Rachel Ouellette, PhD, associate research scientist in the Division of Prevention and Community Research, The Consultation Center, and the Yale Center for the Study of Tobacco Product Use and Addiction has been awarded a two-year Yale Center for Clinical Investigation (YCCI) Scholar Award for junior faculty members committed to research careers focused on improving human health.
Ouellette’s project is titled, "Youth and generative AI informed cannabis vaping prevention messaging on social media," and is designed to launch an independent research career in substance use prevention by combining youth participatory approaches with generative AI technologies to optimize cannabis vaping prevention messaging on social media for adolescents.
Ouellette is a prevention scientist who collaborates with community partners to promote the wellbeing of youth and youth-serving adults (e.g., teachers and after-school providers) through the dissemination and implementation of knowledge in public spaces such as schools and social media.
She obtained her PhD in Child and Adolescent Psychology from the Clinical Science Program at Florida International University after completing her predoctoral internship at Yale School of Medicine with the Yale Consultation Center and West Haven Mental Health Clinic. She then completed a two-year NIDA-funded T32 postdoctoral training program in substance use prevention research in the Yale Division of Prevention and Community Research.
The YCCI Scholar Awards aim to prepare recipients for a successful independent research career through career development and mentorship work. Training gathered through her research project will further develop her work integrating artificial intelligence and community-driven research.