IDEAS LAB
IDEAS Mission
Transforming Addiction Treatment through Research and Education
At the IDEAS Lab, we are dedicated to closing the gap and addressing the disparities in addiction treatment for key underserved populations. Our mission is to foster a dynamic and inclusive learning environment for students from NYU and beyond, equipping them with cutting-edge research skills. We empower both graduate and undergraduate students to master quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, excel in academic and grant writing, conduct literature reviews, as well as analyze and interpret data.
Are you ready to make a difference in addiction research? The IDEAS Lab is a vibrant and committed community of students driving innovation and advancing knowledge in addiction treatment. We are looking for exceptional, motivated individuals to join our team and contribute to groundbreaking research.
If you’re passionate about addressing disparities in addiction care and want to develop skills that set you apart, apply now to be part of our dynamic lab. We welcome both undergraduate and graduate students from NYU and other universities. Remote and hybrid internship opportunities are available! Apply Here
Be a part of a team where your ideas and talents matter. We’re committed to supporting your growth and empowering you to make an impact!
If you have any questions about the application process, please contact us at Elshahawylab@nyulangone.org.
You will have the opportunity to:
- Enhance core research skills through scientific literature reviews, grant writing, research study design, and writing IRB applications
- Develop skills related to data collection and analysis
- Develop skills related to smoking intervention development and execution
- Gain invaluable hands-on research experience before graduate or medical school
- Contribute, co-author, and publish manuscripts
- Earn strong letters of recommendation
Projects
E-cigarettes for Smoking Harm Reduction among People Living with HIV/AIDs
A 6-month long study following smokers living with HIV/AIDs to evaluate e-cigarettes as a harm reduction strategy for smoking cessation versus traditional Nicotine Replacement Therapy.
HEROS Study: E-cigarettes for Smoking Harm Reduction among Persons in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
A large-scale comparativeness effectiveness randomized controlled trial following persons in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Programs who smoke combustible cigarettes to evaluate e-cigarettes as a harm reduction strategy versus traditional Nicotine Replacement Therapy.
mHealth Intervention Targeting Diabetes Management and Smoking Cessation
A two-part study that aims to characterize the treatment barriers and facilitators among Chinese American male smokers with Type 2 diabetes and user preferences for mHealth. Study methods include conducting qualitative interviews in Chinese to inform future use of a culturally and linguistically tailored smoking cessation and diabetes management texting intervention.
Data Analyses using Existing National Surveys
Using publicly available national datasets such as National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH), National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to address several research questions pertaining to IDEAS Lab scope of research.
E-cigarettes for Smoking Harm Reduction among Persons with Serious Mental Illness
Our pilot RCT focuses on measuring the feasibility and acceptability of e-cigarettes as a harm reduction tool in contrast to Nicotine Replacement Therapy. We use an array of study methods such as administration of the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview, surveys, as well as providing support using interactive texting and telehealth counseling.
Optimizing the Patient Generated Vitals & Health Data Dashboard in the Veterans Health Administration
Using Human-centered evaluation principles, this dashboard will be refined (additional information/features) and optimized (revisit display/ embedded decision support flags) to minimize patient care burden (i.e., provider time and cognitive burden).
Lab Members
Omar El Shahawy MD, MPH, PhD
Principle investigator, Founder
omar.elshahawy@nyulangone.org
Omar El Shahawy MD, MPH, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Health, Section on Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug Use at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and an affiliated faculty at the Division of Global Health, NYU School of Global Public Health. Dr. El Shahawy co-founded the lab in January 2021. Dr. El Shahawy research extensively on developing high impact multi-modal interventions targeting smoking cessation and harm reduction in nicotine addiction. His current research interests include tobacco treatment, addressing disparities among key underserved populations, telehealth and digital health interventions, and patient-physician decision making.
Liz Stevens, PhD, MPH
Co-investigator
elizabeth.stevens@nyulangone.org
Liz Stevens in an Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Health at NYU Langone Health and a Health Science Specialist with the VA NY Harbor Healthcare System. Her research aims to improve tobacco-related health outcomes in hard-to-treat populations. In particular, her research focuses on the role of e-cigarettes in smoking and symptom reduction in patients with COPD as well as intervention cost-effectiveness. Additionally, she studies the role of collaborative research behaviors in the enhancement of implementation research quality and productivity.
