People – Department of Family and Community Medicine

Dr. Mikhail N. Koffarnus

dr.koffarnus Dr. Koffarnus is Director of the Healthier Futures Lab and an Associate Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Kentucky. He received his BA degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire and completed both his MS and PhD degrees in Biopsychology from the University of Michigan. Dr. Koffarnus also completed an internship and Pre-Doctoral Fellowship at the National Institute on Drug Abuse before completing his Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit at Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Koffarnus is a leading expert on environmental factors that contribute to alcohol and tobacco use, specifically the use of contingency management for decreasing substance use.

Dr. Koffarnus is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and currently serves on the editorial board for the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, and Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.

Click here to view his full publication list.

Dr. Brent A. Kaplan

Dr. Kaplan is an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and member of the Healthier Futures Lab. His training and expertise are in applying behavioral economic and behavior analytic principles to substance use and everyday maladaptive decision making. He received his PhD in Behavioral Psychology from the University of Kansas and recently completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

His current research interests include examining the abuse liability of reduced-nicotine cigarettes, continency management approaches to reducing alcohol use, and the underlying behavioral process contributing to nicotine and alcohol co-use. Dr. Kaplan currently serves on the editorial board of Perspectives on Behavior Science and the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior and is a member of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, Society of the Quantitative Analysis of Behavior, American Psychology Association Divisions 25 and 28, and Research Society on Alcoholism.

Click here to view his full publication list.

Dr. Haily Traxler

Dr. Traxler is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Healthier Futures Lab working under the mentorship of Dr. Koffarnus. Dr. Traxler earned her Ph.D. in Behavior Analysis from Western Michigan University. Her training is primarily in contingency management, behavioral economics, and token reinforcement. Dr. Traxler’s current research interests include using behavioral economics to improve treatments for substance use disorders and improving implementation and dissemination of contingency management.

Dr. Mark J. Rzeszutek

Dr. Rzeszutek is a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Healthier Futures Lab under the supervision of Dr. Koffarnus. Dr. Rzeszutek completed a BA in Comprehensive Psychology from Wilfred Laurier University, an MS in Applied Behavior Analysis from St. Cloud State University, and a PhD in Psychology from Western Michigan University. His research has focused on health-related decision-making, with an emphasis on barriers to healthcare utilization. His other research interests include decision-making through a behavioral economic framework and the intersection of substance use and suicidality.

Elisa M. Crill, HealthFuL Research Program Manager

Elisa Crill is the Research Program Manager for the Healthier Futures Lab in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. She received her Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University. Having worked with Drs. Koffarnus and Kaplan on a number of federally-funded projects, Elisa has extensive experience coordinating and conducting research in substance abuse and addiction, including clinical trials.