The UH College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) is pleased to announce that Andres Viana, associate professor in the Department of Psychology, received a five-year, $900,000 award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Viana’s project is titled “Synergistic Effects of Anxiety and Alcohol Use Among Latinos and its Sociocultural Mechanisms.”

Viana’s long-term goal is to become a national leader in the study of anxiety and substance use among groups prone to health disparities, with a particular emphasis on Hispanic and Latino populations. Viana believes the societal impacts of heavy alcohol consumption and anxiety disorders in these groups warrant considerable research investment. He hopes the results from this study can inform and guide the development of novel treatments for those affected.