Marie Aline Sillice, Ph.D.

One of Marie's areas of research focuses on improving intervention and prevention programs that address the reciprocal relationship between individual, social, and environmental factors in health disparity among minority populations, particularly African American/Black women. She is also interested in culturally relevant approaches and novel technologies that can be leveraged to augment participant engagement and outcome. Moreover, she is interested in combined intervention approaches designed to increase behavioral health engagement in psychiatric populations. Marie is currently working on several research programs, including two NIH-sponsored projects, a mobile phone app physical activity program to help Black women adopt and maintain regular engagement in physical activity, and a 3-arm randomized physical activity intervention for adults with bipolar disorder.

Education:

Postdoctoral fellow, Brown University Warren Alpert Medical School, Providence, RI
Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI
MA, Clinical Psychology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI
BA, Psychology and Africana Studies, U-Mass Boston, Boston, MA

Academic Interests:

Behavioral Health Prevention Intervention; Technology Applications to Increase Dissemination and Engagement; Theoretical Informed Health Communication; Culturally-Relevant Approaches

Selected Grants:

K23MD014164           Sillice (PI)                                        08/15/19-04/30/24

        Title: Developing a Tailored, Theoretically-Driven Smartphone Activity Intervention for African American Women

        This grant supports an individually-tailored, culturally relevant and smartphone delivered PA program including short text messages, activity monitoring features, educational videos, and a peer-to-peer chatroom network to increase social support for PA behaviors in AA women compared to general wellness text messaging control condition.

1U01OD033245         Ngo (PI)                                        08/21/21-08/31/23

        Title: Harlem Strong Mental Health Coalition: A Multi-sector Community-Engaged Collaborative for System Transformation

        This study examines the impact of Harlem Strong Community Mental Health and Economic Empowerment Collaborative, a community-wide multi-sectoral coalition in which a health insurer works with community-based organizations and medical and behavioral health providers.

        Role: Co-Investigator

Project Number: 4412 Ngo (PI)                                        02/21/20-08/24/23

        New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

        Title: Building Resilience in Youth

        This program aims to expand mental health knowledge, skills and strategies among CBO staff that will enhance their capacity to identify and work with at-risk community youth and their families.

        Role: Co-Investigator

Editorial Board Member:

• Contemporary Clinical Trials
• Journal of Public Health Issues and Practices
• Mental Health and Physical Activity
• Health Technology

Selected Publications:

Sillice MA, Jennings E, Uebelacker LA, Abrantes AM, Holland CC, O'Keeffe B, Bock BC. African American women's relationship with their mobile phone, and what they want in a mobile delivered physical activity intervention: guidance for intervention development. mHealth 2019;5:18.

Sillice MA, Dunsiger S, Bock BC. Exploring Factors Associated with Dietary Improvement Among Participants Who Completed a Randomized Controlled Trial for Physical Activity: Evidence of a Transfer Effect. Int J Behav Med. 2023 Jun 12. doi: 10.1007/s12529-023-10186-x. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37308771.

Sillice MA, Nelson T, Jennings E, Holland CC, Bock BC. Assessing hair concerns and physical activity measures among African American women: a mixed-method exploratory study. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2023 Jan 17. doi: 10.1007/s40615-023-01513-9. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36648622.

Uebelacker LA, Epstein-Lubow G,  Sillice, MA, O’Keeffe B, Kraines M, Battle CL, Anderson B, Miller IW, Abrantes AM. Project MOVE: A randomized controlled trial of Interventions for initiating and maintaining physical activity in depressed individuals. Mental Health and Physical Activity,2023,100508, ISSN 1755-2966, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhpa.2023.100508.

Uebelacker LA, Sillice MA, Epstein-Lubow G, Battle CL, Anderson B, Caviness C, Miller IW, Abrantes AM. Combined intervention approaches for initiating and maintaining physical activity in depressed individuals: design and rationale of the Project MOVE randomized clinical trial. Contemp Clin Trials. 2020 Apr;91:105974. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2020.105974. Epub 2020 Mar 7.

Meshesha LZ,  Magri TD, Braun, TD,  Sillice MA, Nguyen MD, Suren V, Abrantes AN (2023) Patient Perspective on the Role of Substance-Free Activities during Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment: A Mixed-Method Study, Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 41:3, 309-321, DOI: 10.1080/07347324.2023.2204815

Sillice MA, Stein M, Battle CL, Meshesha LZ, Lindsay C, Agu E, Abrantes AM. Exploring factors associated with mobile phone behaviors and Attitudes Toward Technology Among Adults With Alcohol Use Disorder and Implications for mHealth Interventions: Exploratory Study. JMIR Form Res. 2022 Aug 15;6(8):e32768. doi: 10.2196/32768.

Hitch L, Sillice MA, Kodali H, Wyka K, Pena JO, Huang TT. Factors associated with mask use in New York City neighborhood parks during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A field audit study. Journal of Infection and Public Health. 2022 February. ISSN 1876-0341,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiph.2022.02.006.

Braun TD, Green Z, Meshesha LZ, Sillice MA, Read J, Abrantes AM. Self-compassion buffers the internalized alcohol stigma and depression link in women sexual assault survivors who drink to cope. Addict Behav. 2022 Nov 25;138:107562. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107562. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36463606

Sillice MA, Sillice MA, Morokoff PJ, Ferszt G, Bickmore T, Bock BC, Lantini R, Velicer WF. Using Relational Agents to Promote Exercise and Sun Protection: Assessment of Participants' Experiences With Two Interventions. J Med Internet Res. 2018 Feb 7;20(2):e48. doi: 10.2196/jmir.7640

Sillice MA, Babbin SF, Redding CA, Rossi JS, Paiva AL, Velicer WF. Psychometric assessment of the processes of change scale for sun protection. Psychol Health Med. 2018 Jan;23(1):39-45. doi: 10.1080/13548506.2017.1325504. Epub 2017 May 7. PMID: 28480744.

Lantini R, Sillice MA,, Fava JL, Jennings E, Rosen RK, Horowitz SM, Becker BM, Bock BC. Butt Why? Exploring factors associated with cigarette scavenging behaviors among adult smokers enrolling in a clinical trial for smoking cessation. Addict Behav. 2018 Mar;78:200-204. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.11.037. Epub 2017 Nov 26. PMID:

Thind H, Sillice MA, Fava JL, Lantini R, Horowitz S, Jennings E, Rosen RK, Carmody J, Becker BM, Marcus BH, Bock BC. Development and Validation of the Outcome Expectations for Yoga Scale. Am J Health Behav. 2017 Nov 1;41(6):796-802. doi: 10.5993/AJHB.41.6.13.