C.E. CHAD WERCH, PH.D.
Professor
Director, Addictive & Health Behaviors Research Institute
Ph.D. in health and safety education, University of Wisconsin-Madison (1983)
M.S. in education, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (1979)
B.S. in education, University of Wisconsin-Stout (1976)
Curriculum Vitae

Office:		Addictive & Health Behaviors Research Institute
Address:		7800 Belfort Parkway, Suite 270 Jacksonville, FL 32256
Contact:		(904) 281-0726 ext. 107 cwerch@hhp.ufl.edu

Biography:

Chad Werch, Ph.D., is currently Director of the University of Florida’s Addictive & Health Behaviors Research Institute and a visiting scientist at Mayo Clinic. Werch has been awarded over $14.7 million in funding to study adolescent substance abuse and is currently Principal Investigator on three National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants examining the efficacy of brief interventions for preventing drug abuse among at-risk youth. He has had NIH funding as a Principal Investigator since 1992, and has published 100 refereed and invited journal papers and book chapters. He has developed and tested over a dozen prevention interventions, two of which received Model Exemplary Program Awards from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

He has conducted numerous randomized community trials providing over 8,000 children, adolescents and young adults with prevention and health promotion interventions. This research has supplied critical health services to a broad range of at-risk youth, while examining strategies and mechanisms for enhancing their well-being and personal development. These studies have evaluated innovative approaches found to significantly reduce alcohol, tobacco, and drug use and problems, while increasing physical activity, nutritious eating, sleep, stress management, self-control, perceived health status and personal goal setting among participating adolescents and young adults.

The American School Health Association recognized Werch for Outstanding Contributions to Drug Abuse Prevention and again with the Outstanding Researcher Award. Werch is a past President and current Fellow of the American Academy of Health Behavior. He is also a Fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine. His work currently focuses on the development and testing of brief, image-based multiple behavior health interventions for at-risk adolescents and young adults.

Research Interests:

• • Brief and multiple behavior health intervention
• • Alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse etiology, prevention and intervention
• • Theoretical models of health behavior, health promotion and addictions
• • Behavioral health assessment, evaluation and research