Rate My Professor R. Lorraine Collins

R. Lorraine Collins, PhD, serves as SUNY Distinguished Professor of Community Health and Health Behavior, Associate Dean for Research, and Director of the Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research in the University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions. A psychologist by training, she obtained her PhD and MS in Psychology from Rutgers University, New Jersey; a BA in Psychology with First Class Honours from McGill University, Montreal, Canada; completed a clinical internship in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington; and held a postdoctoral research associate position in the Department of Psychology at the University of Washington. Prior to her current appointments, Collins was a senior scientist at the University at Buffalo’s Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions for two decades, joining the School of Public Health and Health Professions as Associate Dean for Research in 2008.

Collins has conducted National Institutes of Health-funded addictions research for decades, with a primary focus on emerging and young adults' substance use, including alcohol and marijuana. Her academic interests encompass cognitive and behavioral approaches to the conceptualization, prevention, and treatment of addictive behaviors; psychosocial factors such as gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic status related to substance use and misuse; research methods employing technology, for example, ecological momentary assessment and smartphone apps, for assessment and intervention; and high-risk behaviors linked to substance use, such as intimate partner aggression and condom use. She is an expert in substance abuse and addiction, covering topics including cannabis, malt liquor, drinking restraint, smoking, and women’s issues. Collins maintains professional affiliations with the American Psychological Association, American Public Health Association, Research Society on Alcoholism, and Research Society on Marijuana. Examples of her NIH-funded projects include a study examining risk factors in alcohol abuse and investigations into drug use and problem behaviors in minority youth.