Alcohol Research Group

  • Research
    • Overview
    • Disparities
    • Environment
    • Epidemiology
    • Health
    • International
    • Methodology
    • Policy
    • Treatment & Recovery
    • Intervention Trials
  • The Center
    • About
          • ABOUT THE CENTER

            • History, Mission, & Focus
          • MEET THE DIRECTOR


            Senior Scientist, William (Bill) C. Kerr, PhD, is Director of ARG’s National Alcohol Research Center and Co-Directs the National Alcohol Survey and the Health Disparities projects.  Bill also serves as the scientific director at ARG and continues to lead R01 projects, including a grant to investigate secondhand harms from alcohol and other drugs.

            Learn more

    • People
          • THE CENTER TEAM

            • Center Leadership
            • Scientific Advisory Board
            • Research Partners
          • MEET THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

            Scientist Nina Mulia, DrPH, is Center Associate Director and Director of the Alcohol Services project. She specializes in and has published widely on race and ethnicity and socioeconomic disparities in heavy drinking, alcohol problems, and alcohol services utilization.

            Learn more 

    • Research
          • CENTER RESEARCH

            • Cores
            • Research Projects
            • Affiliated Research
          • ASSESSING HID OVER THE LIFECOURSE

            This project, led by Camillia Lui, PhD, traces trends in harmful drinking patterns over a 40-year period, and identifies a range of alcohol-related precursors and problems through event-based and population-based approaches to inform early screening and interventions for high-risk groups.

            Learn more

    • National Alcohol Surveys
          • ABOUT THE SURVEY

            • About the National Alcohol Survey
            • NAS Datasets
            • Get Access to the NAS data
          • MEET THE SURVEY CO-DIRECTOR

            Scientist and Deputy Scientific Director, Priscilla Martinez, oversees the survey design, data collection, and analyses.  In the latest cycle of the NAS, Priscilla conducted dried blood spot sampling to help better understand the relationship between how our immune systems work and what role they might play in how alcohol use can affect our mental health.

            Learn more

  • Training Program
        • OVERVIEW

          • About the Training Program
          • Predoctoral Fellowship
          • Postdoctoral Fellowship
          • Seminars
        • APPLY NOW

          • Predoctoral Fellowship Application
          • Postdoctoral Fellowship Application
        • TRAINING STAFF

          • Faculty & Mentors
          • Current Fellows
  • Impacts
    • New Findings
    • In the News
    • Press Release
    • Publications
  • Data & Resources
    • Datasets
  • About
    • History
    • Mission, Vision, Values & Goals
    • Governance
    • Staff
    • Library
    • Employment
    • Support ARG
  • Donate
  • Priscilla Martinez, MPhil, PhD

