Overview: Dr. Molly Magill is currently a Professor in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences and the Director of Biostatistics at the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies. Dr. Magill's broad area of study is mechanisms of behavior change in psychosocial, pharmacological, and digitally-delivered interventions for alcohol and other drug use disorders (AOD). While this work has centered on AOD, Dr. Magill's work emphasizes transbehavioral and transtheoretical processes of change. Ultimately, the goal of this work is to improve the care that individuals receive in community settings and via self-determined resources that exist outside of the traditional treatment system (e.g., mobile applications).
Mentor Statement: Dr. Magill is committed to and absolutely enjoys mentorship of students and early career colleagues. Areas of interest include: Mechanisms of Behavior Change; Science of Behavior Change; Statistical analyses in the context of clinical trials; Meta-analysis of behavioral treatment effects; Intervention development; and Therapist training, fidelity monitoring, and implementation science.
| Magill M, Maisto S, Borsari B, Glass JE, Hallgren K, Houck J, Kiluk B, Kuerbis A. "Addictions treatment mechanisms of change science and implementation science: A critical review." Alcohol (Hoboken, N.J.), vol. 47, no. 5, 2023, pp. 827-839. |
| Magill M, Kiluk BD, Ray LA. "Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Alcohol and Other Drug Use Disorders: Is a One-Size-Fits-All Approach Appropriate?." Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation, vol. 14, 2023, pp. 1-11. |
| Magill, Molly, Walthers, Justin, Figuereo, Victor, Torres, Liliana, Montanez, Zulma, Jackson, Kristina, Colby, Suzanne M., Lee, Christina S. "The role of the relational context and therapists' technical behaviors in brief motivational interviewing sessions for heavy alcohol consumption: Findings from a sample of Latinx adults." Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, vol. 144, 2023, pp. 108898. |
| Magill, Molly, Martino, Steve, Wampold, Bruce E. "Goal setting and monitoring with alcohol and other drug use disorders: Principles and practices." Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, vol. 132, 2022, pp. 108650. |
| Magill, Molly, Mastroleo, Nadine R., Martino, Steve. "Technology-Based Methods for Training Counseling Skills in Behavioral Health: a Scoping Review." Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science, vol. 7, no. 3, 2022, pp. 325-336. |
| Magill, Molly. "Commentary on this Special Issue on Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis in Alcohol and Alcoholism." Alcohol and Alcoholism, vol. 57, no. 1, 2021, pp. 3-4. |
| Magill M, Martino S, Wampold B. "The principles and practices of psychoeducation with alcohol or other drug use disorders: A review and brief guide." Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, vol. 126, 2021, pp. 108442. |
| Magill M, Martino S, Wampold BE. "The process of skills training: A content analysis of evidence-based addiction therapies." Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, vol. 116, 2020, pp. 108063. |
| Magill, Molly, Tonigan, J. Scott, Kiluk, Brian, Ray, Lara, Walthers, Justin, Carroll, Kathleen. "The search for mechanisms of cognitive behavioral therapy for alcohol or other drug use disorders: A systematic review." Behaviour Research and Therapy, vol. 131, 2020, pp. 103648. |
| Magill M, Ray L, Kiluk B, Hoadley A, Bernstein M, Tonigan JS, Carroll K. "A meta-analysis of cognitive-behavioral therapy for alcohol or other drug use disorders: Treatment efficacy by contrast condition." Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, vol. 87, no. 12, 2019, pp. 1093-1105. |
| Magill M, Hallgren KA. "Mechanisms of behavior change in motivational interviewing: do we understand how MI works?." Current Opinion in Psychology, vol. 30, 2019, pp. 1-5. |
| Magill M, Janssen T, Mastroleo N, Hoadley A, Walthers J, Barnett N, Colby S. "Motivational interviewing technical process and moderated relational process with underage young adult heavy drinkers." Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, vol. 33, no. 2, 2019, pp. 128-138. |
| Magill M, Apodaca TR, Borsari B, Gaume J, Hoadley A, Gordon REF, Tonigan JS, Moyers T. "A meta-analysis of motivational interviewing process: Technical, relational, and conditional process models of change." Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, vol. 86, no. 2, 2018, pp. 140-157. |
