The STARR Lab is directed by Dr. Melissa Lewis and Dr. Dana Litt. Together, they lead a team of faculty affiliates, postdoctoral fellows, and students committed to reducing substance use and related risks among youth and young adults. Their work spans prevention science, intervention design, implementation science, and community-engaged research.
Dr. Melissa A. Lewis received her doctorate in Health and Social Psychology from North Dakota State University in 2005. She also holds MS and BS degrees in Psychology from Montana State University. Following graduate school, she completed a National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) T32 postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Washington’s Center for the Study of Health and Risk Behaviors.
From 2007 to 2017, Dr. Lewis was a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington. In 2018, she joined the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) School of Public Health, where she served as Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Advancement until transitioning to her current role as Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Dr. Lewis’ research focuses on understanding why adolescents and young adults engage in health-risk behaviors and leveraging that knowledge to develop interventions that reduce harm. Her work centers on the dual-processing nature of decisions related to health-risk behaviors, providing critical insights into protective and risk factors. Her scholarly pursuits aim to inform theoretically sound and efficacious interventions addressing alcohol use, risky sexual behavior, and sexual victimization.
A key focus of her research is on the consequences linked to alcohol use and risky sexual behavior during adolescence and young adulthood, emphasizing the importance of addressing these health-risk behaviors during formative years. Dr. Lewis is driven by questions about why young individuals engage in or persist with risky behaviors, the factors influencing their vulnerability to negative outcomes, and how this knowledge can guide intervention development.
Now at UTA’s School of Social Work, Dr. Lewis continues her work with a strong emphasis on community-engaged research and implementation science. Her research is dedicated to enhancing the adoption of evidence-based interventions for alcohol and related risks within Texas communities, with the goal of addressing social problems related to substance use, supporting individuals and families, and strengthening community organizations and the broader communities they serve.
Throughout her career, Dr. Lewis has been an advocate for modern, technology-driven health services to expand prevention and intervention measures for adolescents and young adults. Her work reflects a deep commitment to public health impact, emphasizing the importance of scalable, evidence-based approaches to reduce health disparities and improve well-being.
Dr. Dana M. Litt earned her PhD in Applied Social Psychology from The George Washington University in 2010 and holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Miami. After graduate school, she completed a T32 postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Washington’s Center for the Study of Health and Risk Behaviors, funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).
From 2012 to 2017, Dr. Litt was a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington. In 2018, she joined the University of North Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health, where she served as the MS and PhD Program Director before moving to her current position as a Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Dr. Litt’s theory-driven research primarily focuses on examining decision-making processes behind why adolescents and young adults engage in health-risk behaviors, particularly alcohol use, and applying this knowledge to develop, test, and implement effective interventions at both the individual and family levels. A majority of her research explores the role of social influences, both offline (such as parental and peer pressures) and online (social media), in shaping decisions about alcohol use. By understanding the nature and impact of these social influences, she works to design and implement developmentally and culturally appropriate alcohol interventions in local communities.
Across all of her work, Dr. Litt prioritizes community-engaged research and implementation science with the ultimate goals of addressing substance use, supporting individuals and families, and strengthening academic and community partnerships.
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