Audrey Hang Hai, PhD, MSW, LMSW
Assistant Professor
She/Her/Hers
Biography
Dr. Audrey Hai is an Assistant Professor at Tulane University School of Social Work. As an immigrant and woman of color, she has witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of pervasive substance use in marginalized communities. Dr. Hai is dedicated to developing culturally appropriate and effective interventions to interrupt this cycle. She has developed a research program that bridges the areas of health disparities, intervention science, digital health innovation, epidemiology, and spiritual diversity. One of Dr. Hai’s current research projects, funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, targets health disparities among Latinx young adults with alcohol use disorder. The project aims to transform the underutilized evidence-based Twelve-Step Facilitation intervention into a culturally appropriate, accessible, and scalable smartphone app-based solution. Dr. Hai’s research articles have appeared in top behavioral health journals such as Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, and Journal of Psychiatric Research.
Dr. Hai completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Boston University Center for Innovation in Social Work and Health. She was also a selected training fellow at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded Enhanced Interdisciplinary Research Training Institute on Hispanic Drug Abuse. Dr. Hai earned her PhD from the University of Texas at Austin, where she also completed the Graduate Portfolio Program in Applied Statistical Modeling. She holds a MSW from the University of Southern California.
Areas of Expertise
- Behavioral Health
- Health Disparities / Health Equity
- HIV/AIDS & Hepatitis C
- Mindfulness and Compassion
- Public Health
- Racial Equity
- Research
- Social Determinants of Health
- Substance Use and Substance Use Treatment
Education
- PhD in Social Work from University of Texas at Austin
- MSW from University of Southern California
- BS in Information Management from Communication University of China
- BS in Journalism from Communication University of China
Selected Publications
- Hai, A. H., Batey, D. S., Lee, C. S., Li, S., & Schnall, R. (2024). Examining the Intersection of Ethnoracial Disparities and HIV Status in Substance Use Risks among U.S. Adults. AIDS and Behavior. 28(5): 1621–1629. doi: 10.1007/s10461-024-04277-3
- Hai, A. H., Lopez-Quintero, C., Elton, A., Curran, L., & Bo, A. (2024). The independent and joint effect of socioeconomic status and Multiracial status on the prevalence and frequency of substance use and depression among U.S. adolescents. Addictive Behaviors. 2024 Apr:151:107953. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2024.107953.
- Hai, A. H., Lee, C. S., Zhou, C., & Delva, J. (2023). Culturally adapted motivational interviewing’s effects on drinking related to immigration and acculturation stress among Latinx heavy drinkers. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. 150.
- Hai, A. H., Oh, S., Lee, C. S., Kelly, J., Vaughn, M.G., & Salas-Wright, C. P. (2022). Mutual-help group participation for substance use problems in the US: Correlates and Trends from 2002-2018. Addictive Behaviors. 128.
- Hai, A. H., Carey, K. B., Vaughn, M. G., Lee, C. S., Franklin, C., & Salas-Wright, C. P. (2022). Simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use among college students in the United States, 2006-2019. Addictive Behaviors Reports.
- Hai, A. H., Oh, S., Lopez-Quintero, C., Lee, C. S., Kelly, J., Vaughn, M.G., & Salas-Wright, C. P. (2022). Mutual help group participation for alcohol and drug problems: Uncovering latent subgroups. Substance Use & Misuse.
- Hai, A. H., Wigmore, B., Franklin, C., Shorkey, C., von Sternberg, K., Cole, A. H., & DiNitto, D. (2022). Who benefits from Two Way Prayer Meditation? Treatment effect moderators in a pilot randomized controlled trial of a spiritual intervention for people with substance use disorders. Substance Abuse, 43.
- Hai, A. H., Lee, C. S., John, R. S., Vaughn, M. G., Bo, A., Lai, P. H. L., & Salas-Wright, C. P. (2021). Debunking the myth of low behavioral risk among Asian Americans: The case of alcohol use. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 228.
- Hai, A. H., Lee, C. S., Abbas, B., Bo, A., Morgan, H., & Delva, J. (2021). Culturally adapted evidence-based treatments for adults with substance use problems: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 226, 108856.
- Hai, A. H., Lee, C. S., Oh, S., Vaughn, M.G., Piñeros-Leaño, M., Delva, J., & Salas-Wright, C. P. (2021). Trends and correlates of Internet support group participation for mental health problems in the United States, 2004-2018. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 132, 136-143.
- Hai, A. H., Franklin, C., Cole, A., Panisch, L., Yan, Y., & Jones, K. (2021). Impact of MindUP on elementary school students with behavioral challenges: A single case design pilot study. Children and Youth Services Review. 125, 105981
- Hai, A. H., Wigmore, B., Franklin, C., Shorkey, C., von Sternberg, K., Cole, A. H., & DiNitto, D. (2020). Effectiveness of Two Way Prayer Meditation in improving the psychospiritual well-being of people with substance use disorders: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Substance Abuse. 1-17.
- Hai, A. H., Hammock, K., & Velasquez, M. M. (2019). The efficacy of technology-based interventions for alcohol and illicit drug use among women of childbearing age: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 43(12), 2464-2479.
- Hai, A. H., Franklin, C., Park, S., DiNitto, D. M., & Aurelio, N. (2019). The efficacy of spiritual/religious interventions for substance use problems: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 202, 134-148.
- Hai, A. H. (2019). Are there gender, racial, or religious denominational differences in religiosity's effect on alcohol use and binge drinking among youth in the United States? A propensity score weighting approach. Substance Use & Misuse, 54, 1096-1105.
- Hai, A. H., Currin-McCulloch, J., Franklin, C., & Cole, A. H. (2017). Spirituality/religiosity’s influence on college students’ adjustment to bereavement: A systematic review. Death Studies, 42, 513-520. (IF 4.34)
- Hai, A. H. (2017). Gender differences in the relationships among young adults’ religiosity, risk perception, and marijuana use: A moderated mediation model. Substance Use & Misuse, 53, 1377-1386.
See Dr. Hai's CV or her ResearchGate page for more publications.
Selected Funding
2024-2029, Principal Investigator, “Culturally Adapting Spiritually and Technologically Informed Interventions to Reduce Alcohol-Related Health Disparities among Latinx Young Adults” (K01AA031323; $842,179), National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
2023 – 2028, Co-Investigator, “Promoting viral suppression through the CHAMPS intervention in the Deep South” (R01MD019184; $5,573,525), National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
2022 – 2027, Mentor, “Increasing Minority Physician and APRN Clinician-scientist Research Training to Equalize Addiction Medicine (IMPACT TEAM)” (R25DA056910; $1,337,280), National Institute on Drug Abuse
