Maha N. Mian

Dr. Maha N. Mian serves as an Assistant Professor in the Psychology department at Suffolk University, where she directs the Safety and Harm Reduction (SAHAR) Lab. Her research program develops accessible protective strategies for cannabis, alcohol, and psychedelic use through community-engaged quantitative and qualitative studies, while investigating drug policy impacts including decriminalization effects on substance use behaviors.

Dr. Mian's educational background includes:

• PhD from University at Albany, SUNY
• MA from University at Albany, SUNY
• BS from Tufts University

She completed a Clinical Internship at VA Palo Alto and a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco & Kaiser Permanente, supported by a NIDA T32 Substance Use Disorders Treatment and Services Research Fellowship.

Her research spans harm reduction, psychometric development for protective strategies, and policy analysis. She emphasizes community-based practices and the humanity of substance users, developing tools like the Protective Strategies for Psychedelics Scale (PSPS) to promote equitable, accessible interventions that reduce risks without judgment.

Dr. Mian's publication record (2019-2025) demonstrates consistent innovation in substance use harm reduction, particularly through psychometric scale validation, qualitative user preference studies, and policy framework analysis. A defining trend is her examination of how decriminalization influences perceived risks and behaviors, alongside novel approaches like savoring interventions for cannabis use.

No specific scientific awards beyond her NIDA T32 postdoctoral fellowship were documented, though her methodological contributions to protective strategy measurement represent significant scholarly impact.

Dr. Mian actively mentors through the SAHAR Lab and is recruiting graduate students for Fall 2026. While current grant details beyond her fellowship aren't specified, her community-collaborative research model suggests ongoing external funding for harm reduction science. She emphasizes participatory approaches in all advising and research activities.

The SAHAR Lab functions as Suffolk University's dedicated hub for advancing harm reduction science, conducting studies on policy impacts, protective strategy efficacy, and community-engaged intervention development. The lab collaborates directly with substance user communities to ensure research relevance and accessibility, with current focus on psychedelic and cannabis safety frameworks.