Alcohol Research Group

  • William C. Kerr, PhD

  • Senior Scientist; Center Director

  • Email

    wkerr@arg.org

  • Phone

    510-898-5841

  • External Bio

    Google Scholar Link

  • Expertise

    Methodology of alcohol use measurement; trends in U.S. alcohol consumption; relationships between alcohol use and health outcomes; health disparities; economic conditions and alcohol-related outcomes; alcohol control policy and policy evaluation; co-use of alcohol and cannabis; harms from other’s alcohol and drug use; cannabis control policy and policy evaluation
Current Projects
Completed Projects
Selected Publications
  • Subbaraman, M.S., Mulia, N., Kerr, W.C., Patterson, D., Karriker-Jaffe, K.J., & Greenfield, T.K (2020). Relationships between US state alcohol policies and alcohol outcomes: differences by gender and race/ethnicity. Addiction , Abstract or Full Text
  • Subbaraman MS, Ye Y, Mulia N, Kerr WC (2020). Improving the validity of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System alcohol measures. Alcoholism , 44 (4) 892-899 Abstract or Full Text
  • Grossman E.R., Kerr W.C., Toomey T.L. (2020). The role of law and policy in reducing deaths attributable to alcohol to reach healthy people’s substance abuse goals in the United States. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Abstract or Full Text
  •  Williams, E., Kerr, W.C., Barnett, S.B. (2020). Price Changes in Washington Following the 2012 Liquor Privatization: An Update Through 2016 With Comparisons to California, Idaho, and Oregon. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 44 (2) 501-510 Abstract or Full Text
  • Kerr, W.C., Ye, Y., Williams, E., Lui, C.K., Greenfield, T.K., Lown, E.A., (2019). Lifetime alcohol use patterns and risk of diabetes onset in the National Alcohol Survey. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 43 (2) 262-269 Abstract or Full Text
  • Kerr WC, Ye Y, Greenfield TK. (2019). Spirits purchasing and marijuana use behaviors of risky drinkers in the state of Washington from 2014 to 2016.. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 198 7-12 Abstract or Full Text
  • Kerr WC, Ye Y, Greenfield TK (2019). Changes in spirits purchasing behaviours after privatisation of government-controlled sales in Washington, USA.. Drug and Alcohol Review, 38 294-301 Abstract or Full Text
  • Martinez P, Kerr WC, Subbaraman M, Roberts SCM (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
  • Kerr, W.C., Williams, E., Subbaraman, M.S., Greenfield, T.K.  (2018). Survey Estimates of Changes in Alcohol Use Patterns Following the 2012 Privatization of the Washington Liquor Monopoly. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 53 470-476 Abstract or Full Text
  • Subbaraman M.S., Thomas S., Treffers R., Delucchi K., Kerr W.C., Martinez P., Roberts S.C.M. (2018). Associations between state‐level policies regarding alcohol use among pregnant women, adverse birth outcomes, and prenatal care utilization. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, Abstract or Full Text
  • Kerr, W.C., Lui, C. Ye, Y. (2018). Trends and age, period and cohort effects for marijuana use prevalence in the 1984 to 2015 US National Alcohol Surveys. Addiction, 113 (3) 473-481 Abstract or Full Text
  • Kerr, W.C., Williams, E., Li, L., Lui, C. K., Ye, Y., Greenfield, T.K., Lown, E.A. (2018). Alcohol use patterns and risk of diabetes onset in the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth Cohort. Preventative Medicine, 109 22-27 Abstract or Full Text
  • Kerr, W.C., Ye, Y., Subbaraman, M.S., Williams, E., Greenfield, T.K. (2018). Changes in marijuana use across the 2012 Washington state recreational legalization: Is retrospective assessment of use before legalization more accurate?. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 79 495-502 Abstract or Full Text
