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PEAR

Program of Excellence in Addictions Research (PEAR)

Dr. John Roll, an internationally recognized expert in the field of drug and alcohol abuse, founded the Program of Excellence in Addictions Research (PEAR) in 2006. Dr. Sterling McPherson is the current PEAR director. PEAR manages a budget of research funding from a diverse set of funding streams and houses some of WSU Spokane’s largest health science projects, including RMHSAT and CATCH, and is nationally and internationally affiliated with more than 30 investigators. This transdisciplinary addiction science program angles in disciplinary representation from health policy and economics to experimental pharmacotherapeutics and human toxicology. PEAR’s mission is to advance innovative, scientifically rigorous approaches to the understanding, treatment, and prevention of addictions.

Publications & Grants
Areas of Scholarship
Our Team

Mission

The mission of the Program of Excellence in Addictions Research (PEAR) is to advance innovative, scientifically rigorous approaches to the understanding, treatment, and prevention of addictions. We accomplish this by:

  • Conducting transdisciplinary research in interrelated areas
  • Training future scholars and clinicians
  • Promoting active participation of program affiliates in relevant policy arenas

Areas of Scholarship

A close-up of a doctor handing pills to another patient.

Behavioral Pharmacology 

A branch of pharmacology concerned with the physiological and behavioral mechanisms by which drugs operate. This encompasses not only the effects of drugs on behavior but also how behavioral factors contribute to the actions of drugs and the ways in which they are used.

Researcher looking at images of a brain scan on a computer.

Health-Related Behavioral Therapies  

Behavioral therapies under investigation that are designed to improve health related to substance use and mental health.

A drink with a spilled pill bottle in front of it.

Clinical Epidemiology of Mental Health & Drug & Alcohol Abuse  

The investigation of long-term trajectories of mental health and substance use in order to better understand their etiology and progression, potential disparities, as well as unique risk factor and protective factors.

Two researchers are looking at a computer wearing masks.

Pharmacotherapy Trials 

The investigation of emerging therapeutics for the treatment of addiction, often in combination with behavioral therapies and technology.

Overlooking the rolling hills of a wheat field.

Rural Behavioral Health 

The study of behavioral health among rural communities throughout the world in an effort to better understand possible innovations that could better serve their unique needs.