Ongoing Projects
COMPASS
COMPASS is an NIH-funded study that will test the efficacy of a mindfulness-based intervention among caregivers of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients. Caregivers will be randomized to one of three treatment conditions and caregiver burden, patient distress, and patient healthcare utilization will be examined.
Funding Source: R01CA255265 (Efficacy of a Mindfulness-based Management Program for Allogeneic HCT Caregivers)
Project ARC
ARC (App for Reducing Cravings) is an NIH-funded study that will test the efficacy of a mobile application to reduce cigarette cravings of smokers who have recently quit. The app uses augmented reality to repeatably present virtual smoking triggers in the environments where the participant used to smoke until cravings are extinguished. The app is designed to be used with other smoking cessation treatments. Smokers who have contacted the Florida Tobacco Quitline will be randomly assigned to either a version of the app with augmented reality sessions, or one that only tracks their cigarette use and urges.
Funding Source: R01DA055298 (Augmented Reality as an Adjunct to Quitline Counseling for Smoking Cessation)
Completed Projects
Tobacco Use and Smoking Cessation Projects
Project DART
Project DART is an NIH-funded study that will use augmented reality (AR) in an effort to circumvent existing limitations of traditional extinction paradigms for cigarette craving. AR uses a computer-made image that is inserted into a real-word environment. Using smartphones, participants will view smoking-related and neutral AR images and will report their urge to smoke over several trials. The long-term goal of this project is to determine whether these strategies ultimately reduce craving and whether AR could be used an adjunct to traditional smoking cessation services (e.g., the quitline).
Funding Source: R34DA047598 (Utilizing Augmented Reality as an Adjunct for Smoking Cessation: Development and Initial Validation)
Project RISE
This study is a NIH-funded study that will first modify an existing mindfulness-based group intervention, Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP), to target both smoking abstinence and the reduction of alcohol use as a primary treatment option. We will then compare this modified treatment (MBRP-SA) to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to establish feasibility and acceptability, while also collecting descriptive data that will be analyzed to track trends that may reveal information useful in development of a large-scale trial.
Funding Source: R34AT009689 (Development of a Mindfulness-Based Treatment for the Reduction of Alcohol Use and Smoking Cessation)
Time2Quit
Time2Quit is a NIH-funded study that attempts to improve physical health that can be affected through tobacco use, as well as emotional well-being by utilizing mindfulness-based strategies. This feasibility study examines the effects of delivering mindfulness strategies via smartphones on key mechanisms underlying smoking cessation among low socioeconomic status, racially/ethnically diverse smokers. Specifically, participants will wear human sensing technology (AutoSense) that detects the experience of stress and smoking behaviors, in order to determine whether delivering mindfulness strategies at specific moments aids in cessation.
Funding Source: R00MD010468 (Applying mHealth to Tobacco-related Health Disparities: Enhancing Aspects of Resiliency to Aid Cessation Efforts)
Understanding how Hispanic/Latinos’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior about Mindfulness Relate to Cancer-Risk Behaviors
To date, very little research on mindfulness has been conducted among Hispanic/Latino populations, despite mindfulness showing much promise for behavior change. The purpose of this study is to broaden the understanding of mindfulness and health among persons with a Hispanic/Latino background by attempting to better understand the uses of mindfulness practices and the general degree of mindfulness among this population. The study will collect data via an online survey about mindfulness practices, trait mindfulness, cancer-risk behaviors, and demographics among various sub-ethnic groups of Hispanics/Latinos.
Caregiving Projects
FOCUS: A Mindfulness-Based Intervention for HCT Cancer Caregivers
The primary aim of this study is to develop and pilot test a mindfulness-based program for caregivers of allogeneic onomatopoetic stem cell transplant patients to examine changes on variables associated with reduced stress. We will evaluate benchmarks of feasibility and acceptability of the program as well as collect and analyze data on variables associated with reduced stress.
A Qualitative Study of HCT Caregivers’ Preferences for a Mindfulness-Based Stress Management Program
This study’s objective was to discuss mindfulness-based stress management programs with caregivers of individuals undergoing allogenic hematopoietic cell transplants (HCT) in effort to determine what strategies would be most useful to caregivers during the patient’s transplant period. This study gathered information to determine what stress management coping strategies caregivers most commonly used and found to be most helpful, whether caregivers would be willing to participate in a mindfulness-based stress management program, and the most optimal and convenient time for the delivery of such a program.
AutoFOCUS
AutoFOCUS tested a novel, mindfulness-based program (FOCUS) among autologous hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) caregivers. We recruited caregivers of patients undergoing an autologous transplant to receive their feedback on the program, as well as to measure benchmarks of feasibility and acceptability.