Golfo K. Tzilos Wernette, Ph.D.

Department of Family Medicine
University of Michigan Medical School
1018 Fuller St.
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104-1213

Golfo Tzilos Wernette, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry. She is also a licensed clinical psychologist at the Ypsilanti Health Center where she provides short-term psychological intervention to adults in the community seeking primary care services. She received a B.S. in Biopsychology and Cognitive Science from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Wayne State University. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies at Brown University, where she was also a research faculty member.

Her clinical research interests include technology-delivered approaches for health promotion and the reduction of health risk behaviors (e.g., alcohol/drug use, STIs/HIV risk behaviors) among vulnerable populations. Her current NIH-funded work is focused on screening and brief motivational interventions that target these health risks in pregnant/perinatal women and in emerging adults. Her research efforts include designing interventions to reduce health risk behaviors among vulnerable groups including low-income perinatal women.

Golfo is a member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee in the Department of Family Medicine. She speaks Greek fluently.

Clinical Interests

• Motivational interviewing
• Emerging adults
• Women's health

Research Interests

• Technology-delivered, brief interventions for health promotion and risk reduction.
• Preventive interventions targeting alcohol/drug use, HIV/STI risk, and intimate partner violence in vulnerable groups.
• Reducing health risk behaviors among emerging adults and women.

Department Areas

• Behavioral Health and Primary Care Psychiatry
• Preventive Medicine
• Reproductive and Women’s Health

Advanced Degree

• Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Mich., 2010

Residency

• Clinical Psychology, Brown University, 2010

Fellowship

• Alcohol Treatment & Early Intervention Research, Brown University, Center for Alcohol & Addiction Studies, 2013

Technology-Based Intervention for Reducing Sexually Transmitted Infections and Substance Abuse During Pregnancy (PI) [Press release] [Protocol paper]

Computerized Intervention for Reducing Intimate Partner Violence for Perinatal Women Seeking Mental Health Treatment (Site PI) 

Latest Publications

• Creech SK, Pulverman CS, Kahler CW, et al. Computerized Intervention in Primary Care for Women Veterans with Sexual Assault Histories and Psychosocial Health Risks: a Randomized Clinical Trial. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2021. doi:10.1007/s11606-021-06851-0.

• Tzilos Wernette G, Plegue M, Mmeje O, et al. Reducing sexual health risks and substance use in the prenatal setting: A study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Contemporary Clinical Trials. 2019;84:105827. doi:10.1016/j.cct.2019.105827

Key Publications

1. Tzilos G, Ondersma S, Grekin E, Beatty J, Chase S. Commission vs. receipt of violence during pregnancy: associations with substance abuse variables. J Interpers Violence 2010;25(10):1928-40. PMCID: PMC3826822. DOI: 10.1177/0886260509354507
2. Tzilos G, Sokol R, Ondersma S. A Randomized Phase I Trial of a Brief Computer-Delivered Intervention for Alcohol Use During Pregnancy. J Womens Health 2011;20(10):1517-24. PMCID: PMC3233214. DOI: 10.1089/jwh.2011.2732
3. Tzilos G, Zlotnick C, Raker C, Kuo C, Phipps M. Psychosocial factors associated with depression severity in pregnant adolescents. Arch Womens Ment Health 2012;15(5):397-401. PMCID: PMC4026299. DOI: 10.1007/s00737-012-0296-9
4. Tzilos G, Hess, L, Kao C, Zlotnick C. Characteristics of perinatal women seeking treatment for marijuana abuse in a community-based clinic. Arch Womens Ment Health 2013;16(4):333-37. PMCID: PMC3723351. DOI: 10.1007/s00737-013-0358-7
5. Tzilos G, Reddy M, Caviness C, Anderson B, Stein M. Getting higher: Co-occurring drug use among marijuana using emerging adults. J Addict Dis 2014;33(3):202-9. PMCID: PMC4224674. DOI: 10.1080/10550887.2014.950024
6. Ondersma S, Beatty J, Svikis D, Strickler R, Tzilos G, Chang G, Divine G, Taylor A, Sokol R. Computer-delivered screening and brief intervention for alcohol use in pregnancy: A pilot randomized trial. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2015;39(7):1219-26. PMCID: PMC4490994. DOI: 10.1111/acer.12747
7. Gold M, Tzilos G, Stein LAR, Anderson B, Stein M, Ryan C, Zuckoff A, DiClemente C. A randomized controlled trial comparing computer-assisted motivational intervention to didactic educational counseling to reduce unprotected sex in female adolescents. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol 2016;29(1):26-32. PMCID: PMC4670811. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpag.2015.06.001
8. Zlotnick C, Tzilos G, Miller I, Seifer R, Stout R. Randomized controlled trial to prevent postpartum depression in mothers on public assistance. J Affect Disord 2016;189:263-268 PMCID: PMC4641029. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2015.09.059

9.  Tzilos G, Caviness C, Anderson B, Stein M. Stimulant use and associated health risks among student and non-student emerging adults. Emerging Adulthood 2016; 4(4):298-302. DOI: 10.1177/2167696815617077

10. Tzilos G, Reddy M, Caviness C, Anderson B, Stein M. Mostly Smokers: Identifying Subtypes of Emerging Adult Substance Users. Subst Use Misuse (in press).