Dr. Cottler, Dean’s Professor and Founding Chair of the Department of Epidemiology at the College of Public Health and Health Professions and the College of Medicine at the University of Florida Prior, conducted NIH-funded research in several major areas, including the development of culturally reliable and valid measures for identifying substance use, abuse and dependence, psychiatric disorders and their risk factors.
Dr. Cottler’s work has focused on community-based, peer-delivered interventions to change HIV risk behaviors and substance abuse. She and her team have worked with underrepresented populations, including out-of-treatment crack cocaine and heroin users, seriously heavy drinkers, injection drug users, prescription drug misusers, sex traders, teens, inmate populations, former National Football League players and professionals who are undergoing monitoring for addiction. Dr. Cottler has expanded her community focus to the CTSA Community Engagement Program, first at Washington University as Director and now at the UF CTSI as Co-director. Pertinent to this meeting is her HealthStreet Project, a hub for community outreach to link community residents to social and medical referrals, health messages, and research opportunities. The HealthStreet model has leveraged funding from the Sentinel Network of National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), from NIDA and a GO! Grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). The work extends internationally with WHO, and studies in Sydney, Taipei, Bangalore and Afghanistan. Dr. Cottler’s research has been funded since 1989 by NIDA, NIAAA, NCRR, NINR, NIMH, NHLBI, Pinney Associates and ESPN. She is principal investigator of a Fogarty International Center Training Program partnering with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences in Bangalore, India. Dr. Cottler was at Washington University in the Department of Psychiatry for nearly 31 years.