Lori Holleran-Steiker, PhD, ACSW
Lori Holleran Steiker, Ph.D., ACSW is a Distinguished Professor and the Steve Hicks Professor of Addictions & Substance Abuse Services at the University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work and the
Associate Dean and Director of Instruction, Engagement & Wellness for University of Texas at Austin’s School of Undergraduate Studies
Dr. Lori Holleran Steiker, an addictions therapist (30+ years) turned educator/scholar works to create the best possible education, support, and interdisciplinary projects at and beyond UT. Dr. Holleran Steiker has over 100 peer-reviewed publications and three books, including her text, Youth and Substance Use: Prevention, Intervention and Recovery (2016) and Substance Abusing Latinos: Current Research on Epidemiology, Prevention and Treatment (co-authors, De la Rosa & Ashenberg-Straussner, 2005).
Dr. Holleran Steiker is nationally known for her research, leadership, and scholarship in the area of youth and young adult substance misuse, SUD, and recovery. Starting in 2003, she had an NIH National Institute of Drug Abuse K01 Mentored Research Scientist award and she used this to pursue mentorship and conduct culturally grounded substance abuse prevention programs (tested quasi-experimentally at 10 sites).
Dr. Holleran Steiker established the data gathering protocol at University High School and has also conducted qualitative data on families at UHS to inform practices. Dr. Holleran Steiker was the initiator and Director of the 2017-18 UT Pop Up Institute, funded ($50,000) by varied UT departments and the VP of Research, entitled, “Toward Solving the Problem of Substance Misuse & Addiction among Youth and Emerging Adults” (https://sites.utexas.edu/youthsubstancemisuse/). She has worked with SAMHSA, Communities for Recovery, and Cardea Research to enhance evidence and awareness of the needs of women, young women, adolescent girls, and young children. She also worked with a multidisciplinary team at UT Austin, UT San Antonio, and the VA to explore prevention interventions for student veterans. See https://socialwork.utexas.edu/directory/lori-k-holleran-steiker/ for links and descriptions of her research projects.
Regarding Opioid response and Overdose prevention, Dr. Holleran Steiker spearheaded overdose prevention and response initiatives on the University of Texas campus, serving as Co-Investigator of the Texas Targeted Opioid Response (TTOR) grants with over $10 million to address the Opioid Crisis and prevent drug overdoses (PI, Lucas Hill). She helped found and serve as Co-Director of the Interdisciplinary OperationNaloxone providing overdose prevention and response education to students, health professionals, and the public to combat the opioid crisis using harm reduction strategies. She is an expert called upon readily in Texas for being a system connector among professionals, services and agencies. She helped start the Austin Recovery Network and has Chaired and served on the Board of the Texas Harm Reduction Alliance. She builds bridges, advocacy and reduction of stigma around Harm Reduction work and related initiatives.
Dr. Holleran Steiker has served as the faculty liaison for the University of Texas at Austin’s Center for Students (CSR) in Recovery since its inception in 2004 and assisted with the expansion to all 9 UT campuses when supported by Regents. Dr. Holleran Steiker is the Chair of the Steve Hicks Endowment Addictions Advisory Committee. She is founder and member of the leadership team of SHIFT UT (https://shift.utexas.edu/), an initiative to change the UT culture around Substance Use Safety, Prevention, Harm Reduction and Wellness (foundation funded as of Fall, 2018 for $3.4 million). Her Signature Course, “Young People and Drugs” is in high demand, and she teaches this Signature Course to 150-275 undergraduate and transfer students each year. She presented “Innovative Addiction Solutions” for the University Lecture Series (ULS) in Spring, 2018 (Watch the lecture).
Contact Information: lorikay@mail.utexas.edu
Beth Hutton, MS, LPC
Beth Hutton, MS, LPC is the Project Manager for the Programs Division of the Addiction Research Institute (ARI) at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work for the University of Texas at Austin. Additionally, she is a Technology Transfer Specialist (TTS) for New Mexico in Region 6 of the Opioid Response Network (ORN), an initiative funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
In these roles, she oversees the delivery of training and technical assistance, the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based practices, and multiple related projects that support the substance use and peer workforces. The primary goal of this work is to coordinate education, training, technical assistance and mentorship for individuals, organizations, and state agencies to bring evidence-based and best-practice prevention, treatment and recovery supports to local communities to address substance use issues and aid in the mitigation of the number of overdoses. Beth has more than 30 years’ experience in substance use and mental health services. She strives to ensure that providers have the training, tools and resources needed to implement evidence-based and promising-practice services to their communities. Particular areas of interest include reducing stigma and other barriers to treatment and recovery support services; promoting equitable delivery of services to marginalized communities; and educating communities to reduce the number of substance use overdoses.
Contact Information: b.hutton@austin.utexas.edu
Maureen Nichols
Maureen Nichols, BA, is Director of the South Southwest Addiction Technology Transfer Center (SSWATTC), at the Addiction Research Institute in the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at the University of Texas Austin. She oversees the SSW ATTC’s strategies to accelerate the adoption and implementation of evidence‐based addiction treatment and recovery-oriented practices and improve the knowledge and skills of the behavioral health workforce. The South Southwest ATTC is funded by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and serves Region 6 (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas). She is also Principal Investigator and Director for multiple grants and contracts within the Addiction Research Institute, providing leadership for ARI’s role in the national Opioid Response Network and the Peer Recovery Center of Excellence, as well as ARI’s work with Texas HHSC related to statewide peer recovery support training and technical assistance. Ms. Nichols has a Bachelor of Arts in History from Grinnell College. She has twenty-five years of experience in substance use program development and evaluation at the state and community level. Her professional areas of focus include systems change and quality improvement, technology transfer, and mental health and substance use recovery.
The Addiction Research Institute (ARI), housed within the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at the University of Texas, focuses on issues related to substance-use disorder prevalence, treatment and long-term, healthy functioning free from addictions. Based on a social work perspective, ARI projects focus on factors that influence resilience and recovery at the individual, family, organizational, societal, and cultural levels. Through agreements with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, ARI provides a variety of Recovery Support Services trainings, including Medication-Assisted Recovery Services (MARS), Certified MAT Advocate (CMA), Core, Recovery Support Peer Specialist (RSPS), Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) and Harm Reduction.
The South-Southwest Addiction Technology Transfer Center (SSW ATTC) is located in the Addiction Research Institute at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work in Austin, TX. We are funded by SAMHSA to help people and organizations implement effective practices for substance use disorder treatment and recovery services. In addition, we work with higher education institutions through an educational consortium to support incorporation of evidence-based practices into addictions curricula. We serve Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and American Indian Tribes and Communities (Health & Human Services Region 6).
Contact Information: mnichols@austin.utexas.edu