The Substances and Sexual Health Lab at Yale

Directed by Dr. Ijeoma Opara, Assistant Professor of Public Health in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Yale School of Public Health

Mission

The SASH Lab at Yale is focused on conducting and disseminating strengths-based youth substance use and HIV prevention research. Our mission involves creating programs and solutions that are tailored for specific communities and youth of color.

SASH Lab research priorities include:

(1) Reducing substance use/misuse among racial-ethnic minority youth

(2) Preventing STIs and HIV incidence among racial-ethnic minority youth

(3) Developing prevention initiatives and programs that are shaped by the voices of racial-ethnic minority youth

The SASH Lab is guided by 3 Key Principles

HIGHLIGHTING STRENGTHS AND MOVING AWAY FROM A DEFICIT LENS

INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF RACIAL-ETHNIC PRIDE IN PREVENTION

ACKNOWLEDGING RACE & GENDER DIFFERENCES IN PREVENTION

News

Drinking tonight? Here’s how much alcohol is too much – and how to avoid holiday binging

One seemingly unsolvable puzzle during the holidays is cracking the code for the right amount of alcohol to consume. And by right amount, drinking fans

InvestiDate: A Video Game Empowering Black Teens to Prioritize Their Health

amien is knowledgeable about sexually transmitted infections (STIs), open to serious conversations about sex, has questionable taste in music, and won’t stop talking about his

Pandemic Fatigue Is Setting In: Here’s How to Cope

COVID-19 restrictions have been a way of life for months now, and the infection shows no sign of slowing down. As we become used to

Ijeoma Opara becomes a social working trailblazer

The daughter of Nigerian immigrants, Ijeoma Opara was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. Her first name means “safe journey” in Igbo, the language of

I’m a Public Health Expert and I Had Concerns About Vaccines, Too. Here’s Why I Trust Them.

Dr. Ijeoma Opara is an assistant professor at Yale School of Public Health and the director of the Substance Abuse and Sexual Health Lab, which focuses on

Funded scholarship

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In grants and contracts from state and federal agencies and foundations to support scholarship on youth substance use and HIV prevention

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Scholarly publications including academic journals, reports, and policy briefs

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Scholarly presentations including keynotes, panels, and research talks

Recent Publications

Strong Black Women: Stress, overeating, and health disparities among a sample of Black Female College Students.

Godbolt, D., Opara, I., & Amutah-Onukagha, N. (2022).

What Happens When We Ask? A Phenomenological Focus Group on HIV Prevention and Sexual Health Education Among Emancipated Foster Care Youth.

Opara, I., Lizarraga, A., Lardier D.T., Jr., Herrera, A., Garcia-Reid, P., & Reid, R.J. (2022).

Socioemotional factor: A missing gap in theorizing and studying Black heterosexual coupling processes and relationships

Awosan, C. I., & Opara, I. (2021).

Progresses and challenges in utilizing traditional birth attendants in maternal and child health in Nigeria

Amutah-Onukagha. N., Rodriguez. M., Opara, I., Gardner, M., Assan, M., Hammond, R., Plata, J., Pierre, K., & Farran, E. (2021)

The effects of school-based discrimination on adolescents of color sexual health outcomes: A social determinants approach

Respress, B., Amutah-Onukagha, N., & Opara, I. (2022).

Examining African American parent-daughter HIV risk communication using a Black feminist-ecological lens: Implications for Intervention

Opara, I. (2022)