Faculty and Staff Profile

Irene Pericot-Valverde

Educational Background

PhD Clinical Psychology
University of Oviedo 2016

Courses Taught

Advanced Experimental Psychology

Profile

Dr. Pericot-Valverde is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Clemson University. She completed her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Oviedo in Spain. She has set up research training experiences in the field of addiction at various universities, including the University of Houston, the Medical University of South Carolina, the University at Buffalo, the University of Vermont, as well as European universities, such as the University of Barcelona and the University of Oviedo.

Research Interests

Dr. Pericot-Valverde's main research interests in tobacco addiction, opioid addiction, and the intersection of both address two major public health problems in the US that negatively impact the health of millions of people and further widen health disparities across the US population.

Research Publications

Martin M, Roth PJ, Niu J, Pericot-Valverde I, Heo M, Padi A, Norton BL, Akiyama MJ, Litwin AH. Changes in Alcohol Use during Hepatitis C Treatment in Persons Who Inject Drugs. J Viral Hepat. 2022 Aug 23. doi: 10.1111/jvh.13737. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35997620.

Pericot-Valverde I, Perez A, Heo M, Coleman A, Ortiz E, Merchant K, Melling T, Litwin A. Rationale, design, and methodology of a randomized pilot trial of an integrated intervention combining computerized behavioral therapy and recovery coaching for people with opioid use disorder: The OVERCOME study. Contemp Clin Trials Commun. 2022 May 5;28:100918. doi: 10.1016/j.conctc.2022.100918. PMID: 35573387; PMCID: PMC9097607.

Karasz A, Singh R, McKee MD, Merchant K, Kim AY, Page K, Pericot-Valverde I, Stein ES, Taylor LE, Wagner K, Litwin AH. Treatment for hepatitis C virus with direct-acting antiviral agents: Perspectives and treatment experiences of people who inject drugs. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2022 Sep;140:108768. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2022.108768. Epub 2022 Mar 18. PMID: 35729038.

Pericot-Valverde I, Heo M, Niu J, Rennert L, Norton BL, Akiyama MJ, Arnsten J, Litwin AH. Relationship between depressive symptoms and adherence to direct-acting antivirals: Implications for Hepatitis C treatment among people who inject drugs on medications for opioid use disorder. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2022 May 1;234:109403. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2022.109403. Epub 2022 Mar 14. PMID: 35306390; PMCID: PMC9278790.

Byrne KA, Emery MA, Tibbett TP, Dennis D, Ortiz EG, Pericot-Valverde I. Examining the relationship between substance use and exploration-exploitation behavior in young adults. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol. 2022 Jan 13. doi: 10.1037/pha0000534. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35025587.

Six SG, Byrne KA, Tibbett TP, Pericot-Valverde I. Examining the Effectiveness of Gamification in Mental Health Apps for Depression: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JMIR Ment Health. 2021 Nov 29;8(11):e32199. doi: 10.2196/32199. PMID: 34847058; PMCID: PMC8669581.

Gormley MA, Pericot-Valverde I, Diaz L, Coleman A, Lancaster J, Ortiz E, Moschella P, Heo M, Litwin AH. Effectiveness of peer recovery support services on stages of the opioid use disorder treatment cascade: A systematic review. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2021 Dec 1;229(Pt B):109123. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.109123. Epub 2021 Oct 9. PMID: 34700201.

Gormley MA, Akiyama MJ, Rennert L, Howard KA, Norton BL, Pericot-Valverde I, Muench S, Heo M, Litwin AH. Changes in Health-related Quality of Life for Hepatitis C Virus-Infected People Who Inject Drugs While on Opioid Agonist Treatment Following Sustained Virologic Response. Clin Infect Dis. 2022 May 3;74(9):1586-1593. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciab669. PMID: 34331539; PMCID: PMC9070815.


Howard KA, Rennert L, Pericot-Valverde I, Heo M, Norton BL, Akiyama MJ, Agyemang L, Litwin AH. Utilizing patient perception of group treatment in exploring medication adherence, social support, and quality of life outcomes in people who inject drugs with hepatitis C. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2021 Jul;126:108459. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2021.108459. Epub 2021 May 7. PMID: 34116813; PMCID: PMC8714173.