Mohsen Abbasikangevari, MD, MPH
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
Mohsen.Abbasikangevari@nyulangone.org
Mohsen, MD-MPH, is a postdoctoral fellow currently working on an R01 clinical trial focused on cigarette smoking harm reduction among patients with opioid use disorders. He is involved in drafting papers, grant proposals, and designing advanced REDCap projects. His work mainly spans non-communicable diseases, particularly risk factors of cardiovascular diseases. He is developing an interest in studying sleep as a modifiable risk factor for poor health outcomes. Prior to joining the lab, he co-founded a health monitoring startup with over 100,000 users with diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, and is passionate about closing the gap between evidence and practice, particularly through digital health.
Izamar Gallardo-Castillo, BS
Research Data Associate
Izamar.GallardoCastillo@nyulangone.org
Izamar is a Research Data Associate in the Department of Population Health’s Section on Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drug Use who leads the Persons with Serious Mental Illness pilot and is involved in various other aspects of several smoking harm reduction studies conducted through IDEAS lab. Izamar is also interested in studying psychology, poetry, gardening, and volunteering in various mutual aid networks working to alleviate the impact of food insecurity in several communities.
Justin McClendon, MPH
Research Data Associate
Justin.McClendon@nyulangone.org
Justin is a Research Data Associate in the Department of Population Health. He works on lab projects, publications, and oversees several research studies pertaining to harm reduction with e-cigarettes in different populations. Justin received his Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from NYU and is completing his Master of Biology at NYU. Justin is interested in infectious disease comorbidities as they impact key populations, specifically, in working on infectious disease outbreaks and how these interactions with chronic and communicable diseases contribute to higher rates of mortality and morbidity.
Michelle He, BS, MS
Data Analyst
Michelle is a data analyst in the Department of Population Health. She assists with programming and statistical analysis to address the effects of harm reduction with e-cigarettes among key underserved populations. Michelle received her M.S. in biostatistics from NYU, School of Global Public Health. In her free time, she enjoys trying new recipes and visiting museums.
Nika Horlacher, BS
Research Data Associate
nika.horlacher@nyulangone.org
Nika is a Research Data Associate in the Department of Population Health section on Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drug Use. She works on several smoking harm reduction studies conducted through IDEAS lab, as well as a study supporting patients diagnosed with LUPUS. She received her B.A. in Psychology at Hunter College. She is interested in harm reduction, and working with underserved populations. In her free time, she watches movies, goes out to eat, and likes to go thrifting!
Sanobar Jaka, MD, MPH
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
Sanobar is an MD who recently received her MPH in Health Management and Policy from NYU School of Global Public Health. She currently works in a clinical role at Bronx Care Health System. Her research interests are in Behavioral Health disorders including substance abuse, and exploring health care delivery and access models in mental health.
Tanmik Shah, MPH
Senior Data Analyst
Tanmik received his MPH in Biostatistics from NYU. He is interested in identifying tobacco-related behaviors and health outcomes and evaluating the effects of smoking and alternative tobacco products use on various health outcomes.
Addy Van
Research Intern
adelyn.van@nyulangone.org
Adelyn (Addy) Van is a third-year undergraduate at Cornell University’s College of Human Ecology studying Global and Public Health Sciences with a minor in Health Care Policy on the pre-medical track. She is interested in improving health disparities, individualized healthcare, and women’s and children’s health. In her free time, she enjoys going on runs, snowboarding, and trying new restaurants.
Christian Romero
Research Intern
christian.romero2@nyulangone.org
Christian is a junior at NYU studying Global Public Health and Sociology, with a minor in Genomics and Bioinformatics. He is interested in healthcare policy and how social determinants influence health outcomes. In his free time he enjoys cooking and hanging out with friends.
Ishrat Zarrin
Research Intern
ishrat.zarrin@nyulangone.org
Ishrat is a senior at NYU studying Global Public Health and Chemistry on the pre-health track. She is interested in harm reduction, the impact of socioeconomic factors on health care access, and targeted cancer therapy. She enjoys reading, trying out new cafes, and taking walks around the city!
Jackie Kim
Research Intern
jacqueline.kim@nyulangone.org
Jackie is a senior at Cornell University majoring in Biological Sciences and Philosophy. She assists on lab projects relating to polysubstance use and addiction in populations with serious mental illness. She is interested in neural mechanisms of memory, addiction in key underserved populations, as well as interactions between culture and mental health. Her hobbies include oil painting, swimming, and ethical hamster care.
