Natasha Slesnick

Natasha Slesnick is EHE Distinguished Professor of Human Development and Family Science in the Department of Human Sciences, and Associate Dean for Research. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and her research focuses on intervention development and evaluation with substance using youth and families experiencing homelessness. She has consulted with multiple organizations on the best strategies for intervening in youth homelessness and adolescent substance use and has been continuously funded by the NIH since 1998. After opening a drop-in center for youth experiencing homelessness in Albuquerque, New Mexico, she moved to Columbus, Ohio and opened her second drop-in center, the Star House which is now an independent non-profit.

• PhD, Clinical Psychology, University of New Mexico, 1996
• MS, Clinical Psychology, University of New Mexico, 1992
• BS, Psychology, University of Washington, 1989

• Adolescent and At-Risk Youth
  • Children of homeless mothers
  • Children of substance using mothers
  • intervention for unaccompanied homeless youth
• Behavioral Aspects of Health
  • HIV risk and mental health (e.g., suicide prevention) intervention development and evaluation
  • Substance use
• Family and Community Human Services
• Family Systems
  • Family system
  • Therapy development and evaluation for vulnerable/substance using populations, both homeless and non-homeless
• Housing and Human Environments

• 2022 – present, EHE Distinguished Professor
• 7/2017-present, Associate Dean for Research and Administration, EHE, Ohio State
• 2/2018-9/2018, Interim Director, CETE
• 10/2009-present, Professor, Human Development and Family Science, Human Sciences, Ohio State
• 8/2013-8/2015, Associate Chair for Research, Department of Human Sciences, Ohio State
• 10/2004-9/2009, Associate Professor, Human Development and Family Science, Ohio State
• 10/2006-7/2017, Founder and Executive Director, Star House
• 1/2003-8/2004, Research Associate Professor, Psychology, University of New Mexico
• 10/2002-10/2003, Associate Director, Clinical Research Branch, University of New Mexico, Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Addictions (CASAA)
• 4/1998-1/2003, Research Assistant Professor, Psychology, University of New Mexico 
• 4/1997-4/1998, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of New Mexico

Ongoing Federal Grants:

• Slesnick, N., Kelleher, K., Feng, X., Ford, J., & Yilmazer, T. Prevention of OUD: The HOME (Housing, Opportunities, Motivation and Engagement) randomized trial, NIDA application #UG3/UH3DA050174, 9/30/19-11/30/24. $5,626,920.

              Role: MPI

• Slesnick, N., & Kelleher, K. Revision to the HOME Trial: Suicide Treatment Education and Prevention (HOME + STEP). NIDA application #: UH3 DA050174-S1, 9/1/2020-8/30/2024. $708,000.

             Role: MPI

• Stone-Sabali, S., Slesnick, N., & Kelleher, K. Preventing Substance Misuse and Substance Use Disorder by Examining Service Provider Interactions, Discrimination, Ethnic Identity, Sexual Orientation Identity, and Housing First Outcomes. NIDA supplement application: 3UH3 DA050174-02, 9/1/21-8/31/24. $237,888.

              Role: Mentor

• Slesnick, N., & Kelleher, K. Supplement to HOME Trial: Role of Justice Involvement in Implementation and Effectiveness of Housing First for Youth Experiencing Homelessness. NIDA supplement application: 3UH3DA050174-02S3, 7/1/23-6/30/24, $169,233.  

              Role: MPI

• Slesnick, N., Feng, X., Yilmazer, T., Mallory, A., Ford, J., Kelleher, K, & Chavez, L. “Suicide Prevention with Substance Using Youth Experiencing Homelessness.” NIDA, R01 DA058627, $3,868,559, 7/1/2023-6/30/2028.

              Role: PI

• Ford, J. & Slesnick, N. “Building Social and Structural Connections for the Prevention of Opioid Use Disorder among Youth Experiencing Homelessness: A Randomized Control Trial Examining Biopsychosocial Mechanisms.” NIDA R01 R01DA059411, $6,901,013, 9/30/2023 – 7/31/2028.

