
iDECIDE Training Manager
Anthony Jannetti graduated from Champlain College with a B.A. in Secondary/Middle Level Education, with an English and History specialization. With a background in classroom teaching and educational/non-profit leadership, Anthony seeks to empower educators to implement restorative approaches through coaching and mentorship. At CAM, he works with Dr. Schuster on training facilitators to provide iDECIDE as a restorative school-based intervention for youth substance-use. Anthony is interested in intersectionality in public health, and developing systemic restorative approaches to supporting youth to make healthy choices around substance-use.
Vanessa Iroegbulem, B.A.
Senior Clinical Research Coordinator
Vanessa Iroegbulem graduated from Augustana College with a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience and Women, Gender, and Sexuality studies with a minor in Philosophy. At CAM, she works primarily with Dr. Evins and Dr. Schuster on two studies, one that investigates the efficacy of a pharmacological and behavioral intervention for vaping cessation in adolescent and young adults who have a willingness to quit vaping and another that focuses on the development and evaluation of a new drug education curriculum, which seeks to create a more equitable response to school-based substance use infractions. Her research interests include improving the accessibility and effectiveness of treatments for substance use and co-occurring psychiatric disorders in BIPOC individuals, integrating harm reduction into evidence-based practices and public health policies, healthy equity, and how social and economic inequality mediate behavioral health outcomes. Vanessa is currently attending Simmons University to complete her Master of Social Work degree.
Bryn Evohr, B.S.
Lead Programmer
Bryn Evohr graduated from Emory University in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in psychology and minors in quantitative science and Spanish. At CAM, she works primarily with Dr. Gilman on the prescription opioid tapering study, which looks at the effect of medical marijuana and behavioral interventions on pain and opioid dose. She also oversees data management across the center, focusing on centralizing and improving data management best practices. Her research interests include behavioral support and treatment interventions for populations with physical disabilities and chronic illnesses, as well as health equity and mental health treatment relating to these populations.
Jasmeen Kaur, MPH, BDS 
Programmer
Jasmeen Kaur received a Master of Public Health from Boston University and her Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree from Baba Farid University of Health Sciences. At CAM, she works primarily with Dr. Gilman on the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, looking at the substance use patterns in coordination with Dr. Tervo-Clemmens and Dr. Potter. Her research interests include opioid addiction, substance dependence, equitable and affordable access to health resources as well as effects of social determinants on mental health.
Rosie Du, B.A.
Programmer
Rosie Du graduated from Harvard College, where she studied Applied Mathematics with a focus in biology and minored in Ethnicity, Migration, Rights. She primarily works as a programmer on Dr. Schuster’s school-based research projects. Her research interests include providing adequate and community-based mental health support/interventions for youth in schools, alternatives to punishment, and reducing stigma of substance use and mental health disorders.
Liam Arteaga, M.A., B.S.
Clinical Research Coordinator II
Liam Arteaga graduated from the University College Dublin with a Masters in Psychological Sciences in 2021, as well as having received a B.S in Neuroscience and B.A in Psychology from Emmanuel College in 2020. At CAM, he works with Dr. Jodi Gilman on a study looking at the effects of cannabis and a group behavioral intervention on pain and opioid utilization. Liam’s interests include research furthering our understanding of substance use disorders through a neurobiological perspective, as well as research that aims to evaluate, improve, and expand overall treatment options for substance use disorders.
Kendall Roberts, B.S.
Clinical Research Coordinator II
Kendall Roberts graduated from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Psychology and Child Study and Human Development. At CAM, she works with Dr. Schuster on the effectiveness of a new drug education curriculum as an alternative intervention for adolescents with substance use infractions. Her research interests include the development and implementation of community-based mental health interventions and the treatment of comorbid psychopathology. Kendall hopes to attend graduate school to pursue a degree in clinical psychology.
Hannah Drew, B.A.
