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Psych Grad Student Wins National Research Service Award

IMAGELauren Oddo, a doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program, recently won a Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA) to study alcohol and drug misuse among college students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Oddo graduated with honors from the University of Richmond in 2015. After graduation, she worked for two years at Virginia Commonwealth University as a Research Coordinator. Her research interests lie in developmental psychopathology, with a particular focus in externalizing disorders (e.g. ADHD), comorbidity, psychosocial impairment, and intervention. Specifically, she is interested in trajectories and patterns of treatment response, the nature and development of impairment and comorbidity, and the interplay between peer relationships and health-risk behaviors.

At UMD, Lauren works in the Maryland ADHD Program, directed by Dr. Andrea Chronis-Tuscano. She conducts research and works in the SUCCEEDS Clinic, a resource dedicated to providing services to UMD students with ADHD struggling with academic or mental health difficulties. 

Oddo's proposed study at NIAAA seeks to understand the daily decision-making processes that predict alcohol and drug issues among college students with and without ADHD. This research is a critical first-step toward understanding what makes some students particularly vulnerable to alcohol and drug use.

"I’m eager to embark on this NIAAA-funded fellowship with the support of my sponsors, Drs. Andrea Chronis-Tuscano and James Murphy, and study consultants, Drs. Alex Shackman and Derek Iwamoto," Oddo said. "I hope the results of this study will help us design more effective prevention and intervention programs and make a real difference in people's lives." 

(Photo credit: Lauren Oddo)

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