About

Dr. Robert Miranda is a board-certified clinical psychologist and a distinguished professor at Brown University, holding appointments in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, the Warren Alpert Medical School's Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, and the School of Public Health. His career is dedicated to advancing understanding of how addiction develops and progresses during adolescence, with a focus on improving clinical practice. As both a clinician and scientist, he has extensive experience managing substance use disorders in youth and recognizes the limitations of current therapies, guiding his research efforts toward testing new pharmacological and technology-supported interventions, as well as developing novel strategies to monitor adolescent behavior in natural environments. Dr. Miranda directs a federally funded research program now in its 23rd year of continuous NIH funding, concentrating on adolescents with substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders. He has served as principal investigator, co-investigator, or mentor on over 55 federally funded projects and has contributed to numerous NIH study sections. He is actively involved in mentoring early-career clinicians and scientists, serving as training director for two postdoctoral programs at the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies and as a core faculty member in the Brown University Clinical Psychology Training Consortium. Recognized for his mentorship, he received the Mark Wood Outstanding Mentor Award in 2016 and 2020, as well as the DPHB Education Committee Award in 2022. In addition to his scholarly work, Dr. Miranda remains actively engaged in clinical services for adolescents. He founded and directs the Vista program at Bradley Hospital, the nation’s first child and adolescent psychiatric hospital, which specializes in adolescent substance use treatment and co-occurring disorders. The program has been designated a model program by SAMHSA. His research interests include adolescent substance use, alcohol, cannabis, conduct disorder, pharmacotherapy, ecological assessment, and ecological momentary assessment, among others.

Research topics

• Clinical psychology
• Psychology
• Medicine
• Psychiatry
• Chemistry
• Developmental psychology
• Internal medicine
• Social psychology
• Psychotherapist

Selected publications

• An experimental study of vicarious exposure to heterosexism and its effects on internalized heterosexism-based processes among sexual minority young adults.

  Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity · 2025-04-07

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  = 3.49), who engaged in recent heavy drinking and were recruited from the community (51.5% female sex assigned at birth; 76.3% cisgender; 51.5% plurisexual; and 42.6% racial and ethnic minorities). They completed three experimental mood induction trials counterbalanced over three laboratory visits on different days: heterosexism stress, general stress, and neutral. Results indicated that the heterosexism stress condition produced more internalized heterosexism, heterosexism-specific rejection sensitivity, and sexual orientation rumination than the general stress and neutral conditions, while controlling for demographic variables and exposure to structural heterosexism during adolescence. These effects were small to medium in their magnitude. Moreover, exploratory analyses indicated that these effects were somewhat larger among participants who resided in states with high structural heterosexism during adolescence. As further specificity, we documented no statistically significant differences between the general stress and neutral conditions. This study provides the first experimental evidence that vicarious exposure to heterosexism elicits internalized heterosexism-specific processes among sexual minority young adults. These novel findings extend and have implications for heterosexism-based stress and stigma models.

  PublisherDOI

• Planned Versus Unplanned Daily Substance Use Among Sexual-Minority Youths: The Moderating Role of Social Norms

  Clinical Psychological Science · 2025-10-14

  articleSenior author

  In this postregistered study, we examined the daily associations between planned (vs. unplanned) nicotine, cannabis, and alcohol use and the moderating role of social-normative factors (i.e., descriptive and injunctive norms, nicotine product exposure on social media) on these associations among sexual-minority youths (SMYs). Participants ( N = 82) completed a baseline assessment and then a 30-day ecological-momentary-assessment monitoring period. Plans to use substances early in the day were associated with a greater likelihood of later same-day nicotine, cannabis, and alcohol use. Friend descriptive norms were associated with greater planned alcohol use. Friend descriptive norms moderated the associations between use plans and nicotine and alcohol use, and parental injunctive norms moderated the associations between use plans and nicotine use. These findings underscore behavioral intentions and social-normative processes in substance use and suggest that tailoring interventions to address social norms may prove beneficial for SMYs.

  PublisherDOI

• Perspectives from Systems-Level Key Informants on Optimizing Opioid Use Disorder Treatment for Adolescents and Young Adults

