Article Excerpt: We’re honored to introduce the recipients of the 2026 ExpiWell Dissertation Award.
Meet the Researchers
Enzo Plaitano: Supporting First Responders in the Moments That Matter
Enzo Plaitano is a PhD Candidate in Health Services Research at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College and a Predoctoral Fellow at the Dartmouth Center for Technology and Behavioral Health, supported by a NIDA F31 training grant. His dissertation research examines how psychological processes unfold within the daily lives of first responders using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and intensive longitudinal methods…
Enzo’s dissertation is supported by a National Institute on Drug Abuse Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (F31) and examines momentary predictors of substance use among first responders. Using smartphone-based EMAs collected multiple times per day and Bayesian continuous-time structural equation modeling, he examines how dynamic changes in stress and emotion regulation are related to future substance use patterns within daily life. This work aims to identify moments of high vulnerability and potential windows for intervention. In a national study of 110 first responders, he found that worse-than-average perceived stress predicted increased nicotine use in the hours that followed, while better-than-average emotion regulation predicted reduced nicotine and alcohol use — effects that, for nicotine, persisted for over 24 hours.
Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/4j4fh8dx
Article Source: ExpiWell