Clinical Research Coordinator II
Hannah Drew graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in History & Literature, and a minor in Global Health and Health Policy. At CAM, Hannah works with Dr. Schuster on two projects: one project focuses on the development of a drug education curriculum for middle and high school students, and the second project evaluates the effectiveness of school-based interventions in addressing youth substance use. Her research interests include substance use disorders, young adult mental health, global and rural health delivery, and health equity.
Elizabeth Oxendine, B.S.
Clinical Research Coordinator II
Elizabeth Oxendine graduated from Tufts University in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Psychology and Community Health. At CAM, she works with Dr. Schuster evaluating the effectiveness of using nonclinical peer support workers to deliver school-based substance use screenings and brief interventions. Her research interests include Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), mood disorder prevention programs for young children, and community-based participatory research (CBPR). Fun fact, she was an intern at CAM before she became a clinical research coordinator!
Marta V. Borrego Mahiques, BA
Clinical Research Coordinator II
Marta Borrego Mahiques graduated from Boston University with a B.A. in Neuroscience & Philosophy, and a B.A. in Psychology. At CAM, she works with Dr. Schuster on two studies. The first investigates the effectiveness of deploying non-clinical peer workers to deliver substance use screenings with adolescents and the second study aims to investigate the effects of acute cannabis use on negative mood and suicidal ideation. Her research interests include risk/preventative factors in addiction and comorbid psychopathology, preventative care, and health equity.
Lauren Greenspan, B.S., B.A.
Clinical Research Coordinator II
Lauren Greenspan graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health Sciences, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and a minor in the History of Medicine and Health. At CAM, she works with Dr. Schuster on a project evaluating the effectiveness of school-based interventions in improving the screening and treatment of youth substance use. Her research interests include adolescent mental health, depression and anxiety prevention, health equity, and improving access to care through community-based interventions.
Jasmine Die, M.MSc, B.S
Clinical Research Coordinator II
Jasmine graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Behavior. She then earned a Master of Medical Science in Media, Medicine, and Health at Harvard Medical School. At CAM, she works with Dr. Randi Schuster on a project evaluating the effectiveness of school-based interventions for screening and brief treatment of youth substance use. Her research interests include adolescent mental health, health communication, cultural and linguistic competency in mental health, and community-centered health equity approaches.
Isabella Feibus, B.S. 
Isabella graduated from Boston College in 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and a minor in Medical Humanities. At CAM, she works with Dr. Schuster on two studies, one examining the effects of acute cannabis abstinence on suicidality and depressive symptoms and another exploring school-based interventions for substance use. Her research interests include the neurobiology of substance use disorders, interactions between substance use and mental illness, and research that promotes holistic treatment of such comorbidities.
Wilson Spurrell, B.A.
Clinical Research Coordinator II
Wilson Spurrell graduated from Amherst College with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. At CAM, he primarily works with Dr. Schuster on a plethora of school-based projects, including one study that seeks to evaluate and improve substance use detection and early intervention in schools. His research interests include substance use disorders, mindfulness and meditation, and the impact of trauma on development. In time, Wilson aspires to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical psychology.
Joya Cooper-Hohn, B.A. 
Clinical Research Coordinator
Joya graduated from Harvard College with an Honors B.A. in Biology, specializing in the Mind, Brain, and Behavior track. Joya works under Dr. Gilman at CAM in collaboration with Dr. Loggia at the A. A Martino Center for Biomedical Imaging on a study investigating the effects of cannabidiol (CBD). Specifically, the study analyzes the impact of CBD on neuroinflammation in individuals with depression and lower back pain using MRI and PET technology. Joya’s research interests include the neurobiology of mental health disorders, neuroinflammation, glial cell interactions, and neuropsychology.
Bridget O’Kelly, B.A. 
Clinical Research Coordinator II
Bridget O’Kelly graduated from Harvard College in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Evolutionary Biology and a minor in Psychology. At CAM, Bridget works with Dr. Evins on her Behavioral Vaping Study, which is implementing a behavioral intervention that aims to promote nicotine vaping cessation in adolescents. Bridget’s research interests largely center on increasing accessibility to care and recovery resources for underserved populations, as well as addressing issues of health equity and the social determinants of health within these communities.
