Tamika C.B. Zapolski

Dr. Tamika Zapolski is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Indiana University Purdue University – Indianapolis (IUPUI). Her academic training is in Clinical Psychology, obtaining her Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky in 2013. Her research is focused on the developmental risk process for substance use and related health behaviors, with a specific interest in understanding risk among racial/ethnic minority youth and young adults. Of note, in 2014, she published a comprehensive theory on African American drinking and related problems that incorporated research from numerous disciplines, including history, sociology, behavioral psychology, and biology. Dr. Zapolski also conducts a second line of research focused on the implementation of interventions in school and community setting to reduce substance use and other health behaviors among middle and high school-aged youth. She hopes to later adapt this brief intervention to include culturally responsive components for ethnic/racial minority youth.