Rate My Professor Kenneth Griffin

Dr. Griffin’s research examines health risk behaviors among children, adolescents, and young adults, focusing on substance use (including prescription drugs and opioids), violence, sexual violence, bullying, and related behaviors. His translational work includes psychosocial etiology research on risk and protective factors like self-regulation skills, development and testing of preventive interventions via randomized controlled trials, implementation using e-learning, virtual reality, educational games, and hybrid models, and dissemination strategies for evidence-based programs domestically and internationally. He has served as Principal Investigator on 12 federal grants totaling over $10 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIDA, NCI, NIAAA, NICHD, NIMH) and the Department of Defense. Major awards include the Mona Mansell Award for outstanding contributions to the prevention of adolescent alcohol and drug abuse (2016), U.S. Distinguished International Scientist Collaboration Award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2010), Early Career Award from the Society for Prevention Research (2002), and NIH Loan Repayment Program Award (2002–2007). Dr. Griffin has published over 150 peer-reviewed empirical papers and book chapters, including “Using virtual reality technology to prevent substance misuse and violence among university students: A pilot and feasibility study” (2024, Health Informatics Journal), “Long-term behavioral effects of a school-based prevention program on illicit drug use among young adults” (2023, Journal of Public Health Research), “Effectiveness of a hybrid digital substance abuse prevention approach combining e-learning and in-person class sessions” (2022, Frontiers in Digital Health), “Prevention of unwanted sexual contact among cadets at the United States Air Force Academy: A brief small-group intervention” (2021, American Journal of Public Health), and “Preventing adolescent substance use through an evidence-based program: Effects of the Italian adaptation of Life Skills Training” (2017, Prevention Science).