              Role: MPI

• Tyler, K. Street experiences, affect and coping: Harnessing computational models for the development of a cellphone-based intervention to prevent drug use among youth experiencing homelessness NIDA application #R01DA054969, $3,691,041, 7/1/2022-6/30/2027.

              Role: Co-I

• Santa-Maria, D. “Assessing the use of MY-RIDE, a just-in-time adaptive intervention, to Improve HIV prevention and substance use in youth experiencing homelessness.” NINR, R01NR020997, $2,858,139, 09/21/2023-06/30/2027.

              Role: Co-I

• Yoon, S. Risk and Resilience to Adolescent Substance Use: The Roles of Child Maltreatment and Youth Activity Space (K01). NIDA application #K01 DA050778, 4/1/2021-3/30/2026. $743,775.  

             Role: Co-Primary Mentor

• Boyd, D. “The Influence of Developmental Assets on Intersectional Stigma and HIV Prevention Behaviors in Black MSM.” NIMHD application R21MH130302, 9/1/2023-8/31/2025. $467,965. 

             Role: Co-I

• Fitzpatrick, M. “Associations Between Adversity and Psychological and Physiological Stress Among Youth Experiencing Homelessness: The Buffering Role of Social Networks.” NINR, F31NR020987, $31,244, 4/01/2024-3/30/2026.

              Role: Co-Sponsor

• Mallory, A.B., Martin, J., Fitzpatrick, M. M., Yilmazer, T., Chavez, L., & Slesnick, N. (In press). Differences in mental health between female sexual minority and heterosexual youth with a substance use disorder who are experiencing homelessness. LGBT Health.

• Slesnick, T. D., & Slesnick, N. (2024). Environmental risks among youth experiencing homelessness (YEH): The need for justice. Environmental Justice. DOI: 10.1089/env.2023.0034.

• Gong, Y., Feng, X., Chan, M., & Slesnick, N. (2024). Prospective associations of maternal depressive symptoms and emotion dysregulation with children's internalizing problems: the moderating role of fathers. Child Psychiatry & Human Development. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-024-01752-9

• Yilmazer, T., Zhang, J., Chavez, L., Famelia, R., Feng, X., Ford, J., Kelleher, K., & Slesnick, N. (2024). Housing and supportive services for young mothers experiencing substance use disorder and homelessness: cost-effectiveness analysis of a randomized trial. Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, 166. 209494.

• Slesnick, N., Brakenhoff, B., Bunger, A., Chavez, L., Cuthbertson, C. L., Famelia, R., Feng, X., Fitzpatrick, M., Ford, J., Hatsu, I., Holowacz, E., Jaderlund, S., Kelleher, K., Luthy, E., Mallory, A. B., Martin, J., Pizzulo, A., Stone-Sabali, S., Wu, Q., & Zhang, J., & Yilmazer, T. (2024). Patterns of service use by subgroups of youth experiencing homelessness. Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/10530789.2024.2342066

• Saavedra, L. M., Cance, J. D., D'Amico, E. J., Dickerson, D., Saldana, L., Cruden, G., Yule, A. M., Walton, M., Bonar, E. E., Knight, D., Yang, Y., Fernandes, C.-S., Fiellin, L., Boomer, T., Komro, K., Stormshak, E., Ford, J., Slesnick, N., Spinks, S. N., Morgan-Lopez., A. A., Kelleher, K., Haggerty, K., Ahrens, K., Patel, S. V., Ridenour, T., Graham, P.  (2024). Adapting opioid misuse prevention programs during COVID-19: Implications for increasing access post-pandemic. RTI Press.  RTI Press Occasional Paper No. OP-0091-2405 https://doi.org/10.3768/rtipress.2024.op.0091.2405

• Slesnick, N., Brakenhoff, B., Chavez, L., Cuthbertson, C., Famelia, R., Feng, X., Ford, J., Holowacz, E., Jaderlund, S., Kelleher, K., Luthy, E., Mallory, A., Pizzulo, A., Slesnick, T. D., & Yilmazer, T., (2024). Suicide Prevention for Substance Using Youth Experiencing Homelessness: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. Trials, 25(1), 174.

