Randi M. Schuster, PhD is the Director of School-Based Research and Program Development and Director of Neuropsychology in the Center for Addiction Medicine at MGH, and an Assistant Professor in Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Her research focuses on defining the biological and environmental determinants of adolescent nicotine, cannabis, and alcohol use and the mechanisms underlying development of problem substance use particularly in the context of co-morbid psychopathology. She uses this information to develop and evaluate novel targeted, school-based prevention programs for adolescents at risk for progression to problematic substance use. Dr. Schuster currently oversees one of the largest school-based research consortia in the world, involving nearly 150 schools across the Commonwealth.
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This study supports the use of a contingency management intervention as a potentially viable harm reduction strategy for adolescents and young adults not yet ready […] -
Suicidal Thoughts, Psychiatric Symptoms Increased in Adolescents Using Alcohol, Cannabis or NicotinePublished in JAMA Pediatrics, this survey-based study sheds light on the link between substance use and mental health issues among high school students. -
While most adults had a stable pattern of use over the first year, about 13% of the participants in this study had an escalating pattern […] -
Cannabis use disorder symptoms are more common in adults receiving medical cannabis cards, especially in those with anxiety or depressive symptoms. -
Four weeks of incentivized cannabis abstinence among adolescents and young adults was associated with an increase in both the frequency and amount of alcohol used. -
A new NIH-funded study will explore how use of marijuana affects cognition and will focus on how cognition may change when these younger individuals stop […]