Dr. Lisa Rey Thomas is a Research Scientist at the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute. Dr. Thomas received a degree in clinical psychology from the University of Washington, and completed her clinical internship at the VA Medical Center at American Lake (Tacoma). She is currently a Member-at-Large of the American Psychological Association Division 45 Executive Committee, and past-chair of the APA's Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs (CEMA), as well as Chair of the APA's Division 18, Psychologists in Indian Country Section, and has recently been involved in the People Awakening Project, an NIAAA-funded project at the University of Alaska – Fairbanks studying Alaska Native pathways to sobriety. Dr. Thomas is also Treasurer of the Native Research Network. She is on planning team for the APA 2011 National Multicultural Conference and Summit, which will be held in Seattle. At ADAI, she is Co-Investigator of the Healing of the Canoe project, working with Drs. Dennis Donovan and Heather Lonczak, and PI of the Tribal Healing and Wellness Conference funded by NIH/NCMHD.

Current Projects:

• Tribal Healing and Wellness Conference. This important and unique one and one-half day conference was convened at Kiana Lodge in May 2008, and brought together representatives from among the 29 federally recognized tribes, other American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) agencies, and urban AIAN communities in Washington state. Panel presentations provided information about culturally competent clinical approaches for working with AIAN clients and for conducting ethical, respectful, and effective research with Native Communities. Breakout sessions addressed health disparity and health promotion topics of greatest concern to AIAN communities in Washington. A Final Report is available on hte conference website: http://adai.washington.edu/tribalconference/
  

• The Healing of the Canoe. This three-year project will plan, implement, and evaluate a community-based and culturally-based intervention aimed at connecting Native American youth to their cutlural heritage, as a means to reduce substance abuse and other health problems. The project will be highly collaborative with the Suquamish Tribe, a reservation community in the Pacific Northwest. more...

• National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network - Pacific Northwest Node. A multisite network of regional research and training centers working in conjunction with community-based treatment programs to implement and evaluate behavioral and pharmacological interventions with demonstrated efficacy in community-based programs. (Dr. Thomas works with the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, one of the community treatment programs participating in the Pacific Northwest Node of the CTN.) more...

View all ADAI projects Dr. Thomas has participated in, both current and completed.

Recent and Representative Publications:

1. Thomas LR, Donovan DM, Sigo RLW. Identifying community needs and resources in a Native community: A research partnership in the Pacific Northwest. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction 2010;8(1) (Abstract) [THO 09-03]
   
   
2. Thomas LR, Donovan DM, Sigo RLW, Austin L, Marlatt GA, Suquamish Tribe. The Community Pulling Together: A tribal community-university partnership project to reduce substance abuse and promote good health in a reservation tribal community. Journal of Ethnicity & Substance Abuse 2009;8(3):283-300. [THO 09-02]
   
   
3. Alvarez AN, Blume AW, Cervantes JM, Thomas LR. Tapping the wisdom tradition: Essential elements to mentoring students of color. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice 2009;40(2):181-188. [THO 09-01]
   
   
4. Mohatt GV, Rasmus SM, Thomas LR, Allen J, Hazel K, Marlatt GA. Risk, resilience, and natural recovery: A model of recovery from alcohol abuse for Alaska Natives. Addiction 2007 103:205-215 (Pubmed abstract) [THO 08-01]
   
   
5. Journeys of the Circle Project, Seattle Indian Health Board, Addictive Behaviors Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Washington. Canoe Journey - Life's Journey: A Life Skills Manual For Native Adolescents. Seattle : University of Washington, Addictive Behaviors Research Center, 2002. [Abstract] [THO 06-01]
   
   
6. Mohatt GV, Rasmus SM, Thomas LR, Allen J, Hazel K, Hensel C. "Tied together like a woven hat" : Protective pathways to Alaska Native sobriety. Harm Reduction Journal 2004; 1(10). (Full text) [THO 04-01]

View more publications by Dr. Thomas.

Updated 10/2009
http://depts.washington.edu/adai/staff/thomasbio.htm