John Knight's research is directed at developing an effective brief intervention for drug abuse that could be widely implemented in settings where adolescents receive routine healthcare.

The long-term goal of Dr. Knight and his colleagues at the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research (CeASAR) is to improve screening and intervention for adolescent substance abuse in medical office settings. Because use of drugs and alcohol is associated with a variety of health problems, settings where adolescents receive routine medical care are ideal for routine screening and early intervention. However, little research has been conducted on the efficacy of screening and intervention for drug use among adolescent primary care patients.

More immediately, the CeASAR team intends to:

• Test the efficacy of a new intervention (Motivational Interviewing) in a Stage 1b trial within the Adolescent Substance Abuse Program (ASAP) at Children's Hospital Boston.


• Develop and test an intervention that can be applied to adolecents at all levels of substance abuse during the usual well care visit.


• Conduct a survey of primary care providers on their usual practices related to laboratory testing of adolescents for drugs.

John Knight received his MD degree from University of Vermont College of Medicine. He completed an internship and residency at Albany Medical Center Hospital and a postgraduate fellowship at Children's Hospital Boston.

Dr. Knight has served as a consultant to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the President's Office of National Drug Control Policy.