| Magill M, Bernstein MH, Hoadley A, Borsari B, Apodaca TR, Gaume J, Tonigan JS. "Do what you say and say what you are going to do: A preliminary meta-analysis of client change and sustain talk subtypes in motivational interviewing." Psychotherapy research : journal of the Society for Psychotherapy Research, 2018, pp. 1-10. |
| Magill M, Colby SM, Orchowski L, Murphy JG, Hoadley A, Brazil LA, Barnett NP. "How does brief motivational intervention change heavy drinking and harm among underage young adult drinkers?." Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, vol. 85, no. 5, 2017, pp. 447-458. |
| Magill, Molly, R. Apodaca, Timothy, Karno, Mitchell, Gaume, Jacques, Durst, Ayla, Walthers, Justin, L. Stout, Robert, DiClemente, Carlo. "Reliability and Validity of an Observational Measure of Client Decision-Making: The Client Language Assessment – Proximal/Distal (CLA-PD)." Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, vol. 63, 2016, pp. 10-17. |
| Magill M, Apodaca TR, Walthers J, Gaume J, Durst A, Longabaugh R, Stout RL, Carroll KM. "The Alcohol Intervention Mechanisms Scale (AIMS): Preliminary Reliability and Validity of a Common Factor Observational Rating Measure." Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, vol. 70, 2016, pp. 28-34. |
| Magill, Molly, Walthers, Justin, Mastroleo, Nadine R., Gaume, Jacques, Longabaugh, Richard, Apodaca, Timothy R. "Therapist and client discussions of drinking and coping: a sequential analysis of therapy dialogues in three evidence-based alcohol use disorder treatments." Addiction, vol. 111, no. 6, 2016, pp. 1011-1020. |
| Magill, Molly, Kiluk, Brian D., McCrady, Barbara S., Tonigan, J. Scott, Longabaugh, Richard. "Active Ingredients of Treatment and Client Mechanisms of Change in Behavioral Treatments for Alcohol Use Disorders: Progress 10 Years Later." Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, vol. 39, no. 10, 2015, pp. 1852-1862. |
| Magill, Molly. "Branding addiction therapies and reified specific factors." Addiction, vol. 110, no. 3, 2015, pp. 415-416. |
| Magill M, Gaume J, Apodaca TR, Walthers J, Mastroleo NR, Borsari B, Longabaugh R. "The technical hypothesis of motivational interviewing: a meta-analysis of MI's key causal model." Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, vol. 82, no. 6, 2014, pp. 973-83. |
| Magill M, Longabaugh R. "Efficacy combined with specified ingredients: a new direction for empirically supported addiction treatment." Addiction, vol. 108, no. 5, 2013, pp. 874-81. |
| Magill M, Stout RL, Apodaca TR. "Therapist focus on ambivalence and commitment: a longitudinal analysis of Motivational Interviewing treatment ingredients." Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, vol. 27, no. 3, 2013, pp. 754-62. |
| Longabaugh R, Magill M. "Commentary on Michie et al. (2012): the lid is off the black box." Addiction, vol. 107, no. 8, 2012, pp. 1441-2. |
| Magill M, Kahler CW, Monti P, Barnett NP. "Do research assessments make college students more reactive to alcohol events?." Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, vol. 26, no. 2, 2012, pp. 338-44. |
| Magill M. "Moderators and Mediators in Social Work Research: Toward a More Ecologically Valid Evidence Base for Practice." Journal of social work (London, England), vol. 11, no. 4, 2011, pp. 387-401. |
| Longabaugh R, Magill M. "Recent advances in behavioral addiction treatments: focusing on mechanisms of change." Current Psychiatry Reports, vol. 13, no. 5, 2011, pp. 382-9. |
| Magill M, Mastroleo NR, Apodaca TR, Barnett NP, Colby SM, Monti PM. "Motivational interviewing with significant other participation: assessing therapeutic alliance and patient satisfaction and engagement." Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, vol. 39, no. 4, 2010, pp. 391-8. |
| Magill M, Apodaca TR, Barnett NP, Monti PM. "The route to change: within-session predictors of change plan completion in a motivational interview." Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, vol. 38, no. 3, 2010, pp. 299-305. |
| Magill M, Ray LA. "Cognitive-behavioral treatment with adult alcohol and illicit drug users: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials." Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, vol. 70, no. 4, 2009, pp. 516-27. |
Dr. Magill has focused her career on substance use treatment at the level of science and practice. These experiences to date have led to a belief that research on change mechanisms can enhance knowledge gained from clinical trials research, and in the case of treatment outcome equivalence or difference. Such information can lead to greater treatment efficiency by identifying common treatment factors, treatment-specific ingredients, and thus, dissemination, implementation, and training priorities.
