Judy Andrews, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist at Oregon Research Institute.  For the past 35 years she has conducted etiological research to understand the factors contributing to substance use from childhood through young adulthood.  A major focus of her work was on the effect of the health-related cognitions (what they think about using substances) of youth on subsequent substance use. Other foci have included the influence of the family and peers on the substance use of adolescents through age 30.

Findings from her work, particularly those focusing on health-related cognitions, have been incorporated into the development of several web-based substance use prevention programs designed for delivery in elementary and middle schools, including programs targeting the prevention of tobacco use, including e-cigarettes and programs targeting alcohol, and marijuana. The efficacy of the alcohol and tobacco programs, and, more recently, the pragmatic effectiveness of an updated version of the tobacco program, have been evaluated.  The marijuana program is currently in the development stage.

In addition, Dr. Andrews  has considerable expertise in the evaluation of tobacco cessation interventions, and has been a co-investigator on over 15 projects.  Dr. Andrews is currently  focusing her work on substance use prevention, planning to expand her research on tobacco and marijuana prevention, and has recently become interested in the prevention of opioid abuse among adolescents.