Joseph W. Ditre

Joseph W. Ditre is a Professor of Psychology and Director of the Center for Health Behavior Research & Innovation at Syracuse University, College of Arts and Sciences. He holds secondary appointments at Upstate Medical University and the Syracuse VA Medical Center. His research focuses on bidirectional relationships between pain and substance use, particularly among veterans and military populations, with over 130 scholarly works and NIH-funded grants since 2007.

Education:

• Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, University of South Florida (2010)
• M.A., Clinical Psychology, University of South Florida (2007)
• B.A., Psychology, State University of New York at Binghamton (1998)

Research Interests:

Dr. Ditre's work emphasizes the reciprocal model of pain and substance use, exploring acute analgesic effects of substances and their role in chronic pain exacerbation. Key areas include:

• Pain-alcohol/opioid interactions
• mHealth interventions for co-occurring pain and substance use
• Veteran/military behavioral health resilience

Recent Research Trends:

His 2024 publications address topics like benzodiazepine analgesia validation, pain acceptance meta-analyses, and digital interventions for pain-substance use comorbidity. Studies frequently employ mixed-methods and clinical trial designs.

Grants & Funding:

• NIAAA R01 (2020-2025): Personalized feedback for alcohol-opioid co-use
• NIDA R21 (2021-2023): Longitudinal tobacco use and pain associations

Labs/Programs:

• Pain and Addiction Research Lab
• Veteran & Military Behavioral Health Research Program