  Children · 2025-07-02 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Background/Objectives: Rates of receiving opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment among adolescents and young adults (AYA) aged 16–25 are low. The current study qualitatively analyzed informants’ perspectives regarding the availability of, developmental considerations relevant to, and barriers associated with OUD treatment for AYA. Methods: Thirty key informants involved with OUD treatment in the northeastern United States completed individual, semi-structured interviews, including treatment providers (N = 11) and clinic leaders in programs that provide medication and psychosocial treatments for AYA with OUD (N = 10), as well as opioid-related policymakers (N = 6) and patient advocates (N = 3). Interviews were transcribed and independently double coded. Template-style thematic analysis methods were used and revealed seven themes. Results: The first theme highlighted limited treatment program availability for adolescents (aged < 18 years) with OUD. Four themes related to developmentally optimizing OUD treatment for AYA, describing the importance of caregiver involvement, AYA peer connections, wraparound services, and early intervention. Two themes described barriers to AYA OUD treatment, including stigma and knowledge gaps about medications for OUD as well as deficits in AYA’s access to basic resources (e.g., housing, food security) that prohibit effective participation in treatment. Conclusions: Results highlight concerns from systems-level key informants regarding gaps in OUD treatment options for youth under the age of 18 and a high need for OUD treatment that is developmentally tailored to AYA. Findings point toward potential modifications and additions to existing adult treatment programs to make OUD treatment more accessible, relevant, and engaging for AYA.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Real-Time Exposure to Intersectional Minority Stressors and Alcohol Use: Protocol for an Ecological Momentary Assessment Study With Latinx and Non-Latinx Sexual Minority Youth

  JMIR Research Protocols · 2025-12-09

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  BACKGROUND: Sexual minority youth (SMY) are significantly more likely to use alcohol compared with their heterosexual peers. Recent national data also suggest a turning point in alcohol use disparities: Latinx youth now report higher alcohol use than non-Latinx youth. Despite this, little is known about the social context and reasons why Latinx SMY may engage in alcohol use. OBJECTIVE: This manuscript describes the protocol for a study designed to assess real-time exposure to minority stressors and protective factors, and their relationship to alcohol use among Latinx and non-Latinx White SMY. METHODS: The project is being conducted in 3 phases with a combined sample of approximately 140 participants. Phase 1 (completed) involved cognitive interviews with 23 SMY participants, which refined and adapted survey measures to ensure cultural and developmental appropriateness for the next study phases. Phase 2 was a pilot ecological momentary assessment (EMA) survey with 20 participants to evaluate feasibility, acceptability, and compliance (completed). Phase 3 will recruit approximately 100 SMY aged 15-19 years, with equal representation of Latinx and non-Latinx White SMY. Participants will complete a baseline survey and repeated EMA surveys to capture daily experiences of stressors, protective factors, and alcohol use. RESULTS: Results for the study sample, recruitment (between April 2022 and November 2023), and challenges confronted are presented for Phase 1. Findings showed that the study sample included 23 Latinx and non-Latinx SMY, split almost in half by ethnicity. Participants were mostly female and affluent. Recruitment efforts showed that certain flyers and locations (eg, Facebook/Instagram) performed better at recruiting this sample. We present issues faced with screening out ineligible participants and bots, recruiting participants assigned male at birth, recruiting 15- to 17-year-old participants, and building overall trust with this population. Results from the rest of the data in this study will be analyzed and disseminated through peer-reviewed scientific journals. CONCLUSIONS: This study will provide novel data on the real-time contexts of alcohol use among SMY with particular attention to Latinx youth, an understudied and marginalized population. By identifying stress and protective mechanisms linked to alcohol use, findings can inform tailored prevention and intervention strategies. Furthermore<strong>,</strong> the protocol offers a replicable framework for future EMA research on intersectionality, minority stress, and alcohol use among diverse SMY populations. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/87201.

  PublisherDOI

• Dynamic associations between cannabis use and sleep in adolescents and young adults during a cannabis intervention trial

  Journal of Research on Adolescence · 2025-10-09

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Improving cannabis treatment for adolescents and young adults (AYA) is a public health priority. Sleep difficulties may serve as a treatment barrier, as AYA may use cannabis as a sleep aid and cessation may induce withdrawal-related sleep problems. While research has identified associations between cannabis use, CUD, and sleep, few studies have examined these associations during AYA treatment, and no studies have conducted day-level analyses. The present study examined day-level, temporal associations between cannabis use and sleep difficulties during AYA CUD treatment. From 2009 to 2012, AYA (N = 65, 51% female, 15-24 years, 57% White) completed a 42-day ecological momentary assessment study while receiving cognitive behavioral therapy plus motivational enhancement therapy. Each day, participants reported on cannabis use quantity, sleep duration, and trouble sleeping. We used time-varying effect modeling to examine how day-level associations between cannabis use, sleep duration, and trouble sleeping changed across treatment, and if CUD severity moderated these associations. During the first week of treatment, cannabis grams were related to longer sleep among AYA with severe CUD and shorter sleep among AYA with mild CUD. During the second week, greater cannabis grams related to shorter sleep duration, regardless of CUD severity. Additionally, during these first 2 weeks, cannabis grams were related to reduced trouble sleeping. Cannabis use was otherwise unassociated with sleep duration and trouble. Findings suggest clinicians treating AYA CUD should provide greater sleep management skills early in treatment.

