TOBACCO, HEALTH,

AND DRINKING

LABORATORY

at Oklahoma State University

Investigating how and why people change habits that put their health at risk,

and how we can help people make healthy changes.

RS734_Horizontal white text - Psychology

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About Us

The THAD Laboratory conducts innovative clinical health research that enhances our understanding of when, why, and how people make important health behavior changes. We apply that knowledge to develop and test more effective interventions to help people overcome ambivalence and find the motivation to change. With a focus on high-risk health habits like smoking, binge drinking, and drug use, our research is informed theoretically by transtheoretical models, social learning models, and self-determination models of behavior change, and informed clinically by motivational enhancement and personalized feedback approaches to brief interventions. The lab also seeks to utilize technology to develop effective e-interventions that can be disseminated easily via the web or other means to ensure greater reach on impacting public health problems.

MAKING HEADLINES

OSU research aims to describe vaping's effects on college students (O'Colly, October 2019)

Traditional and electronic cigarettes linked to poor sleep (Association for the Advancement of Science, Sept. 2019)

Tips for enjoying the holidays (The Oklahoman, December 2018)

Why do only some people get blackout drunk? (BBC, June 2018)

OSU student studies effects of alcohol and hookah use (Oklahoma Gazette, Sept. 2016)

Graduate student to study hookah smoking (The Oklahoman, July 2016)

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MEET THE TEAM

THAD LEFFINGWELL, PH.D.

Lab Director

University of Washington, Ph.D., 2000

Universitiy of Arizona, M.S., 1995

Southwestern College (KS), B.A., 1992

Dr. Leffingwell is a clinical health psychologist and Professor and Head of the Department of Psychology. Dr. Leffingwell teaches courses in health psychology (PSYC 4163), the psychology of substance use (PSYC 6143), and behavior therapy (PSYC 6083). He is an award-winning teacher and a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers.

EMILY WARNER

Doctoral Student

University of Nebraska, B.S. 2017

Oklahoma State University, M.S., 2022

Emily is a fifth-year clinical psychology graduate student from Omaha, NE. She attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Here at OSU, Emily's research interests include prescription drug misuse among college students, and substance use outcomes experienced by minority students. Emily hopes to continue onto a career in behavioral health at a medical center.

HANNAH APPLESETH

Doctoral Student

Buena Vista University, B.A. 2018

University of Minnesota - Duluth, M.A., 2021

Hannah is a third-year clinical psychology graduate student from Iowa. She attended Buena Vista University where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology prior to earning an M.A. in Psychological Science at the University of Minnesota - Duluth. Here at OSU, her research interests focus on examining the dynamics of substance use through a multilevel perspective, focusing on the family system, healthcare access, and state-level policies. She plans to pursue a career in research at an academic medical center.

GRACE WALKER

Doctoral Student

Oklahoma State University, B.S., 2023

Grace is a first-year clinical psychology graduate student from Tulsa, OK. She attended Oklahoma State University where she earned a B.S. in Psychology. Her research interests focus on acute and chronic effects of substance use on marginalized populations, particularly Native American communities. Grace hopes to have a career with Native communities, possibly with tribal health centers.