R01, AA029703, (PI Magill). TITLE: Optimal Endpoints in Clinical Trials of Cognitive Behavioral Interventions for AOD: An Aggregate and Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis. The project will conduct a large-scale meta-analysis of over 100 published studies of cognitive behavioral therapies for alcohol or other drug use disorders. This project follows up prior work by collecting a range of functional endpoints and conducting Network Meta-analysis and Individual patient data meta-analysis.
U13, AA028964, (MPI: Magill/Maisto). TITLE: Translational Mechanisms of Behavior Change Sicence. The project will fund three annual, one-day satellite meetings held at the site of the Research Society on Alcoholism conference. In the proposed iteration, we will continue the important work of the MOBC satellite while also addressing another area of NIAAA priority: Dissemination, Implementation, and Translational Science.
K02, AA027546, NIAAA, (PI: Magill). TITLE: Best Practices in Core Principles of Behavior Change: Development of an Implementation Scientist. The goal of the K02 award is to transition the candidate to a mid-career focus on implementation science. Specifically, the candidate will develop a common factors practice model for subsequent dissemination and implementation.
R21, AA026006, (PI: Magill). TITLE: A Meta-Analysis of CBT/RP Efficacy, Moderated Efficacy, and Mediation. The purpose of this study is to conduct a state-of-the-art meta-analysis of CBT/RP efficacy, moderated efficacy, and mediating processes. This is important because meta-analysis is considered the highest level of evidence for informing practice, funding, and public health policy decisions.
R01, AA025485, (MPI: Lee/Magill). TITLE: Mechanisms of Behavioral Change in a Culturally-Adapted MI with Latino Heavy Drinkers, NIAAA.The proposed study will test a series of theory-driven hypotheses regarding the within-session predictors of MI outcome and a novel mechanism of culturally adapted MI (CAMI).
R21, AA023662, (PI: Magill). TITLE: Technical, Relational, & Conditional Process Models of MI Efficacy: Meta-Analysis. The proposed project will test the Technical Hypothesis, Relational Hypothesis, and a series of conditional process models that purport to explain the therapeutic benefit of Motivational Interviewing for alcohol and other drug use disorders.
R01, AA023194, (PI: Magill). TITLE: Intervention Ingredients and Mechanisms of an Efficacious Motivational Interview. The current study will test a series of theory-driven hypotheses regarding the within-session predictors of outcome in an efficacious MI.
K23, AA018126, (PI: Magill) TITLE: Within and Post-Session Change Mechanisms in Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorders. The aim of this Career Development Award is to prepare the candidate for a scientific career in the study of mechanisms of behavior change in psychosocial treatment for alcohol use disorders.
| Year | Degree | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | PhD | Boston College |
| 2003 | MSW | Boston College |
| 2000 | BA | University of Massachusetts |
| Postdoctoral Fellow - Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies | 2007-2010 |
Research Achievement Award, Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, 2007
Loan Repayment Program, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Research, 2008 to 2015
NIH Summer Institute on Randomized Clinical Trials on Behavioral Interventions, Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research, competitive application for participation July, 2013
Master of the Arts ad eundem, Brown University, May, 2017
Research Excellence Award, Brown University, 2022
Research Society on Alcoholism, 2007 to Present
Planning Committee, Pre-Conference Satellite on Mechanisms of Behavior Change, Research Society on Alcoholism, 2011 to Present
INEBRIA, 2019 to Present
| Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker | State of Massachusetts | 2007- |
Substance Use Disorders
Research Methods
Quantitative Methods
Mechanisms of Behavior Change: Conceptual Foundations
Mechanisms of Behavior Change: Quantitative Methods
Advanced Regression Analysis in the Behavioral Sciences
Mulit-level Modeling in the Behavioral Sciences
Meta-analysis
