Young Adult Health Program

Adolescent

The Young Adult Health Program focuses on developing and testing behavioral interventions to enhance health among adolescents and emerging adults. The program includes several projects across the continuum of translation including early phase trials, clinical trials, effectiveness trials, and implementation trials. Studies have focused on improving health with behavioral interventions targeting conditions, such as asthma, obesity, diabetes, and HIV among adolescents and young adults. Led by Dr. Karen MacDonell and Dr. Sylvie Naar, the Young Adult Health Program involves internal and external collaborators, multiple funding sources, and its efforts aim to reach local (state of Florida) populations as well as nation-wide and international populations.

Initiatives

Healthy Choices Scale it up: Effectiveness-implementation Tailored Motivational Interviewing FLEX Peer Support Asthma Research

Program Leadership 

Karen MacDonell, PhD, leads the Young Adult Health Program at CTBScience. Dr. MacDonell is an Associate Professor at FSU College of Medicine. She joined CTBScience in 2022. 

Sylvie Naar, PhD, co-leads the Young Adult Health Program. Dr. Naar is the Director at CTBScience and Distinguished and Endowed Professor at FSU College of Medicine. 

Key Publications 

  1.  

*CTBScience Faculty & Staff in bold. 

  1. Giguere R, Fernandez MI, Bauermeister JA, Balán IC, Aryal S, Cheshure A, Green S, Lin W, Morgan J, Naar S. (in press). Young Adult Centered HealthForce Training to increase HIV testing and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) referrals among young sexual minority men in Florida: Protocol for a type 2 implementation-effectiveness hybrid trial with a stepped wedge design. Journal of Medical Internet Research Protocols.

  2. Cunningham PB, Naar S, Roberts JR, Smith-Powell J, Lozano BE, Ledgerwood DM, Armstrong K, Halliday C, Ghosh S. (2024). Study protocol for Clinical Trial of the FIT Families Multicomponent Obesity Intervention for African American Adolescents and Their Caregivers: Next Step from the ORBIT Initiative. BMJ Pediatrics, 14,(2), e074552. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-074552. PMID: 38355187; PMCID: PMC10868253

  3. Dinaj, V., Wang, B., Budhwani, H., Naar, S., & MacDonell, K. K.* (2024). Social ecological model of alcohol use among youth living with HIV. Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 1-15. *Senior author

  4. Naar S, Kimball D, Cain D, Pooler-Burgess M, Rambo S, Chapman J, MacDonell K, Miller R. (2023). Mechanisms of Successful Implementation of Tailored Motivational Interviewing in a Multi-site Study of Youth HIV Clinics in the United States, JAIDS: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 94(4), 325-331. doi:10.1097/QAI.0000000000003291.

  5. Naar S, MacDonell K, Chapman J, Todd L, Wang Y, Sheffler J & Fernandez MI. (2022). Tailored Motivational Interviewing in Adolescent HIV Clinics: Primary Outcome Analysis of a Stepped-Wedge Implementation Intervention Trial. JAIDS. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes 90(1), S74-S83. PMID: 35703758; PMCID: PMC10153471. doi:10.1097/QAI.0000000000002967

  6. Naar S, Parsons J, Stanton BF. (2019). Adolescent trials network for HIV-AIDS Scale It Up program: protocol for a rational and overview. JMIR Research Protocols, 8(2);e11204. PMCID: PMC6376339. doi: 10.2196/11204.