Collegiate Recovery PrograM
Research Lab
Collegiate Recovery Programs (CRPs) are university sponsored programs that supports students in recovery from substance misuse or other addictions. They are still in their infancy as a field of study, resulting in dispersed peer reviewed research articles.
The Association of Recovery in Higher Education (ARHE) is the professional organization who supports the faculty/staff overseeing these programs.
The CRP Research Lab is a group of emerging and early career scholars who are shaping the research agenda of CRPs, students who use them, and college student recovery. Please contact JUSTIN BELL if you wish to join the lab.
Examples of current projects:
CRP webscrapping (Leads: Justin & Noel)
Descriptive Database for CRPs (Lead: Chelsea)
ARHE Accreditation Pilot (Lead: Yahya)
Virginia Commonwealth University longitudinal study sub-projects
Meet The Team
Founder
Noel Vest, PhD
Noel Vest, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the Boston University School of Public Health. As a formerly incarcerated scholar, Dr. Vest advocates for social justice issues and public policy concerning substance use disorder recovery and prison reentry. His research interests include mental health, substance use disorders, poverty, social justice, addiction recovery, and pain. He was recently awarded a K01 early investigator award through the National Institute of Drug Abuse to study collegiate recovery programs through an implementation science lens. He received his Ph.D. and Master’s degrees in Experimental Psychology from Washington State University. He recently finished a postdoc in the Department of Anesthesia at Stanford Medicine.
Research Assistant
Justin Bell
Justin is a PhD Candidate in Community Psychology at DePaul University. He studys the impact of sober living communities and 12 step group membership on substance use recovery as a PhD candidate and member of Dr. Leonard Jason's lab at the Center for Community Research.
Email: jbell35@depaul.edu
Research Assistant
Alexa Nieder
I have a passion for psychology, research, and substance use disorders (SUDs). Most recently, I worked as a Research Assistant at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, where I facilitated clinical research focused on opioid use and other SUDs. I also recently worked at Change The Outcome, a non-profit that seeks to combat the opioid epidemic through educational initiatives for young people. I am currently working towards my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at DePaul University, where I hope to continue making a difference for those struggling with SUDs.
Research Mentor
Chelsea Shore, PhD
Chelsea earned her PhD in Higher Educational Leadership & Policy Studies from Florida State University. As a person in long-term natural recovery herself, her research interests focus on the substance using, misusing, and recovery identity formation of college students as well as identifying mechanisms CRPs can leverage to provide students a full continuum of care. She served as the Graduate Coordinator for the Collegiate Recovery Program (CRP) within the Center for Health Advocacy and Wellness, promoting its rapid growth during the first two years of implementation. Dr. Shore participates in various working groups in the fields of higher education and recovery, consulting on higher education policies and CRP implementation. She has served at numerous 2-year and 4-year institutions as a faculty member and practitioner across two states, providing her insight on the transferability of policies or programs considering the organization and governance at institutional, state, and federal levels.
Current projects:
Descriptive Database of CRP research
Research Assistant, 2nd year PhD student
Declan Murphy
Before coming to the U.S to do a Phd in Addiction and Recovery Studies, I was a high school teacher and school counselor in Ireland. My research interest is at interface of recovery and education. Currently, I am interested in examining the role higher education plays as a meaningful activity in the recovery process. I am an advocate of Collegiate Recovery Programs (CRPs), and, in that regard, I hope to establish CRPs in Ireland. I am a trauma informed educator and I train teachers in trauma informed approaches to teaching and learning. Outside of academia, I love playing music, sea swimming, and soccer.
Email: decmurph@ttu.edu
Research Assistant, Collegiate Recovery Program Manager at LSU
Adam Singer, LMSW, LAC, AADC
Adam is the Collegiate Recovery Program Manager at LSU. He has been a substance abuse counselor in Louisiana since 2016, and he has been in long-term recovery since 2014. Adam has worked with many different populations across the state, and hopes to contribute to research on Collegiate Recovery specifically, as he believes that education, compassion, and support can help recovering people to improve their recovery and educational outcomes substantially. Research is a goal of his, and he hopes to pursue these academic interests in his role at LSU.
Email: asinge6@lsu.edu
Research Assistant, PhD student
Erik Dolgoff, MEd, MCAP, RCP
I am a dedicated third-year Ph.D. candidate enrolled in the esteemed Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State University. My academic journey is under the esteemed co-mentorship of Drs. Bo Cleveland and Alexis Santos, an association that has greatly enriched my research pursuits.
My scholarly pursuits have been supported by a prestigious Graduate Research Assistantship, affording me the privilege to devote my efforts exclusively to the intricate realm of Demography of Recovery. My research interests are deeply rooted in the multifaceted domain of substance use recovery and the intricate factors that underpin the transition to recovery. I am particularly enthusiastic about harnessing clinical and population-based data to elucidate the intricate facets associated with recovery and recovery-oriented interventions.
Prior to embarking on my Ph.D. journey, I earned a Master's degree in Education with a specialization in Human Development from Vanderbilt University. My academic foundation includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Tampa, as well as an Associate of Arts degree from Palm Beach Community College. My commitment to this field extends beyond academia, as I hold credentials as a Master Certified Addiction Professional, Recovery Coach, and S.M.A.R.T. facilitator.
My ongoing research endeavors encompass a comprehensive analysis of national surveys aimed at deciphering the determinants and constraints influencing recovery status. Notable past contributions include the application of confirmatory factor analysis to the BARC-10 (recovery capital) and the utilization of growth curve modeling to examine weekly craving scores using data sourced from Faces and Voices of Recovery.
Email: exd37@psu.edu
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Zane Reese
I'm currently a third year student studying Psychology at Florida State University. With an extensive background in Public Safety, working as a 911 Dispatcher in my professional career, I have always held a passion for serving my community, providing resources to victims, and helping those in need with compassion and empathy. In my academic career, my research and studies focus on social justice reforms, mental health issues, and substance abuse recovery programs. I am currently working towards my Bachelors with aspirations to pursue law school in the future. Outside of my profession and academics, I enjoy photography, gardening, traveling, and cooking. I am currently serving in the lab through the FSU-UROP under Dr. Shore.
Email: zmr23@fsu.edu
Current project: Descriptive database for CRPs