• Dunn, S. B., Orchard, T., Rymut, S. M., Andridge, R., Slesnick, N., & Hatsu, I. (2024). Mental health in society’s margins: Poor Omega-3 PUFA intake and psychological wellbeing of homeless youth. British Journal of Nutrition, 131(4), 698-706. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/S00071145230021X

• Rew, D. L., Slesnick, N., Kesler, S., Rhee, H. (2024). Mediation of Psychological Capital in Youth Experiencing Homelessness. Nursing Research, 73(3), p 188-194. DOI: 10.1097/NNR.0000000000000722

• Yoon, S., Calabrese, J.R., Yang, J., Logan, J., Maguire-Jack, K., Min, M.O., Slesnick, N., Browning, C., & Hamby, S. (2024). Association between longitudinal patterns of child maltreatment experiences and adolescent substance use. Child Abuse & Neglect, 147, 106533.

• Wu, Q., Zhang, J., Walsh, L., & Slesnick, N. (2023). Heterogeneous trajectories of suicidal ideation in a cognitive intervention: predictors and suicide-related outcomes. Development and Psychopathology, 35,1671–1683. PMID: 35440358 PMCID: PMC9582044 doi: 10.1017/S0954579422000372.

• Zhang, J., Wu, Q., Feng, X., Ford, J., Famelia, R., & Slesnick, N. (2023). Co-occurring trajectory of housing stability and parenting stress and child behavior problems: A randomized trial of a housing intervention for young homeless mothers. Family Process. 00:1-20. http://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12954

• Fitzpatrick, M., Ford, J. L., & Slesnick, N. (2023). Application of the ecobiodevelopmental model for research among youth experiencing homelessness. Public Health Nursing, 40, 543– 549. https://doi.org/10.1111/phn.13183

• Slesnick, N., Brakenhoff, B., Bunger, A., Chavez, L., Cuthbertson, C., Famelia, R., Feng, X., Fitzpatrick, M., Ford, J., Hatsu, I., Holowacz, E., Jaderlund, S., Kelleher, K., Luthy, E., Mallory, A., Martin, J., Pizzulo, A., Stone-Sabali, S., Yilmazer, T., Wu, Q., & Zhang, J.  (2023). Lessons learned from housing first, rapid-rehousing trials with youth experiencing homelessness.  Addiction Science and Clinical Practice, 18:58. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13722-023-00413-x

• Ford, J, Slesnick, N., Kelleher, K., Brakenhoff, B, Chavez, L., Feng, X., Mallory, A., Moore, L., O’Connor, R., Pinkus, L., Sullenbarger, B., Yilmazer, T., Zavarella, H. (2023). Hair collection for cortisol among youth experiencing homelessness. Nursing Research, 72(5), 371-376. PMID: 37084241, Doi: 10.1097/NNR.0000000000000664.

• Cully, L., Wu, Q., & Slesnick, N. (2018, March). Maternal acceptance and child outcomes among mothers reporting intimate partner violence. Poster presented at the annual meeting for International Family Therapy Association (IFTA), Bangkok, Thailand. 
• Slesnick, N. (2018, March). The Case for Engaging Children in Family Therapy with their Substance Using Mother. Paper presented at the 2018 International Family Therapy Association, Bangkok, Thailand.
• Zhang, J., & Slesnick, N. (2018, November). Academic Performance and Delinquent and Aggressive Behaviors among Children with Substance Misusing Mothers. Paper presented at the 80th NCFR annual conference, San Diego, CA.