Catherine Paquette, a graduate student in Clinical Psychology, received a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
The purpose of the Kirschstein NRSA Predoctoral Fellowship Award is to enable promising predoctoral students to obtain individualized, mentored research training from outstanding faculty sponsors while conducting dissertation research in scientific health-related fields. Research training is expected to enhance the individual’s potential to develop into a productive, independent research scientist.
Under this fellowship, Catherine will test the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a low-threshold behavioral substance use intervention for people who inject drugs (PWID) through a pilot randomized trial. Catherine’s study will be the first to examine the use of this intervention among non-treatment-seeking individuals who use drugs. If effective, this treatment approach could help fill an important gap in services for PWID, who are at risk of severe health-related harms and are typically excluded from traditional treatment services prior to achieving abstinence.