Katherine (Kait) Hirchak, PhD, MHPA

• PhD in Prevention Science, Washington State University, Spokane, WA
• MHPA in Health Policy and Administration, Washington State University, Spokane, WA
• BA in Native American Studies, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA

• Postdoctoral Fellow, T32 NIAAA Center on Alcohol, Substance use And Addictions (CASAA), University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 2018–2020
• Graduate Research Assistant, College of Medicine, Washington State University, Spokane, WA, 2014–2018

Pending 

NCREW 007 Webb, Hirchak (MPI) 

Our Healing Journey: A Community Response to the Opioid Epidemic (NIDA). The objective of this project is to build research capacity, center Indigenous knowledge and methods and address opioid use in a rural reservation community.   

NCREW 008 Role: Evaluation Director  

Promoting Community Wellbeing Through Indigenous Science and Healing (NIDA). The aim of the research project is to act as a coordinating center to provide research technical assistance to American Indian and Alaska Native communities to conduct projects that address the HEAL initiatives. 

 

Current 

1. No Number Hirchak (PI) 09/1/2023-8/31/2024 

Building Interest and Excitement for Contingency Management Across Tribal Opioid Response Network and AI/AN Communities (Opioid Response Network/American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry). The objective of this contract is to provide overview trainings, networking opportunities and general knowledge around developing and implementing a contingency management program for stimulants among Tribal Opioid Response grantees.  

No Number Hirchak (PI) 09/1/2023-8/31/2024 

Culturally Centered Contingency Management. This grant's objective is to provide training and technical assistance to a Tribe in the Southwest.   

K01 AA028831 Hirchak (PI) 09/01/2020-08/31/2025  

Culturally Re-Centering Contingency Management and Behavioral Economics to Increase Engagement with American Indian Young Adults (NIAAA). The objective of this grant is to provide the candidate with the skills and experience to conduct research on engaging American Indian young adults in treatment.  

1UG1 DA049468-01/CTN-0118 Page (PI), Role: Lead Investigator 07/01/2020-02/28/2024  

Examining the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency on Policy, Substance Use Disorder, Treatment and Resilience among American Indian and Alaska Native Communities (NIDA). The objective of this grant is to assess the impact of COVID-19 on medication for opioid use disorder treatment policy, delivery, and access in addition to assessing the protective factors and the social determinants of health for AI/AN adults and providers during the pandemic.  

1UG1 DA049468-01/CTN-0096 Page (PI), Venner, Campbell (Lead Investigators), Role: Co-Lead Investigator 03/01/2019-02/28/2024  

Culturally Centering Medications for Opioid Use Disorder with American Indian and Alaska Native Communities (NIDA). This grant's objective is to culturally center the delivery of medications for opioid use disorder within AI/AN-serving healthcare organizations.   

P60 AA026112 Buchwald (PI), Role: Pilot Principal Investigator 12/01/2020-11/30/2024 

Re-Centering Measures for Alcohol Misuse among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Communities (NIAAA). The objective of this grant is to culturally adapt measures of negative alcohol use consequences among AI/AN communities.   

• Washington State Department of Health October Public Health Spotlight, 2023 
• Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine Outstanding Contribution to Community Partnerships, 2022
• Promoting Indigenous Research Leadership (PIRL), Scholar, 2021
• Learning for Early Careers in Addiction & Diversity (LEAD) Program, Scholar, 2020-2024
• Center for Underrepresented Research in Addiction (CURA), Scholar, 2020-2022
• Urban Indian Health Institute, Policy Fellow, 2020-Present
• Annual Society for Prevention Research Sloboda and Bukoski Cup Winner, 2020
  Team CASAA (lead: Margo Hurlocker and Dylan Richards; co-members: Kait Hirchak, Frank Schwebal, & Adrian Bravo, faculty mentor Matthew Pearson).
• NIH Loan Repayment Program, 2019-2023
• Research Assistantships for Diverse Scholars, Research Fellow, Washington State University, Spokane, WA, 2015-2016

Hirchak KA, Kordas G, Lyons AJ, Herron J, Jansen K, Shaw J, Avey J, McPherson SM, Roll J, Buchwald D, McDonell MG, and the HONOR Study Team. A secondary analysis of a multi-site randomized clinical trial: Incentives reduce alcohol use among American Indian and Alaska Native adults. JAM. Accepted.

Hirchak, KA, Amiri, S., Kordas, K., Oluwoye O., Lyons, AJ., Bajet, K., Hahn, J., McDonell, MG., Campbell, A. & Venner, KL. Variations in national availability of waivered buprenorphine prescribers by racial and ethnic composition of ZIP codes. Substance Abuse, Treatment and Policy. 2022;17(1):41. doi: 10.1186/s13011-022-00457-3. PMID: 35614487; PMCID: PMC9131568.

