Research Centers

Center for Addiction Research and Education

The Center works to further addiction science in a variety of addiction science fields and disciplines at the University of Florida.

Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment

The Center provides centralized and state of the art transdisciplinary diagnostic and clinical treatment services for children and adults with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Center for Autism and Related Disabilities

CARD provides support and assistance with the goal of optimizing the potential of people with autism and related disabilities.

Center for OCD, Anxiety, and Related Disorders

COARD is an interdisciplinary group of researchers and clinicians who conduct clinical and translational research in obsessive compulsive and anxiety disorders at the University of Florida.

Research Initiatives

FRC Pottash Research Initiative

The Initiative uses state of the art treatment outcome studies to collect data for the improved understanding of the disease and treatment development.

UF Health Florida Recovery Center

Research Labs

Addiction Research

Neurocognitive Laboratory

The Neurocognitive Laboratory is directed by Sara Jo Nixon, PhD. Dr. Nixon uses neurobehavioral methods and models to examine the acute and chronic effects of alcohol and other drugs in her laboratory.

OCD & Anxiety Research

FEAR Lab

The Florida Exposure and Anxiety Research (FEAR) Lab studies recruit participants from real-world clinical programs and tracks outcomes to improve the assessment and treatment of individuals with OCD and anxiety disorders.

Genetics and Epidemiology Research

PGENeS Lab

Program in Genetics and Epidemiology of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms (PGENeS) studies the genetic and environmental causes of Tourette Syndrome and OCD. As well as neuropsychological correlates of compulsive hoarding.

Clinical Trials

Introduction

Choosing to participate in a clinical trial is an important decision. The following frequently asked questions provide introductory information about clinical trials. It is also helpful to talk to a physician, family members, or friends about deciding to join a trial. The decision to enter a clinical trial or not is always up to you. Anything you decide will, of course, be personal and will depend upon your interests, needs, and expectations about research. After identifying some trial options, the next step is to contact the study research staff and ask questions about specific trials.

The Clinical Trial Volunteer’s Bill of Rights

Points to Remember

• Clinical trials are tests of medical treatments to see if they are safe and if they work.
• Before you agree to take part in a study, you must be given complete information about the study, including possible side effects and benefits.
• You must sign a special agreement called “Informed Consent” before taking part in the study.
• You can leave the study at any time.

Do you work in a Healthcare setting?

Researchers at the University of Florida are conducting a study to understand the effects that COVID-19 has on the mental health of people who work in a healthcare setting.

Study Participation

This study includes completing an online survey involving a series of questionnaires. (About 20 minutes or less).

We are looking for volunteers who are:

• Healthcare workers and front line staff including, but not limited to:
  • Clinicians (physicians, dentists, nurses, psychologists)
  • Technicians (radiology, respiratory, etc.)
  • Custodial staff
  • Medical students
  • Medical residents
  • Social workers
  • Transport staff
• 18 years or older

If interested please email or call our research team at PGENeS@hsc.ufl.edu or 352-294-5564

Suffering from OCD?

• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders (OCD) is characterized by unwanted thoughts and fears that lead to compulsive behaviors.
• Researchers at the University of Florida Department of Psychiatry are conducting a clinical trail to determine the effectiveness of Trigriluzole as an adjunct treatment for OCD symptoms.
• This study is looking for people diagnosed with OCD for at least one year who have not found enough relief from their current OCD medication will be taken adjunctively (in combination) with their current prescribed medication.

Participants must be:

• 18-65 years of age
• Able to commit to 6 visits over a 14 week time period
• Qualified participants will receive study-related evaluations and investigational medication at no cost. Compensation for time and travel is included.

For more information, please contact Dana Mason at 352-273-8540 or at dmason@ufl.edu

Feeling down or blue?

Are you feeling isolated during quarantine and interested in trying an alternative to antidepressants?

• UF Psychiatry is looking for individuals between 18-65 years old who are not currently taking anti-depressants to participate in a study of mild to moderate depression.
• This study examines how effective a dietary supplement (L-methylfolate) is in treating the symptoms of mild to moderate depression.
• Participants will receive all study related evaluations and a 90-day supply of the supplement at no-cost, and compensation for your time is provided.

If interested contact Dana Mason at 352-273-8540 or dmason@ufl.edu

Suffering from insomnia? Interested in trying an alternative to sleeping pills?

• UF Psychiatry is looking for people 21-65 years old who are suffering from insomnia and wish to participate in a study using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).
• The treatments are non-invasive, non-surgical, non-medicinal and are conducted on an outpatient basis.
• You will be asked to come in for an initial assessment, and then for daily treatment (Monday-Friday) for three weeks. Treatment takes 80 minutes to administer.

Principal Investigator: Richard Holbert, MD

If interested, please contact Dana Mason at 352-273-8560 or dmason@ufl.edu

Research Volunteers Needed

The University of Florida Neurocognitive Laboratory is searching for volunteers, aged 25-59, for a research study of cognitive and emotion in health adults.

Volunteers must:

• Be between the ages of 25-59
• Be a smoker or non-smoker
• Be in good physical health
• Have completed at least their sophomore year of high school, but not higher than a bachelor's degree
• Have no history of head injury or unconsciousness

Research volunteers will be reimbursed for their time.

For more information, call 352-294-4920 any day of the week and leave a message.
This study is conducted by: Sara Jo Nixon, Ph.D. , University of Florida, Department of Psychiatry