Administrative Contact
Lois Phizacklea, 734-998-7874, loisp@med.umich.edu
Biography
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.
Areas of Interest
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
In the News
New Research Funding: Dr. Golfo K. Tzilos Wernette receives R01 grant
The five-year research project grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institutes of Health will power Dr. Tzilos Wernette's research in the reduction of sexually transmitted infections and substance use during pregnancy, using a mobile- and computer-based intervention.
New Research: Why do at-risk young women smoke pot? New analysis shows the social and psychological factors associated with marijuana use
In the long term, lead author Golfo Tzilos Wernette is designing behavior change interventions that address the unique situations of pregnant adolescents who engage in risky behaviors like marijuana use.
New Research: This low-cost computer program may reduce rates of STIs among pregnant women
A study finds that a brief, computer-delivered intervention reduced rates of alcohol and drug use during pregnancy. These risky behaviors have been identified as key risk factors for sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Addiction and women's health researcher recognized at APA with early career award
Golfo Tzilos Wernette, Ph.D., was recognized in Washington D.C., at the American Psychology Association Convention this month, for her work identifying “Psychosocial Correlates of Marijuana Use Among Pregnant and Non-Pregnant Adolescent Girls."
Risky Bingeing: Women in Appalachian Ohio Report Higher Rates of Alcohol Misuse
Assistant professor Golfo Tzilos Wernette and professor emeritus Mack T. Ruffin IV examined binge drinking habits and associated risk factors in rural Appalacia in a new study published in the Journal of Rural Mental Health .
Credentials
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
Grants
2016-2017 Faculty Seed Grant recipient, Institute for Research on Women & Gender, Principal Investigator
Computer Intervention for HIV/STI Risk and Drug Use during Pregnancy, NIH, Co-Principal Investigator
Computer-based Intervention for Victimized Perinatal Women with Mental Illness, NIH, Co-Investigator
Computer-based Intervention for Battered Sheltered Women with Substance Use, NIH, Co-Investigator
iHeLP: Interactive Technology to Prevent Substance Use in Foster Youth, NIH, Co-Investigator
Published Articles via PubMed
Published Articles or Reviews
Key Publications
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
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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
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Tzilos G, Reddy M, Caviness C, Anderson B, Stein M. Mostly Smokers: Identifying Subtypes of Emerging Adult Substance Users. Subst Use Misuse (in press).