Brenda Miller, Ph.D., Criminal Justice
Senior Research Scientist
Prevention Research Center
Berkeley, California

Phone: (510) 883-5768
Fax: (510) 644-0594
Email: bmiller@prev.org


Brenda A. Miller, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Scientist at PIRE at the Prevention Research Center in Berkeley, CA. Her research and publications focus on the issues of family violence, violent victimization, family-based prevention strategies, women's alcohol/drug use, parenting and adolescent alcohol/drug use, adolescent risky sexual behavior, drinking and driving, and crime/social justice. She is Principal Investigator on a Family Strengths study that is designed to provide in-depth and qualitative information about parent and older adolescent perspectives about protective strategies that are implemented by families and that are relevant to the prevention of adolescent alcohol/drug use. She is also the Principal Investigator on NIAAA funded study designed to address whether choice makes a difference in recruitment, retention, and completion of family-based programs, as well as adolescent outcomes (alcohol, drugs, delinquency). This study is conducted in collaboration with Dr. Annette Aalborg at the Division of Research at Kaiser Permanente (KP). Her current work as Principal Investigator of a NIDA funded study focuses on the prevention of drug use of young adults in club settings. In this cross-site study, she is working with Drs. Debra Furr-Holden, Bob Voas, Mark Johnson, Harold Holder (PIRE) to develop environmental and group-based prevention strategies. She is a Co-Investigator on a NIAAA funded international study of family-based prevention strategies to prevent adolescent alcohol/drug use and risky sexual behavior in Bangkok, Thailand, led by Dr. Rick Zimmerman (PIRE). She is also a Co-Investigator on a cross-site, NIDA funded study led by Dr. Knowlton Johnson (Kentucky, Alaska) to develop community intervention strategies to prevent adolescent use of inhalants and other legal products. Finally, she is currently collaborating on a cross-site research project (NIAAA) under the direction of Dr. Tara Kelley-Baker (PIRE) to develop prevention strategies for young women crossing the border to Mexico and who are exposed to heavy drinking and violence. Since joining PIRE in 2002, she has been actively engaged in helping the organization develop cross-site projects and strategies. She has mentored post-doctoral fellows in the PRC post doctoral program and serves as a faculty member to courses in this program. Previously, she was the Janet B. Wattles Endowed Professor and Director of the Center for Research on Urban Social Work Practice at the University at Buffalo (1998-2002). From 1998-1998, she was the Acting Director at the Research Institute on Addictions in Buffalo, New York, where she was also was also Deputy Director (1988-1998) and Senior Scientist (1981-1998). She is currently a member of the NIH chartered study section, Community-Level Health Promotion (CLHP). She is a member of the American Society of Criminology, the Prevention Research Society, and the Research Society on Alcoholism. She received her Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the University of Albany.