Linda Collins | NYU School of Global Public Health

Linda Collins

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Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Linda M. Collins is Professor of Global Public Health in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, with a secondary appointment in the Department of Biostatistics. She earned her B.A. in Psychology at the University of Connecticut and her Ph.D. in Quantitative Psychology at the University of Southern California.

Collins’ research interests are focused on the development, dissemination, and application of the multiphase optimization strategy (MOST), a framework for the optimization of behavioral, biobehavioral, and social-structural interventions. The objective of MOST is to improve intervention effectiveness, efficiency, economy, and scalability. She is currently collaborating on research applying MOST in the areas of smoking cessation, the prevention of excessive drinking and risky sex in college students, and HIV services.

Collins’ research has been funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the National Science Foundation, among others. She has given more than 150 presentations on MOST around the world, and her publications have appeared in journals in the fields of behavioral science, quantitative methodology, medicine, and engineering.

Collins has held tenured faculty positions at the University of Southern California and at Penn State University, where she was Distinguished Professor of Human Development and Family Studies and Director of The Methodology Center. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, the Society of Behavioral Medicine, and is a past president of the Society of Multivariate Experimental Psychology and the Society for Prevention Research.

Education

BA, Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT

PhD, Quantitative Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Honors and awards

Fulbright Specialist, National University of Ireland Galway (2018)

Pauline Schmitt Russell Distinguished Career Award, Pennsylvania State University’s College of Health and Human Development (2017)

Evan G. and Helen G. Pattishall Outstanding Research Achievement Award, Pennsylvania State University’s College of Health and Human Development (2011)

President’s Award, Society for Prevention Research (2004)

Faculty Scholar Medal for the Social and Behavioral Sciences, Pennsylvania State University (2000)

Psychology Department Teacher of the Year, University of Southern California (1992)

Psychology Department Mentorship Award, University of Southern California (1991)

Society of Multivariate Experimental Psychology Award for Distinguished Early Career Contributions to Multivariate Behavioral Research (1991)

Areas of research and study

Behavioral Science

Cost Effectiveness

Cost-effective Health Programs and Policies

Dissemination and Implementation of Evidence-based Programs

Publications

Decision-making in the multiphase optimization strategy: Applying decision analysis for intervention value efficiency to optimize an information leaflet to promote key antecedents of medication adherence

Effects of Chatbot Components to Facilitate Mental Health Services Use in Individuals With Eating Disorders Following Online Screening: An Optimization Randomized Controlled Trial

Empirical Development of a Behavioral Intervention for African American/Black and Latino Persons with Unsuppressed HIV Viral Load Levels: An Application of the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST) Using Cost-Effectiveness as an Optimization Objective

Intervention Optimization: A Paradigm Shift and Its Potential Implications for Clinical Psychology

Optimizing Interventions for Equitability: Some Initial Ideas

Recruiting and retaining first-year college students in online health research: Implementation considerations

Using Decision Analysis for Intervention Value Efficiency to Select Optimized Interventions in the Multiphase Optimization Strategy

What to do after smoking relapse? A sequential multiple assignment randomized trial of chronic care smoking treatments

A Posterior Expected Value Approach to Decision-Making in the Multiphase Optimization Strategy for Intervention Science

Application of the multiphase optimisation strategy (MOST) to optimise HIV prevention targeting people on medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) who have cognitive dysfunction: protocol for a MOST study

Cost-Effectiveness of Smoking Cessation Approaches in Emergency Departments

Effects of Behavioral Intervention Components for African American/Black and Latino Persons Living with HIV with Non-suppressed Viral Load Levels: Results of an Optimization Trial

Exploring behavioral intervention components for African American/Black and Latino persons living with HIV with non-suppressed HIV viral load in the United States: a qualitative study

Investigation of Active Ingredients Within Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression: A Randomized Optimization Trial

Preventing mental health problems in children after high conflict parental separation/divorce study: An optimization randomized controlled trial protocol

Successful Optimization of Tobacco Dependence Treatment in the Emergency Department: A Randomized Controlled Trial Using the Multiphase Optimization Strategy

Understanding heterogeneity of responses to, and optimizing clinical efficacy of, exercise training in older adults: NIH NIA Workshop summary

Advances in clinical trials methodology: Intervention optimization approaches in emergency medicine

Advancing behavioral interventions for African American/Black and Latino persons living with HIV using a new conceptual model that integrates critical race theory, harm reduction, and self-determination theory: a qualitative exploratory study

Components of smartphone cognitive-behavioural therapy for subthreshold depression among 1093 university students: A factorial trial

Optimization of a technology-supported physical activity promotion intervention for breast cancer survivors: Results from Fit2Thrive

The Microrandomized Trial for Developing Digital Interventions: Experimental Design and Data Analysis Considerations

Using factorial mediation analysis to better understand the effects of interventions

A Hybrid Evaluation-Optimization Trial to Evaluate an Intervention Targeting the Intersection of Alcohol and Sex in College Students and Simultaneously Test an Additional Component Aimed at Preventing Sexual Violence

Tanner, A. E., Guastaferro, K. M., Rulison, K. L., Wyrick, D. L., Milroy, J. J., Bhandari, S., Thorpe, S., Ware, S., Miller, A. M., & Collins, L. M. (n.d.).

Publication year

2021

Journal title

Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Volume

Issue

Page(s)

1184-1187

10.1093/abm/kaab003

Abstract

Abstract

Background: Using the multiphase optimization strategy (MOST), we previously developed and optimized an online behavioral intervention, itMatters, aimed at reducing the risk of sexually transmitted infections (STI) among first-year college students by targeting the intersection of alcohol use and sexual behaviors. Purpose: We had two goals: (a) to evaluate the optimized itMatters intervention and (b) to determine whether the candidate sexual violence prevention (SVP) component (included at the request of participating universities) had a detectable effect and therefore should be added to create a new version of itMatters. We also describe the hybrid evaluation-optimization trial we conducted to accomplish these two goals in a single experiment. Methods: First year college students (N = 3,098) at four universities in the USA were individually randomized in a hybrid evaluation-optimization 2 × 2 factorial trial. Data were analyzed using regression models, with pre-test outcome variables included as covariates in the models. Analyses were conducted separately with (a) immediate post-test scores and (b) 60-day follow-up scores as outcome variables. Results: Experimental results indicated a significant effect of itMatters on targeted proximal outcomes (norms) and on one distal behavioral outcome (binge drinking). There were no significant effects on other behavioral outcomes, including the intersection of alcohol and sexual behaviors. In addition, there were mixed results (positive short-term effect; no effect at 60-day follow-up) of the SVP component on targeted proximal outcomes (students' self-efficacy to reduce/prevent sexual violence and perceived effectiveness of protective behavioral strategies). Conclusions: The hybrid evaluation-optimization trial enabled us to evaluate the individual and combined effectiveness of the optimized itMatters intervention and the SVP component in a single experiment, conserving resources and providing greatly improved efficiency. Trial Registration: NCT04095065.