C-BIRG researchers receive $2.3 million NIAAA grant

Researchers from FIU's Community-Based Intervention Research Group (C-BIRG) have been awarded a $2.3 million grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) to conduct a randomized clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of school-based motivational interviewing for reducing alcohol and other drug use among Hispanic adolescents.

The five-year project, titled, "Adolescent Behavior and Lifestyle Evaluation," will be conducted in high schools throughout Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

C-BIRG is an applied research center that has helped hundreds of teenagers conquer problems such as substance abuse, violent behavior and risk behaviors associated with HIV. The group's distinctive approach and client base have made it a national leader in community-based treatment.

Founded in 1998 with the support of Dean Ronald Berkman in the College of Health and Urban Affairs, C-BIRG is a multidisciplinary effort that has attracted more than $10 million in grants since its establishment. It includes five faculty members from the School of Social Work and the Department of Psychology, as well as support staff and a cadre of undergraduate and graduate students from the College of Health and Urban Affairs and the College of Arts and Sciences.

"Our primary goal is to surmount the barriers that have prevented minority and underserved youth and their families from receiving needed services," Wagner said in an FIU Magazine article published earlier this year. "We've worked collaboratively to develop brief, accessible and developmentally and culturally appropriate interventions in community settings."

Principal investigator of this latest initiative is Eric Wagner, director of C-BIRG. Co-investigators include Andres Gil, Jonathan Tubman and Staci Morris. Nacire Garcia is the project coordinator.

For additional information about this project, please contact Garcia by telephone at 305-348-4509 or by email to Nacire.Garcia@fiu.edu.