Jason El Azzi
Research Intern
Jason is currently a second year MPH candidate at NYU with a concentration in Epidemiology and mainly conducts research on post-traumatic growth. His other research interests are harm reduction, substance abuse prevention, and psychiatric epidemiology. In his free time, he enjoys motor-racing.
Melanie Polanco
Research Intern
melanie.polanco@nyulangone.org
Melanie Polanco is a junior at NYU studying Global Public Health and Sociology on the pre-health track interested in harm reduction, mental health awareness, and understanding patients' perspectives in clinical care. She enjoys reading and nature walks.
Alumni
Adriana Bayron
Adriana worked at IDEAS Lab for several years from her sophomore year of undergrad to her second gap year. Adriana is currently working toward completing her MD at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine where she hopes to become a neurologist. In her free time, she loves baking, traveling, and cycling as well as exploring coffee shops all around NYC.
"I can be changed by what happens to me, but I refused to be reduced by it" - Maya Angelou
Brian Kang
Brian is a recent graduate from New York University with a Bachelors in Psychology. He is currently working as a clinical research coordinator at the Mood and Personality Disorders Program at Mount Sinai. His research interests are focused on incorporating emotion regulation strategies to improve substance craving control and reduce risk of relapse.
Caroline Romano
Caroline graduated with a Master's degree in Global Health from NYU, and is now a Care Coordinator at Mount Sinai.
Diego Quintana Licona
Diego is a Clinical Research Coordinator at Mount Sinai, and an MPH Candidate at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. He is involved in social entrepreneurship, Sexual and Reproductive Education, and tackling health disparities.
Fan Bi
Fan has a M.S. in Biostatistics from NYU GPH, and is currently a Statistician and Research Associate in Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.
Jenny Yu
Jenny is pursuing a Master's degree in Mental Health Counseling at NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. In her free time, she volunteers as an emotional care provider.
John V. Crupi
Following his time with the IDEAS Lab, John spent a year as a physical therapy assistant, deepening his understanding of hands-on patient care and rehabilitation. John has recently transitioned to a new role as a private tutor for entrance examinations and will begin pursuing an MD at New York Medical College in the summer of 2025.
“It’s not about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” – Rocky Balboa
Mariana Braga
Mariana graduated from NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study in 2023 with a BA in Biosocial Health and Psychology. She is currently working at HiBRID Lab and pursuing her MPH at NYU School of Global Public Health. She is passionate about improving healthcare delivery and is particularly interested in operational initiatives that help improve both patient and provider outcomes. In her free time, she loves to play the guitar and read.
Marisa Gerard
After earning an MPH in Epidemiology from NYU GPH, Marisa joined the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's Bureau of Communicable Disease, where she contributed to the Mpox emergency response. She later served as a city research scientist in the enteric disease group before taking on her current role as a research analyst in health policy assessment at Mathematica.
Meghan Durr
Meghan received her MPH from the NYU School of Global Public Health in 2019 and spent nearly two years working with the IDEAS Lab. She now serves as a Program Officer at the CDC Foundation, supporting the management and implementation of the Overdose Response Strategy (ORS) program. The mission of the ORS is to help communities reduce fatal and non-fatal drug overdoses by connecting public health and public safety agencies, sharing information and pertinent intelligence, and supporting innovative and evidence-based strategies.
Mirkelis De Jesus
Mirkelis is a current medical student pursuing her MD at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Mohamed Doucure
Mohamed was a member of the IDEAS Lab from 2021 to 2024, where he worked in clinical recruitment and counseling, manuscript writing, as well as conducting a systematic review on the feasibility of telehealth in medical practice. Currently, he is pursuing his medical degree at SUNY Downstate College of Medicine with an interest in pursuing orthopedics and global health. Previously, Mohamed worked in Regulatory Affairs at Pfizer and as a medical technician at CityMD.
Nada Hamade
Nada graduated with a Master in Public Health from NYU. She is currently pursuing her medical degree at the American University in Beirut.
Quiann King
Since graduating from NYU, Quiann has continued her work as a medical assistant and tutor for one year. Following this, Quiann has been pursuing her medical degree at the Penn state college of medicine.
Yawen Yuan
Yawen has a M.S. in Biostatistics from NYU GPH and is currently a Biostatistician in Medicine, Clinical Cardiovascular Research Center, at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
We welcome interested undergraduate and graduate students to apply! Apply Now
If you have any questions when filling out the application, please contact us at Elshahawylab@nyulangone.org.