  PublisherDOI

• Situational correlates of adolescents’ alcohol outcome expectancies in daily life.

  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors · 2025-05-15 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVE: Alcohol outcome expectancies (AOEs), formed in early childhood, are correlates of future alcohol consumption and related problems. Social-cognitive theories suggest that AOEs become activated in specific social and physical location contexts. Prior research, primarily among university students, has aimed to identify situational influences on specific AOEs, as indexed by reports of AOEs in hypothetical drinking scenarios. This study aims to deepen understanding of AOE activation in real-world settings by examining social and physical situational correlates of AOE activation among adolescents ages 15-17 in daily life. METHOD: = 102) reporting any drinking in the past month completed smartphone reports for 24 days. Adolescents indicated their social setting (e.g., solitary, peers, family), physical location (e.g., home, friend's place, elsewhere), and strength of AOEs (tension reduction, enhancement, sociability) just prior to drinking in daily life. RESULTS: Adolescents' AOE activation prior to drinking was associated with their immediate social context and physical location. Specifically, drinking with peers present was associated with higher ratings of enhancement and sociability AOEs. In contrast, drinking with family members present and drinking at home were associated with lower ratings of enhancement and sociability AOEs. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide new information about social-contextual correlates of specific AOE domains in naturalistic settings among adolescents. Identifying situational relations with AOE activation in daily life is important to build social-cognitive models of alcohol-consumption behavior, particularly during adolescence as drinking experiences broaden. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

  PublisherDOI

• Who is alcohol cue-reactive? A machine learning approach

  Alcohol and Alcoholism · 2025-07-16

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: The alcohol cue-exposure paradigm is widely used in alcohol use disorder (AUD) research. Individuals with AUD exhibit considerable variability in their alcohol cue-reactivity, highlighting the need to identify characteristics that contribute to this heterogeneity. This study applied machine learning models to identify clinical and sociodemographic predictors of subjective alcohol cue-reactivity (ALCUrge). METHODS: Individuals with AUD (N = 139; 83 M/56F) completed an alcohol cue-exposure paradigm and a battery of clinical and sociodemographic measures. ALCUrge (primary outcome variable) was assessed using the Alcohol Urge Questionnaire following alcohol cue-exposure. We implemented three machine learning models (Lasso regression, Ridge regression, Random Forest) to identify clinical and sociodemographic predictors of ALCUrge and compared model performance (i.e. predictive accuracy). RESULTS: Lasso regression had the strongest predictive accuracy, with a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 9.48, followed by Random Forest (RMSE = 9.95), and Ridge regression (RMSE = 10.40). All models outperformed chance-level prediction (null baseline model RMSE = 14.80). Top predictors of ALCUrge across multiple models were alcohol urge prior to cue-exposure, compulsive alcohol-related behaviors/thoughts, tonic alcohol craving, cigarette smoking status, and biological sex. Higher pre-cue exposure alcohol urge, more compulsive alcohol-related tendencies, greater tonic craving, and occasional cigarette use was associated with greater predicted ALCUrge, while being female was associated with lower predicted ALCUrge. CONCLUSION: This study advances our understanding of the phenotypic overlap in the compulsive aspects of tonic craving and phasic cue-induced alcohol urge, and offers insight into additional factors, such as biological sex and cigarette smoking, that may contribute to variability in alcohol cue-reactivity.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Preliminary effects of oral ANS-6637, an ALDH2 inhibitor, on cue-induced craving, safety and alcohol consumption among adults with alcohol use disorder: a proof-of-concept, randomized, human laboratory trial

  Alcohol and Alcoholism · 2025-01-19 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  AIMS: We evaluated the safety, efficacy, and patient adherence to oral ANS-6637, a selective, reversible inhibitor of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2), for treating alcohol use disorder (AUD). METHODS: A 3-arm, double-blind, randomized, proof-of-concept human laboratory study embedded in a 5-week multisite clinical trial tested 200 mg and 600 mg daily doses of ANS-6637 compared to placebo in treatment-seeking adults with AUD. After 1 week of medication, participants completed an alcohol cue reactivity session. Drinking and safety assessments were measured during treatment; other exploratory outcomes were measured 1 week after treatment ended. RESULTS: The study was terminated following enrollment of 43 of 81 planned participants due to clinically significant, reversible increases in liver enzymes in three women. Adverse events consistent with ALDH2 inhibition in the presence of alcohol (heart rate/palpitations, flushing, nausea) were dose dependent. Group differences in cue-elicited craving were not significant; effect sizes (Cohen's d) comparing the 200 mg and 600 mg doses to placebo were .71 and .06, respectively. Secondary endpoints did not differ significantly between groups; Cohen's d ranged from .31 to .57 for the 600 mg dose compared to placebo for continuous drinking outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Findings of liver toxicity with ANS-6637 led to early termination and reduced power to test hypotheses. Effect size estimates are consistent with the hypothesis that selective ALDH2 inhibition may reduce craving and drinking, however these estimates may be unreliable due to the small sample size. Additional research with non-hepatotoxic selective and reversible ALDH2 inhibitors is needed to evaluate this approach to AUD pharmacotherapy.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Real-Time Exposure to Intersectional Minority Stressors and Alcohol Use: Protocol for an Ecological Momentary Assessment Study With Latinx and Non-Latinx Sexual Minority Youth (Preprint)

