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Ph.D. Candidate Mia Kirk is the first in the School of Public Health's history to secure this highly competitive grant

Mia Kirk standing in front of a harm reduction vending machine located at the Washoe County Detention Facility

Mia Kirk with a harm w88 casino gamesreduction vending machine located at the Washoe County Detention Facility

Student awarded NIH research grant for groundbreaking research on harm w88 casino gamesreduction vending machines

Ph.D. Candidate Mia Kirk is the first in the School of Public Health's history to secure this highly competitive grant

Mia Kirk with a harm w88 casino gamesreduction vending machine located at the Washoe County Detention Facility

Mia Kirk standing in front of a harm reduction vending machine located at the Washoe County Detention Facility

Mia Kirk with a harm w88 casino gamesreduction vending machine located at the Washoe County Detention Facility

In a groundbreaking achievement for the School of Public Health, Mia Kirk, a fourth-year Ph.D. student specializing in Social and Behavioral Health, has been awarded the prestigious National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) R36 Dissertation Award. This accolade marks a significant milestone as Kirk becomes the first student in the School’s history to secure this highly competitive grant.

The NIDA R36 Dissertation Award provides substantial funding crucial for Kirk's doctoral research, ensuring financial support for the remainder of her academic journey. The focus of Kirk's dissertation is on harm w88 casino gamesreduction vending machines (HRVMs), an innovative public health intervention gaining traction across the United States. She is conducting her research under the guidance of University of Nevada, Reno Foundation Professor Karla Wagner, Ph.D., in the Department of Health Behavior, Policy and Administration Sciences in the School of Public Health.

Kirk’s research is in collaboration with Trac B Exchange, a Las Vegas based nonprofit and the only syringe service program in Southern Nevada. Trac B first introduced HRVMs in Las Vegas in 2017 as part of their mission to prevent the w88 casinoharms associated with injection drug use and as a proactive response to the opioid overdose crisis. The aim of the vending machines to broaden access to life-saving resources like naloxone, fentanyl test strips, injection kits, hygiene kits, first aid supplies and more. Trac B now operates the nine HRVMs throughout the state.

Currently immersed in data collection, Kirk has embarked on fieldwork, which so far includes site visits to six of the nine vending machines located in Las Vegas, Hawthorne, Sparks and Reno. Additionally, Kirk has already conducted 20 in-depth interviews with individuals who have utilized these machines, marking a crucial step in pioneering research within the United States on harm reduction interventions.

“Findings from this study will tell us who is using harm w88 casino gamesreduction vending machines, who is not using them, what motivates and restricts their use and areas for improvement to increase utilization. This information is vitally important to public health practitioners where resources are limited and data-driven decisions produce better outcomes,” Kirk said.

The study aims to shed light on how harm w88 casino gamesreduction vending machines can mitigate w88 casinoharms associated with substance use and contribute to community health. Dean Muge Akpinar-Elci of the School of Public Health provides, “Mia’s research not only enriches our academic community w88 casinobut has also raised the bar on what accessible healthcare and harm reduction could and should look like.” This achievement not only underscores Kirk's academic prowess but also highlights the School's commitment to pioneering research that addresses critical public health challenges.

For more details on Kirk's study, check out her full project summary

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