Family Recovery Research Program Team

Investigators

Julianne Flanagan, Ph.D.

Dr. Flanagan's program of research focuses on the relationships between post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders, and interpersonal violence. She is currently conducting laboratory and treatment development studies aimed at better understanding behavioral and neurobiological underpinnings of violence among individuals and couples. She is also conducting studies examining behavioral and pharmacological interventions to mitigate these commonly co-occurring problems.

Early Career Investigators

Julie Hurd, PhD – Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Hurd’s research focuses on individual and contextual factors associated with trauma recovery. She is particularly interested in the intersection of posttraumatic stress and romantic relationships, including risk and resilience factors, the impact of trauma on relational outcomes, and interventions that incorporate survivors and their partners.

Margaret Baer, PhD – Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Baer researches Substance Use Disorders (SUDs). She is particularly focused on alcohol and opioids, and the overlap of SUDs and suicide risk. She is passionate about smartphone and technology-based applications for addiction science, with the long-term goal of personalizing addiction treatment.

Carolina Body-Rogers, MA – Intern

Caroline is a graduate student at the University of Iowa and a predoctoral intern at the Charleston Consortium. Her research interests include factors that influence sexual and relational decision making such as substance use, peer perceptions, emotional states, and trauma history. She is currently investigating the role of peer misperceptions on factors associated with alcohol-related sexual assault perpetration.

Shannon Forkus, Ph.D.

Dr. Forkus' program of research focuses on examining mechanisms involved in the development, co-occurrence, and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders. Her goal is to identify and translate clinically-relevant mechanisms into new and adapted interventions to enhance treatment outcomes. She is currently conducting a study to examine the role of self-compassion on posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorder symptoms among veterans engaged in an integrated treatment.

Sarah Giff, Ph.D.

Dr. Giff is a staff psychologist with the PTSD Clinical Team at the Ralph H. Johnson VAHCS and part of the FRRP lab. Her research focuses on how trauma and substance use impacts Veterans and their loved ones, and ways to improve interventions for post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorder. She received her PhD in clinical psychology from George Mason University and completed her doctoral internship with the Charleston Consortium Internship Program and a MIRECC postdoctoral research fellowship with the Ralph H. Johnson VAHCS.

Study Personnel

Anjinetta Johnson, PAC.

Anjinetta graduated from MUSC's Physician's Assistant Program in 2001. She has been involved in behavioral health research since 2010 in the role of Medical Clinician for Research Studies. She performs history and physical exams on research participants to help determine if they are healthy enough to be a part of the study. She also dispenses study medications, and monitors and follows up on study-related adverse events.

Chris DeLeon, BS

Chris is a Program Coordinator in the FRRP lab and runs our veteran-focused clinical trials (POET, MERA-A). He received his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Coastal Carolina University and has over 10 years of experience on our team.

Rhiannon McCallus, MS, MPH - Research Coordinator

Rhiannon McCallus is a Program Coordinator on the Family Recovery Research Program team at MUSC. Rhiannon is currently running the EDAR Study and overseeing the management, activities, and opportunities for EDAR post-doctoral trainees. Rhiannon graduated from Clemson University in 2024 with her Master of Public Health and Master of Science in Applied Health Research and Evaluation.

Morgan Thomas, Research Coordinator

Morgan Thomas is a Program Coordinator on the Family Recovery Research Program team at MUSC. Morgan is currently running the BFIT Study and overseeing the START & HEART studies to completion. These studies investigate alcohol use and couple/dyad interactions. Morgan graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

Emily Hall, Research Assistant

Emily Hall is a Research Assistant on the Family Recovery Research Program team at MUSC. She is currently running the CARE study which investigates alcohol use and relationship conflict. Emily graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Spanish.

Rachel Noblejas-Guloy, Research Assistant

Rachel Noblejas-Guloy is a Research Assistant on the Family Recovery Research Program at MUSC. She is currently supporting the BFIT and CARE studies, which examine the impact of alcohol use in veterans and couples, respectively. Rachel graduated from The College of New Jersey in 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Her plan for the future is to pursue a graduate degree in both of these fields of study.

FRRP Lab Manager

Stacey Sellers, MS

Stacey is the Program Manager for the group. She received her Bachelor of Science in Biology and Neuroscience from the College of Charleston and her Masters of Clinical and Translational Science from Creighton University. She has worked in research at MUSC and Creighton University for over 15 years, focusing her work on the treatment of substance use disorders.