Funding
Discrimination Based on Socioeconomic Status and Substance Use Among Adolescents. Dr. Mello (PI) received $465,000 (1R16DA061947) to conduct research that will address three specific aims: To (1) examine how adolescents’ experiences with SES discrimination intersect with discrimination based on race/ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation, (2) determine how SES discrimination is associated with substance use in adolescents, controlling for discrimination based on race/ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation, and (3) investigate how associations between SES discrimination and substance use are moderated by subgroups, including SES, race/ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. : Dr. Mello (PI) received $249,734 to investigate the relationships between academic achievement and classism among adolescents (Grant Number: 231785, 2023-2025). The proposed research has three objectives: (1) to discover adolescents' school-specific perceived discrimination based on social class, (2) to develop a new scale of perceived discrimination based on social class for adolescents, (3) to validate a new scale of perceived discrimination based on social class for adolescents.
EAGER: Developing a New Tool to Measure Discrimination Based on Social Class for Adolescents:. Dr. Mello (PI) received the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates supplement of $15,000 (Grant Number: 2317285).
Tobacco Use and Perceived Discrimination Based on Socioeconomic Status Among Adolescents: Dr. Mello (PI) received $766,734 to investigate the relationships between tobacco use and perceived discrimination based on socioeconomic status among adolescents (Grant Number: T32IP4744, 2022-2024). The study has three aims: (1) to identify the dimensions (forms, targets, and sources) of perceived discrimination based on SES that are most important to adolescents, (2) to examine the associations among perceived discrimination based on SES and tobacco use, including multiple tobacco products and co-use with other substances in adolescents, and (3) to determine subgroups of adolescents with distinct patterns of perceived discrimination based on SES and to investigate the associations between subgroups and tobacco use.
Cornelius Hopper Diversity Supplement: Adam Suri (Graduate Research Assistant) and Dr. Mello (PI) was awarded $20,000 from the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (Grant Number: T32IP4744, 2024-2025).
Cornelius Hopper Diversity Supplement: Busra Dogru (Graduate Research Assistant) and Dr. Mello (PI) was awarded $20,000 from the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (Grant Number: T32IP4744, 2024-2025).
Cornelius Hopper Diversity Supplement: Manuel Abundis-Morales (Graduate Research Assistant) and Dr. Mello (PI) was awarded $20,000 from the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (Grant Number: T32IP4744, 2024-2025).
Completed Research Projects
Cornelius Hopper Diversity Supplement: Dayanne Liseth Herrera Suarez (Graduate Research Assistant) and Dr. Mello (PI) was awarded $20,000 from the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (Grant Number: T32IP4744, 2022-2023).
Cornelius Hopper Diversity Supplement: Tiffany Wong (Undergraduate Research Assistant) and Dr. Mello (PI) was awarded $20,000 from the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (Grant Number: T32IP4744, 2022-2023)
Cornelius Hopper Diversity Supplement: İlke Bayazıtlı (Graduate Research Assistant) and Dr. Mello (PI) was awarded $20,000 from the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (Grant Number: T31IP1855, 2022-2023).
Cornelius Hopper Diversity Supplement: Jo Nisa Cabilogan (Undergraduate Research Assistant) and Dr. Mello (PI) was awarded $20,000 from the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (Grant Number: T31IP1855, 2022-2023).
Cornelius Hopper Diversity Supplement: Betsy Centeno (Graduate Research Assistant) and Dr. Mello (PI) was awarded $20,000 from the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (Grant Number: T31IP1855, 2022-2023).
Racial and Gender Discrimination, Tobacco Use, and Time Perspective Among Adolescents: Dr. Mello (PI) received $619,228 to investigate the relationships among (a) tobacco use and co-use, (b) perceived discrimination based on race/ethnicity, immigration status, and gender, and (c) time perspective defined as thoughts and feelings about the past, present, and future (Grant Number: T31IP1855, 2020-2023). The study has three aims: to (1) examine how adolescents’ perceived discrimination is associated with tobacco use, (2) determine how these relationships are moderated by time perspective, and (3) develop a preliminary curriculum based on this research that is informed by the community.