Thomas F. Garrity, Ph.D.

(Duke University, 1971)

120 Medical Behavioral Science Building
Phone: (859) 323-6100
e-mail: tgarrit@uky.edu

Research Description

Dr. Garrity performs population studies of relationships between stressful life events and illness behaviors with special emphasis on factors that moderate these relationships, such as coping style (e.g., Type A behavior and anger expression) and social support, including human and companion animal support. This model is currently being applied to the situation of chronic drug abusers.

2008 Accomplishments

Dr. Thomas Garrity reports noteworthy accomplishments in 2008 in the areas of medical and graduate education, service within and outside of the University, and research on drug abuse.  In education, Dr. Garrity applied for and was awarded renewal of his National Institute on Drug Abuse Institutional Research Training Program (T32 DA007304) for years 11 through 15.  The three pre- and three post-doctoral training positions are and have continued to be fully recruited over the 11 years of the program.  Dr. Garrity collaborated with a second NIDA training program at UK (with Dr. Louis Hersh) to organize the fourth annual NIDA Training Symposium.  He will continue to function as Program Director.  In addition, Dr. Garrity has been serving as preceptor of three groups of first and second year medical students in Patient-Centered Medicine and Patients, Physicians and Society courses, and author and co-author of two major modules of the courses.  In graduate education, Dr. Bill Edwards completed his doctoral dissertation under Dr. Garrity’s supervision.  Finally, he taught a final edition of his Death and Dying graduate seminar, which has continued as his major graduate course offering since his arrival as faculty in 1970.   Garrity’s service to the profession has included a fourth year of service as grant reviewer for NIDA’s Loan Repayment Program, and ad hoc reviewer for three journals in his area of research.  For the University, he completed his sixth consecutive year as senator from the College of Medicine, and member of the Senate Committee on Organization and Structure.  He also served as admissions interviewer for the College of Medicine.  He served the Department of Behavioral Science by collaborating with Drs. Straus, Wilson and Leukefeld on the writing of a departmental history; he also served as member on the Department’s Educational Program Planning Committee, Graduate Program Planning Committee, Research Mentoring Planning Committee, and brief service on the Seed Grant Funds Committee.  He also volunteered service on several Data Safety Monitoring Boards of clinical trials in Behavioral Science.  Finally, Dr. Garrity co-directed organizing efforts for the Behavioral Science Lecture Series.   In anticipation of retirement on July 31, 2010, Dr. Garrity has completed five years as co-investigator on the Rural Stimulant project of Drs. Leukefeld and Brenda Booth; he authored and co-authored two publications from this project. He also complete work on the State Needs Assessment Project, which was directed by Dr. Webster; several brief and large reports came from this project and were disseminated by the funding agency to practitioners and researchers interested in the epidemiology of drug misuse in Kentucky.  Two poster presentations from the latter project were also made at the annual meeting of CPDD.

Program Director, "Research Training in Drug Abuse Behavior," NIDA, 1998-2013.

Representative Publications

Garrity, T.F., Prewitt, S.H., Joosen, M., Staton Tindall, M., Webster, J.M., Hiller, M.L., & Leukefeld, C.G. (2008). Baseline subjective stress predicts one-year outcomes among drug court clients. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology. 52(3), 346-357.

Garrity, T.F., Leukefeld, C.G., Carlson, R.G., Falck, R.S., Wang, J., & Booth, B.M. (2007). Physical health, illicit drug use, and demographic characteristics in rural stimulant users. Journal of Rural Health, 23(2), 99-107.

Narevic, E., Garrity, T.F., Schoenberg, N.E., Hiller, M.L., Webster, J.M., & Leukefled, C.G., (2006). Factors predicting unmet health services needs among incarcerated substance users. Substance Use and Misuse, 41(8), 1077-1094.

Garrity, T.F., Prewitt, S.H., Joosen, M., Staton Tindall, M., Webster, J.M., Hiller, M.L., & Leukefeld, C.G. (2006). Correlates of subjective stress among drug court clients. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 50(3), 269-279.

Joosen, M., Garrity, T.F., Staton Tindall, M., Hiller, M.L., Leukefeld, C.G., & Webster, J.M. (2005) Predictors of current depressive symptoms in a sample of drug court participants. Substance Use and Misuse, 40(8), 1113-1125.

Garrity, T.F., Hiller, M.L., Staton, M., Webster, J.M., & Leukefeld, C.G. (2002).  Factors predicting illness and health services use among male Kentucky prisoners with a history of drug abuse.  Prison Journal, 83, 295-313.

Garrity, T.F., & Stallones, L. (1998). Effects of pet contact on human well-being: Review of recent research. In C.C. Wilson & D.C. Turner (Eds.), Companion Animals in Human Health. Thousand Oaks, Sage Publications.

Johnstone, B.M., Garrity, T.F., & Straus, R. (1995). The relationship between alcohol and stress. In T. Miller (Ed.), Stressful Life Events. New York, International University Press.

Rajaram, S.S., Garrity, T.F., Stallones, L., & Marx, M.B. (1993). Bereavement -- Loss of a pet and loss of a human. Anthrozoos, 6(1), 8-16.

Anderson, J.W., Garrity, T.F., Wood, C.L., Whitis, S.E., Smith, B.M., & Oeltgen, P.R. (1992). Prospective, randomized, controlled comparison of the effects of low-fat and low-fat plus high-fiber diets on serum lipid levels. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 55, 887-894.

Garrity, T.F., Kotchen, J.M., McKean, H.E., Gurley, D., & McFadden, M. (1990). The association between Type A behavior and change in coronary risk factors among young adults. American Journal of Public Health, 811, 1354-1357.