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.

2009 Accomplishments

Dr. Thomas Garrity reports noteworthy accomplishments in 2009 in the areas of medical and graduate education, service within and outside of the University, and research on drug abuse. In education, Dr. Garrity continued direction of the department’s National Institute on Drug Abuse Institutional Research Training Program (T32 DA007304) for its 12th year. The three pre- and three post-doctoral training positions have been fully occupied over every year of the program. Dr. Garrity collaborated with a second NIDA training program at UK (directed by Dr. Louis Hersh) and with the Center for Drug and Alcohol Research and Translation (directed by Dr. Michael Bardo) to organize the fifth annual NIDA Training Symposium with Dr. Marilyn Carroll serving as keynote speaker. In addition, Dr. Garrity served as preceptor for three groups of first and second year medical students in Introduction to Clinical Medicine I, and Patients, Physicians and Society II. He also team-taught, with Drs. Katie Bright and Sheila Woods, two eight-hour lecture series, When a Child Dies, for second year residents from Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine. In graduate education, Dr. Garrity serves on the doctoral advisory committees of Chris Larson and Natalie Fagan. He taught, for his 29th and final year, in the PEPP and PEPP II summer program sponsored by the COM and supervised by Carol Leslie. Garrity’s service to the profession has included service as grant reviewer for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and ad hoc reviewer for several journals in his area of research. He presented the 2009 Lowney-Hunthausen Lecture at Carroll College in Helena, Montana on September 15. For the University, he served as chair of the periodic unit review of the Graduate Center on Gerontology, as member of the Center for Drug Abuse Research Translation (CDART) internal advisory committee, and as admissions interviewer for the College of Medicine. He served the Department of Behavioral Science by collaborating with Drs. Straus, 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 and human research of Drs. Walsh and Rush. Finally, in anticipation of retirement on July 31, 2010, Dr. Garrity completed five years as co-investigator on the Rural Stimulant project of Drs. Leukefeld and Brenda Booth; he co-authored two manuscripts submitted for publication from this project. He co-authored this year one published paper from the older Health Services project. One poster presentations from the Rural Stimulant project was also made at the annual meeting of the AHSR.

Research Funding

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.