Dr. Amie Haas: From Campus Prevention to Treatment Innovation

Dr. Amie Haas' journey into substance use research began with what she calls "complete fortune and accident." While initially focused on working with children, a series of influential mentors including Dr. Sandra Brown at UC San Diego and Dr. Mark Goldman at the University of South Florida steered her toward studying youth substance use. A national initiative to reduce college student drinking during her doctoral studies further focused her attention on college alcohol use.

"I view substance use, including disordered use, from a public health perspective," says Dr. Haas, Professor in PAU’s Psychology Department. This perspective has guided her research from its early focus on college alcohol use to her current work examining treatment approaches for opiate and fentanyl use disorder.

Dr. Haas's early research centered on college drinking behaviors, particularly "pregaming" - drinking before events where alcohol may or may not be served. Much of this work was done in collaboration with Bay Area university administrators and was guided by the needs identified by campus leadership and students. This collaboration was critical to identifying where problems lie, and realistic ways to reduce problematic substance use on campus. She continues to teach undergraduate students to stay connected to the population she studies, and has found the connection she makes with them helpful in identifying new substance use issues on college campuses. Many times, they have informed her of emerging substance use problems on campus before the research gets published on the topic. "I've been fortunate that my students have shown so much trust in me," she reflects. This trust enabled her to gather crucial data that influenced university policies and prevention programs.

Her approach to terminology reflects her public health perspective. "I don't like the term addiction," she explains. "I prefer substance misuse, because many of us use substances, for example a drink at happy hour or coffee to wake us up in the morning. Some people can manage those substances in their lives and others struggle." This nuanced understanding has informed her research methodology throughout her career.

One notable study in 2018 revealed unexpected insights through latent profile analysis of pregaming behaviors, which had been previously thought of as ubiquitously risky for students. "One cluster, mostly younger female students, pregamed with their friends because they thought it was protective - that is, they knew what was in their drink if they poured it," Dr. Haas explains. "We labeled this group as ‘risk averse’; however, these students continued to experience alcohol-related problems, like blackouts and engaging in risky behaviors, at similar rates to students who more heavily pregamed.” This finding exemplifies her belief that "people do things for reasons, and it is important to have the curiosity to figure out why."

Now, Dr. Haas is pivoting her research focus to address what she feels is a critical issue today -  the rising rates of opiate and fentanyl use across the country. Through collaboration with a large drug treatment center in Central California, she's examining how current treatment approaches might need to be modified, particularly for individuals using fentanyl. This transition reflects her commitment to addressing pressing public health needs where they are most urgent.

"Our preliminary data shows that fentanyl users are indeed different," she notes. Her team is investigating factors that may complicate treatment for fentanyl users, like how the drug impacts their thinking and decision making as well as the co-occurrence of trauma that many patients experience prior to coming to treatment. She added, “a lot of these people have experienced significant trauma, but very few drug treatment programs address trauma early on." The research aims to make treatments more responsive.

Her research methodology emphasizes stakeholder involvement at every level. "If you want to know, you need to ask the stakeholders," she asserts. This approach includes gathering perspectives from treatment providers and individuals struggling with substance misuse, while recognizing that each perspective contributes to a larger understanding. "I could not have done the work I did with college drinking without students being so open with me," she reflects. She hopes a collaborative approach with drug treatment staff and clients will give her team insight into how drug treatment can be more effective.

Dr. Haas's background in behavioral pharmacology significantly informs her work. "It is important to know why some drugs are harder on the body, why quitting those drugs is harder, and why some people cannot quit those drugs alone," she explains. This knowledge, combined with various statistical approaches, allows for a more comprehensive analysis of treatment programming.

Throughout her career, Dr. Haas has observed that substance use patterns constantly evolve. "You cannot expect the expected," she notes. "Whatever you think you know will change every six months. It may be a new drug, or a new way of doing drugs." This understanding drives her adaptable research approach.

Looking ahead, Dr. Haas has dual aspirations for her current research. First, she aims to improve treatment programs. Many clients go through treatment several times because substance use is so hard to treat. “If we can shave off just one quit attempt, then this will have been a success." Second, she is passionate about mentoring the next generation of researchers and practitioners. "I get such rockstar students," she says proudly. "I want to be able to pay it forward so that their work can continue making an impact in the field." Seven of her students have received travel awards or other honors from APA in the past two years, speaking to the impact these students are already having on the field.

Through her evolving research focus and commitment to practical applications, Dr. Haas continues to exemplify PAU's dedication to addressing critical public health challenges through innovative research and education. Her work bridges the gap between academic research and real-world implementation, always with an eye toward making meaningful improvements in treatment outcomes and prevention strategies.