  2025-11-06

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  <sec> <title>BACKGROUND</title> Sexual minority youth (SMY) are significantly more likely to use alcohol compared with their heterosexual peers. Recent national data also suggest a turning point in alcohol use disparities: Latinx youth now report higher alcohol use than non-Latinx youth. Despite this, little is known about the social context and reasons why Latinx SMY may engage in alcohol use. </sec> <sec> <title>OBJECTIVE</title> This manuscript describes the protocol for a study designed to assess real-time exposure to minority stressors and protective factors, and their relationship to alcohol use among Latinx and non-Latinx White SMY. </sec> <sec> <title>METHODS</title> The project is being conducted in 3 phases with a combined sample of approximately 140 participants. Phase 1 (completed) involved cognitive interviews with 23 SMY participants, which refined and adapted survey measures to ensure cultural and developmental appropriateness for the next study phases. Phase 2 was a pilot ecological momentary assessment (EMA) survey with 20 participants to evaluate feasibility, acceptability, and compliance (completed). Phase 3 will recruit approximately 100 SMY aged 15-19 years, with equal representation of Latinx and non-Latinx White SMY. Participants will complete a baseline survey and repeated EMA surveys to capture daily experiences of stressors, protective factors, and alcohol use. </sec> <sec> <title>RESULTS</title> Results for the study sample, recruitment (between April 2022 and November 2023), and challenges confronted are presented for Phase 1. Findings showed that the study sample included 23 Latinx and non-Latinx SMY, split almost in half by ethnicity. Participants were mostly female and affluent. Recruitment efforts showed that certain flyers and locations (eg, Facebook/Instagram) performed better at recruiting this sample. We present issues faced with screening out ineligible participants and bots, recruiting participants assigned male at birth, recruiting 15- to 17-year-old participants, and building overall trust with this population. Results from the rest of the data in this study will be analyzed and disseminated through peer-reviewed scientific journals. </sec> <sec> <title>CONCLUSIONS</title> This study will provide novel data on the real-time contexts of alcohol use among SMY with particular attention to Latinx youth, an understudied and marginalized population. By identifying stress and protective mechanisms linked to alcohol use, findings can inform tailored prevention and intervention strategies. Furthermore&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;,&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt; the protocol offers a replicable framework for future EMA research on intersectionality, minority stress, and alcohol use among diverse SMY populations. </sec> <sec> <title>INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT</title> DERR1-10.2196/87201 </sec>

  PublisherDOI

• Strong concordance and correlation between direct alcohol biomarkers and alcohol self-report among youth with variable drinking patterns

  Drug and Alcohol Dependence · 2025-05-26 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R21DA016904

  NIH · $413k · 2007

• NIH Grant K23AA014966

  NIH · $714k · 2009

• Alcohol Intervention Treatment Outcome Research Training

  NIH · $17.0M · 1986–2026

• NIH Grant R01AA007850

  NIH · $12.2M · 2017

• Minority Stress and Cigarette Smoking among Sexual Minority Youth

  NIH · $414k · 2017–2021

Frequent coauthors

• Peter M. Monti

  168 shared

• Hayley Treloar Padovano

  Brown University

  136 shared

• Samuel N. Meisel

  73 shared

• James MacKillop

  St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton

  65 shared

• Kimberly Nixon

  The University of Texas at Austin

  64 shared

• Aaron M. White

  National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

  64 shared

• Susan F. Tapert

  University of California, San Diego

  64 shared

• Kenneth J. Sher

  64 shared

Labs

• Miranda LabPI

Education

• Ph.D.

  Oklahoma State University

  2000

• M.S.

  Oklahoma State University

  1998

• Other

  University of Georgia

  1996

• B.A.

  University of Georgia

  1994

Awards & honors

• 2016 Mark Wood Outstanding Mentor Award
• 2020 Mark Wood Outstanding Mentor Award
• 2022 DPHB Education Committee Award