  • Kerr, W.C., Lui, C.K., Williams, E., Ye, Y., Greenfield, T.K., & Lown, E.A. (2017). Health risk factors associated with lifetime abstinence from alcohol in the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth Cohort. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 41 (2) 388-398 Abstract or Full Text
  • Cherpitel, C.J., Ye Y., Kerr, W.C. (2016). Relationship of usual volume and heavy consumption to risk of alcohol-related injury: racial/ethnic disparities in four U.S. National Alcohol Surveys. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 77 (1) 58-67 Abstract or Full Text
  • Kerr W.C., Ye Y., Greenfield T.K., Williams E., Lui C.K., Li L., Lown E.A. (2016). Changes in heavy drinking following onset of health problems in a U.S. general population sample. Preventive Medicine, 6 (95) 47-51 Abstract or Full Text
  • Subbaraman, M.S., Kerr, W.C. (2016). Opinions on the privatization of distilled-spirits in Washington State: did voters change their minds?. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 77 (4) 568-576 Abstract or Full Text
  • Subbaramann, M.S., Kerr, W.C. (2016). Marijuana policy opinions in Washington state since legalization: would voters vote the same way?. Contemporary Drug Problems, Abstract or Full Text
  • Ye, Y., Kerr, W.C. (2016). Estimated increase in cross-border purchases by Washington residents following liquor privatization and implications for alcohol consumption trends. Addiction, 111 (11) 1948-1953 Abstract or Full Text
  • Kerr, W.C., Ye, Y., Greenfield, T.K., Williams, E., Lown, E.A., Lui, C.K. (2016). Early life health, trauma and social determinants of lifetime abstention from alcohol. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 51 (5) 576-83 Abstract or Full Text
  • Kerr, W.C, Williams, E., Greenfield, T.K. (2015). Analysis of price changes in Washington following the 2012 liquor privatization. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 50 (6) 654-660. Abstract or Full Text
  • Kerr W.C., Greenfield T.K. (2015). Racial/ethnic disparities in the self-reported number of drinks in 2 hours before driving becomes impaired. American Journal of Public Health, Jan 20 e1-e6 Abstract or Full Text
  • Kerr W.C., Ye Y., Cherpitel C.J. (2015). Racial/ethnic disparities in the risk of injury related to the frequency of heavy drinking occasions. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 50 (5) 573-578 Abstract or Full Text
  • Subbaraman M.S., Kerr W.C. (2015). Simultaneous versus concurrent use of alcohol and cannabis in the National Alcohol Survey. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 39 (5) 872-879. Abstract or Full Text
  • Kerr, W.C., Mulia, N., & Zemore, S.E. (2014). US trends in light, moderate and heavy drinking episodes from 2000 to 2010. Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, 38 (9) 2496-501 Abstract or Full Text
  • Greenfield TK, Nayak MB, Bond J, Kerr WC, Ye Y (2014). Test-retest reliability and validity of life-course alcohol consumption measures: the 2005 National Alcohol Survey follow-up. Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, 38 (9) 2479-87 Abstract or Full Text
  • Kerr, W.C., Patterson, D., Greenfield, T.K., Jones, A.S., McGeary, K.A., Terza, J.V. and Ruhm, C. (2013). U.S. Alcohol Affordability and Real Tax Rates, 1950 – 2011. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 44 (5) 459-464. Abstract or Full Text
  • Kerr, W.C., Greenfield, T.K., Ye, Y., Bond, J., & Rehm, J. (2013). Are the 1976-1985 birth cohorts heavier drinkers? Age-period-cohort analyses of the National Alcohol Surveys 1979-2010. Addiction, 108 (6) 1038-1048 Abstract or Full Text
  • Kerr, W.C & Stockwell, T. (2012). Understanding standard drinks and drinking guidelines. Drug and Alcohol Review, 31 (2) 200-205 Abstract or Full Text
  • Kerr, W. C., Greenfield, T. K., Bond, J., Ye, Y. and Rehm, J. (2011). Racial and ethnic differences in all-cause mortality risk according to consumption patterns in the National Alcohol Surveys. American Journal of Epidemiology, 174 (7) 769-778 Abstract or Full Text
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