Ms. Shantrel Canidate, a public health doctoral student in the department of behavioral science and community health at the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions, has been awarded a two-year diversity supplement from the National Institutes of Health.

The award supports Ms. Canidate’s mentoring and supervised research experience as part of the research team for “WHAT-IF? A randomized clinical trial of naltrexone in women with HIV and heavy alcohol consumption”, a study led by Dr. Robert Cook, a professor in the UF department of epidemiology, and funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Ms. Canidate’s research plan includes individual interviews with women completing the parent clinical trial to understand the salient factors that led to drinking behavior change and assessing a measure of social networks and drinking.

In addition to Dr. Cook, Ms. Canidate’s mentors include Dr. Giselle Carnaby, an associate professor in the department of behavioral science and community health, and Dr. Christa Cook, an assistant professor in the UF College of Nursing.