Hirchak KA, Lyons AJ, Herron J, Kordas G, Shaw J, Jansen K, Avey J, McPherson SM, Donovan D, Roll J, Buchwald D, Ries R, McDonell MG, and the HONOR Study Team. Contingency management for alcohol use disorder reduces cannabis use among American Indian and Alaska Native adults. JSAT. 2022;137:108693. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2021.108693. Epub 2021. PMID: 34952747; PMCID: PMC9086134. 2021.

McDonell MG, Hirchak KA, Herron J, Lyons AJ, Alcover KC, Shaw J… Buchwald D, and the HONOR Study Team. Effect of incentives for alcohol abstinence in partnership with 3 American Indian and Alaska Native communities: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psych. 2021; 1;78(6):599-606. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.4768. PMID: 33656561; PMCID: PMC7931140.

Hirchak KA, Tonigan JS, Hernandez-Vallant A, Herron J, Cloud V, & Venner KL. The validity of the short inventory of problems and drinking intensity among urban American Indian adults. Substance Use and Misuse. 2021;56(4):501-509. doi: 10.1080/10826084.2021.1883656. Epub 2021 Feb 19. PMID: 33605847; PMCID: PMC8095341.

Hirchak KA, Jansen K, Lyons A, Herron J, Bergerson D, Shaw J…McDonell MG & The HONOR Study Team. Lessons shared: Implementation of a randomized clinical trial for alcohol use disorders with five American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Collaborations: A Journal of Community-Based Research and Practice. 2021; 4(1): 5, pp. 1–12. PMID: In Process. PMCID: In Process.

Venner KL, Serier K, Sarafin R, Greenfield B, Hirchak KA, Smith J, & Witkiewitz K.  Culturally tailored evidence-based substance use disorder treatments are efficacious with an American Indian southwest tribe: An open-label randomized controlled trial. Addiction. 2021;116(4):949-960. doi: 10.1111/add.15191. PMID: 32667105. PMCID: In Process.

Hirchak, KA, Hernandez-Vallant, A, Herron, J, Cloud, V, Tonigan, JS, McCrady, B, & Venner, KL. Aligning three substance use disorder interventions among a tribe in the southwest united states: Pilot feasibility of cultural re-centering, dissemination, and implementation. J Ethn Subst Abuse. 2020; 2:1-17. doi: 10.1080/15332640.2020.1836701. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33135985; PMCID: PMC8095342.

Belone L, Rae R, Hirchak KA, Cohoe-Belone B, Orosco A, Shendo K & Wallerstein N. Dissemination of American Indian culturally-centered community-based participatory research family listening program: Implications for global Indigenous well-being. Genealogy. 2020; 4 (4) 99. PMID: In Process. PMCID: In Process.

Hirchak KA, Herron J, Murphy SM, Donovan, D, Roll JM, Buchwald D, McDonell MG, McPherson SM & The HONOR Study Team. Assessing the interest and cultural congruence of contingency management as an intervention for alcohol misuse among younger American Indian adults. Am Indian Alsk Native Ment Health Res. 2019; 26(3). PMID: 31743414. PMCID: PMC6925541.

Hirchak KA, Leickly E, Herron J, Shaw J, Skalisky J, Dirks LG, Avey JP, McPherson S, Nepom J, Donovan D, Buchwald D, McDonell MG & the HONOR Study Team. Focus groups to increase the cultural acceptability of a contingency management intervention for American Indian and Alaska Native communities. JSAT. 2018; 90: 57-63. PMID: 29866384. PMCID: PMC6014612.

Hirchak K, Murphy SM. Assessing differences in the availability of opioid addiction therapy options: Rural versus urban and American Indian reservation versus non-reservation. J Rural Health. 2017; 33(1)102-109. PMID: 26987797. PMCID: 5568536.

Katherine (Kait) Hirchak, PhD, MHPA is a descendant of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Community and Behavioral Health and is also faculty in the Promoting Research Initiatives in Substance Use and Mental Health (PRISM) Collaborative. Dr. Hirchak completed her postdoctoral training at the University of New Mexico’s Center on Alcohol, Substance use, And Addictions (CASAA) as a NIAAA T32 Fellow. For almost 15 years, she has partnered with Tribal communities to enhance health equity and well-being. Dr. Hirchak’s research interests, activities, and training include health policy, assessing alcohol and substance use disorder (SUD) interventions among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities, conducting clinical trials and mixed-methods research in diverse settings, and culturally adapting evidence-based interventions. Dr. Hirchak collaborates on several National Institutes of Health grants focused on SUD research with AI/AN communities. She is also currently funded by NIAAA to culturally and developmentally adapt contingency management and behavioral economics among 18-29 year olds in partnership with a rural reservation outpatient treatment center (PI: Hirchak, K01AA028831).