Center for Addiction and Mental Health Research

Heidi Zinzow, Ph.D., Co-Director
hzinzow@clemson.edu

Dr. Zinzow is a Professor and Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the Department of Psychology and Clemson University School of Health Research. She received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Georgia in 2007 and completed an NIMH postdoctoral fellowship in Traumatic Stress at the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Medical University of South Carolina before assuming her faculty appointment at Clemson University in 2008. Dr. Zinzow has authored over 90 publications on trauma and mental health, and her research has been funded by several federal agencies, including NIH, SAMHSA, and NSF. Her research focuses on prevention programs and clinical interventions for trauma and related mental health problems, including PTSD, substance use, and suicidality. She has also conducted research on help-seeking, as well as risk and protective factors for victimization, perpetration, and trauma-related mental health symptoms. Dr. Zinzow is the co-founder of Clemson University’s suicide prevention initiative, Tigers Together to Stop Suicide, is a member of the Administrator Researcher Collaborative on campus sexual misconduct and plays an active role in TIGERS Advance (Faculty Advancement Office) to promote cultural inclusivity and gender equity on campus. Prior research projects include development and testing of 1) a web-based intervention to prevent sexual violence and heavy drinking, 2) a digital app to prevent sexual violence and promote bystander intervention, 3) a suicide prevention advocacy training program, and 4) a mindfulness-based intervention for opioid relapse prevention. Current projects include a campus climate survey to assess sexual misconduct and a brief trauma screening, referral, and sexual violence prevention program for women with substance use disorders.

Alain Litwin, M.D., Co-Director
alitwin@clemson.edu

Dr. Litwin is the Vice Chair of Academics and Research in the Department of Medicine at Prisma Health and University of South Carolina School of Medicine – Greenville where he leads the training and research programs across 19 divisions.  Dr. Litwin is Professor of Medicine at University of South Carolina and Professor of Psychology at Clemson University and serves as the Executive Director of the Prisma Health Addiction Medicine Center and Co-Director of the Clemson Center for Addiction and Mental Health Research. He is board certified in addiction medicine and internal medicine and has been providing substance use disorder and medical care (including HIV and HCV care) to people with substance use disorders and complex social, psychiatric, and medical needs within integrated primary care and substance use treatment programs for 20 years. With funding greater than $50 million, his research, clinical and mentoring activities focus on developing and studying models of care for patients with substance use disorders.  He co-leads the Opioid Council for Prisma Health, the largest health system in South Carolina, and oversee taskforces focused on opioid stewardship, pain management, and addiction treatment. He serves on SC’s Governor’s Opioid Task Force and co-leads the South Carolina Center of Excellence in Addiction. He leads an early career NIH research accelerator program, and has an extensive history of mentoring, leading to 11 career development awards and 9 R01s, and served as the Principal Mentor on three NIDA career development awards and Co-Mentor on two additional NIDA/NIMH awards. Dr. Litwin is an expert in conducting stakeholder-engaged and informed research including engaging people actively using drugs and is the Principal Investigator of PCORI-funded HERO national trial which has 8 local stakeholder groups across 8 states and 1 national stakeholder group. He is  leading or collaborating on 5 current NIH trials that focus on peer recovery support specialists. Dr. Litwin is a Fellow of the fifth class of the Health Innovators Fellowship and  member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

Laura S. Bogardus, Ph.D., Associate Director
lbogard@clemson.edu

Laura S. Bogardus earned a Ph.D. in International Family and Community Studies from Clemson University, an M.A. in Human Behavior and Conflict Management from Columbia College, and a B.A. in Political Science from Miami University. As a doctoral student, she was the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Excellence in Engagement and Social Advocacy Graduate Student Award; the Kimbrough and Melton Parents Award; and the Graduate Student Award of Excellence. A distinguished Marano Fellow of the Aspen Institute's Sector Skills Academy for Innovative Workforce Strategies, Dr. Bogardus is also a Certified Senior Human Resource Professional (SHRM-SCP), a Prosci^R Certified Change Management Practitioner, and is formally trained in the process of civil mediation. Dr. Bogardus’ research and policy interests include fair employment practices, workforce inclusion, and mental health. She has significant experience as an organizational development leader in the nonprofit, private, and public sectors with expertise in board management, program design, and project execution. She serves on the board of Upstate International in Greenville, SC and is an active consultant and supporter of the nonprofit community.

Noah Reynolds, M.S., Project Manager
nreyno3@clemson.edu

Noah earned his M.S. in Social Science from Clemson University. His thesis is entitled: “Unmasking Justice: Racial Disparity Trends in Sentencing Before and After the Covid-19 Pandemic.” Some of his involvements at Clemson included: 1) Tutoring incarcerated students at the Greenville County Detention Center (GCDC), 2) Co-leading a creative inquiry class focused on the experiences of incarcerated individuals, and 3) Collaborating on COSSUP and BJA funded evaluations in the Center for Criminal Justice and Social Research. Noah’s research interests center around recidivism, reentry, and sentencing. Outside of CAMHR, Noah continues to tutor students at GCDC and is actively involved in starting a degree-offering prison education program at Clemson.

Lauren Smalls, Research Assistant
ltsmall@clemson.edu

Lauren earned a B.A. in Psychology from Clemson University. During her time as an undergraduate student at Clemson, she held the positions of President and Secretary of The Association of Minority Psychology Students, served as an intern at Clemson Creative Counseling, and worked as a teaching assistant for the Advanced Experimental Psychology course. Her research interests include mental health and well-being outcomes among adolescent and young adult populations. Lauren also works alongside the creative inquiry team led by Dr. Zinzow on the sexual violence prevention program for women with substance use disorders.