  • Deputy Scientific Director, Scientist

  • Email

    pmartinez@arg.org
  • Phone

    510-898-5860
  • Expertise

    Immunological mechanisms of alcohol use and comorbid health problems and mental disorders; Alcohol use among women and older adults; Alcohol and mental disorder comorbidity; alcohol-related racial/ethnic health disparities; Racial/ethnic minority participation in survey research
Current Projects
  • Inflammation and alcohol-related racial/ethnic health disparities (Principal Investigator)
  • National Alcohol Surveys: Advancing Epidemiologic Analyses of 21st Century Drinking (Co-Director)
  • Enhancing Awareness of Alcohol as a Breast Cancer Risk Factor Among Young Women in CA (Principal Investigator)
  • COVID-19 Center Project (Principal Investigator)
Completed Projects
  • Assessing the Acceptability and Feasibility of Mail-in, Self-Administered Dried Blood Spot Sampling in the National Alcohol Survey (A Center Pilot Study) (Pilot Director)
  • Evaluating thoughts and attitudes of Latinos about providing biological samples for alcohol research (Principal Investigator)
  • Alcohol Use Disorders, Psychological Distress and Immune Function (A Center Pilot Study) (Pilot Director)
Selected Publications
  • Martinez, P., Zemore, S.E. (2019). Feasibility of a mail‐in, self‐administered dried blood spot collection method in national, population‐based alcohol surveys in the U.S.. Addiction, Abstract or Full Text
  • Martinez P., Kerr W.C., Subbaraman M., Roberts S.C.M. (2019). New estimates of the mean ethanol content of beer, wine, and spirits sold in the United States show a greater increase in per capita alcohol consumption than previous estimates. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 43 509-521 Abstract or Full Text
  • Martinez, P., Lien, L., Zemore, S., Bramness, J.G., Neupane, S.P. (2018). Circulating cytokine levels are associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety among people with alcohol and drug use disorders. Journal of Neuroimmunology, 318 80-86 Abstract or Full Text
  • Borges, G., Zemore, S. E., Orozco, R., Cherpitel, C. J., Martinez, P., Wallisch, L. (2018). Drug use on both sides of the US-Mexico border.. Salud Pública de México, 60 (4) 451-461 Abstract or Full Text
  • Martinez P., Cummings C., Karriker-Jaffe K., Chartier G. (2017). Learning from Latino voices: focus groups’ insights on participation in genetic research. The American Journal on Addictions, Abstract or Full Text
  • Neupane S.P., Lien L., Martinez P., Hestad K., Bramness J.G. (2015). The relationship of alcohol-use disorders and depressive symptoms to tryptophan metabolism: cross-sectional data from a Nepalese alcohol treatment sample. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 30 Jan; DOI: 10.1111/acer.12651 Abstract or Full Text
  • Zemore, S.E., Murphy, R.D., Mulia, N., Gilbert, P., Martinez, P., Bond, J., & Polcin, D.L. (2014). A moderating role for gender in racial/ethnic disparities in alcohol services utilization: results from the 2000-2010 National Alcohol Surveys. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 38 (8) 2286-96 Abstract or Full Text
  • Martinez P., Lien L., Landheim A., Kowal P., Clausen T. (2014). Quality of life and social engagement of alcohol abstainers and users among older adults in South Africa. BMC Public Health, 14 316- Abstract or Full Text
  • Martinez P., Tsai A.C., Muzoora C., Kembabazi A., Weiser S.D., Huang Y., Haberer J., Martin J.N., Bangsberg D.R., Hunt P.W. (2014). Reversal of IDO-induced tryptophan metabolism may mediate antiretroviral therapy-related improvements in depressive symptoms in HIV-infected Ugandans. JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 65 (4) 456-462
  • Martinez P., Roislien J., Naidoo J., Clausen T. (2011). Alcohol abstinence and drinking among African women: data from the World Health Surveys. BMC Public Health, 11 160 Abstract or Full Text
  • About Us
    • History
    • Mission, Vision, Values & Goals
    • Governance
    • Staff
    • Library
    • Support ARG
    • Employment
    • Contact Us

Latest News

May 13th, 2025
Substance Use and Mental Health Risks Among U.S. College Students
May 2nd, 2025
The Long-Term Impact of Childhood Adversity on Adolescent and Young Adult Substance Use
April 10th, 2025
Understanding Mental Health, Substance Use, and Suicide Risk Among Youth
April 8th, 2025
How Flawed Science Could Shape U.S. Alcohol Guidelines
April 2nd, 2025
New Study Reveals Why Alcohol Use Increased During the Pandemic

Recent Findings

April 2nd, 2025
New Study Reveals Why Alcohol Use Increased During the Pandemic
November 23rd, 2024
Data disaggregation reveals hidden suicide risk
November 21st, 2024
Millions of Americans Hurt By Others’ Drinking, Drug Use: Study
September 4th, 2024
Alcohol Consumption Trends Across Disadvantaged Populations
June 4th, 2024
Socioeconomic status may determine how alcohol affects heart health

Newsletter Sign-up

Who We Are

About ARG

We are a non-profit research organization that seeks to improve public health through deepening our understanding of alcohol and other drug use and investigating innovative approaches to reduce its consequences for individuals, families, and communities.

  • Land Acknowledgement
  • History
  • Leadership
  • Staff
  • Job Opportunities
  • Accessibility Policy

What We Do

  • Mission, Vision, Values
  • Research Overview
  • National Alcohol Research Center
  • Methodology
  • Training

Newsroom

  • Access Our Data
  • In the News
  • Press Releases
  • Get in Touch

Connect with Us

Social

© 2025 Alcohol Research Group. Website Design and Development by HyperArts