About
Lara Coughlin, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Medical School, and Psychology Faculty Associate, LSA, at the University of Michigan. She received her undergraduate degree at Davidson College in North Carolina and earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Virginia Tech. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Durham VAMC and a NIAAA T32 post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan Addiction Center prior to joining the faculty. She conducts applied behavioral economic research with an emphasis on human choice behavior and decision-making around health and health behavior change. More specifically, she is focused on choices between sooner smaller rewards, such as substance use, and delayed larger rewards, such as benefits of health, educational or career attainment. She investigates substance use and
related behavior patterns within community-based settings with hard-to-reach risk populations, such as people living in rural areas. Current work focuses on remote delivery of interventions and assessment using text messaging and app-based platforms, and exploring behavioral economic risk factors and mechanisms of behavior change among people that misuse substances. Dr. Coughlin is clinically active in the University of Michigan Addiction Treatment Service which provides multidisciplinary, evidence-based approaches to the treatment of substance use disorders.
Recent News Article: https://alert.psychnews.org/2020/10/depression-care-suboptimal-for-patients.html