Zachary W. Adams, PhD

Much of my research falls into two broad categories:

The first set of projects involves developing and testing new intervention models (such as therapies that target multiple problems in an integrative fashion) and technology-based tools (mobile applications, web-based platforms) to make mental health treatments more efficient, accessible, and effective for youth and families.  We also study how best to implement evidence-based treatment programs to maximize their benefit to patients, families, and communities.

The second set of projects focus on refining our understanding of how co-occurring mental health problems develop in childhood and adolescence, particularly among youth exposed to violence, disasters, and other traumatic and adverse events.  We accomplish this through a variety of methods ranging from laboratory-based studies investigating neurocognitive and psychosocial mechanisms associated with mental health and substance use problems to large-scale epidemiological surveys characterizing the how common certain experiences are and what factors are associated with them. 

Collectively, these projects have been funded through several internal and external sources, including grants awarded to my collaborators and me by NIDA, NIMH, NIAAA, SAMHSA, the Anthem Foundation, the State of Indiana, and Indiana University.

I collaborate closely with other IUSM colleagues through the Adolescent Behavioral Health Research Program as well as investigators at Medical University of South Carolina, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, and other institutions.

Lab website: Adams Lab

General interests: Evidence-based assessment and psychotherapy for child and adolescent mental health concerns; adolescent substance use disorder; integrated treatments for co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders  (e.g., ENCOMPASS, Risk Reduction through Family Therapy); Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

I provide clinical care and supervise clinical learners in the Adolescent Dual Diagnosis Program within the Riley Child & Adolescent Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic.  I serve as rotation director for the Addictions track of the IUSM Clinical Psychology Internship Program and Director of the IUSM Addictions Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship.  

I am Co-Director of the Indiana Behavioral Health Access Program for Youth (Be Happy), a statewide pediatric mental healthcare access program that offers free, timely provider-to-provider consultations between pediatric primary care providers and child and adolescent psychiatrists to help them manage their patients’ mental health needs close to home.  

Our team also offers continuing education programming for community providers through our various ECHO programs (e.g., Indiana OUD ECHO, Child & Adolescent Mental Health ECHO, Teen Vaping ECHO, NAS/NOWS ECHO) and Amplifying Community Capacity for Evidence Supported Services (ACCESS) programs (e.g., MET/CBT, Contingency Management, Multisystemic Therapy).