Pericot-Valverde I, Heo M, Litwin AH, Niu J, Gaalema DE. Modeling the effect of stress on vaping behavior among young adults: A randomized cross-over pilot study. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2021 Aug 1;225:108798. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108798. Epub 2021 May 30. PMID: 34091155; PMCID: PMC8504555.

Heo M, Pericot-Valverde I, Rennert L, Akiyama MJ, Norton BL, Gormley M, Agyemang L, Arnsten JH, Litwin AH. Hepatitis C Virus Direct-Acting Antiviral Treatment Adherence Patterns and Sustained Viral Response Among People Who Inject Drugs Treated in Opioid Agonist Therapy Programs. Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Dec 6;73(11):2093-2100. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciab334. PMID: 33876230; PMCID: PMC8664449.

Pericot-Valverde I, Heo M, Niu J, Norton BL, Akiyama MJ, Agyemang L, Litwin AH. Declines in Depressive Symptoms Among People who Inject Drugs Treated With Direct-Acting Antivirals While on Opioid Agonist Therapy. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2020 Oct 10;7(10):ofaa380. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofaa380. PMID: 33381611; PMCID: PMC7751182.

Pericot-Valverde I, Heo M, Akiyama MJ, Norton BL, Agyemang L, Niu J, Litwin AH. Factors and HCV treatment outcomes associated with smoking among people who inject drugs on opioid agonist treatment: secondary analysis of the PREVAIL randomized clinical trial. BMC Infect Dis. 2020 Dec 4;20(1):928. doi: 10.1186/s12879-020-05667-3. PMID: 33276738; PMCID: PMC7718688.

Pericot-Valverde I, Rennert L, Heo M, Akiyama MJ, Norton BL, Agyemang L, Lumsden B, Litwin AH. Rates of perfect self-reported adherence to direct-acting antiviral therapy and its correlates among people who inject drugs on medications for opioid use disorder: The PREVAIL study. J Viral Hepat. 2021 Mar;28(3):548-557. doi: 10.1111/jvh.13445. Epub 2020 Dec 9. PMID: 33249689; PMCID: PMC8720498.

Norton BL, Akiyama MJ, Agyemang L, Heo M, Pericot-Valverde I, Litwin AH. Low Adherence Achieves High HCV Cure Rates Among People Who Inject Drugs Treated With Direct-Acting Antiviral Agents. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2020 Aug 26;7(10):ofaa377. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofaa377. PMID: 33134406; PMCID: PMC7590860.

Pericot-Valverde I, Yoon JH, Gaalema DE. Single- and cross-commodity delay discounting of money and e-cigarette liquid in experienced e-cigarette users. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2020 Jan 1;206:107740. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.107740. Epub 2019 Nov 15. PMID: 31778948; PMCID: PMC7250042.

Litwin AH, Jost J, Wagner K, Heo M, Karasz A, Feinberg J, Kim AY, Lum PJ, Mehta SH, Taylor LE, Tsui JI, Pericot-Valverde I, Page K; HERO Study Group. Rationale and design of a randomized pragmatic trial of patient-centered models of hepatitis C treatment for people who inject drugs: The HERO study. Contemp Clin Trials. 2019 Dec;87:105859. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2019.105859. Epub 2019 Oct 24. PMID: 31669450; PMCID: PMC7261375.

Pericot-Valverde I, Priest JS, Wagener TL, Gaalema DE. Examination of a mouthpiece-based topography device for assessing relative reinforcing effects of e-cigarettes: A preliminary study. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol. 2020 Feb;28(1):13-18. doi: 10.1037/pha0000288. PMID: 31305091; PMCID: PMC7261006.

Honors and Awards

2021, 2022 APA Travel Award, American Psychological Association
2021 CPDD FORCE Junior Investigator Awardee, College on Problems of Drug Dependence
2021 SRNT Travel Award Member, Society of Nicotine and Tobacco Research
2020 SRNT Health Disparities Travel Award, Society of Nicotine and Tobacco Research
2018 NIDA Women & Sex/Gender Travel Award
2018 Dissertation Research Award, University of Oviedo, Spain
2017 I-Trep (fostering IDeA Entrepreneurship) Travel Award, University of Vermont
2016 Early Career Award, College on Problems of Drug Dependence
2016 NIDA International Forum Travel Award, NIDA
2013 DART Summer Scholar Fellow, Medical University of South Carolina

Links