NSU University School Viewpoint Fall/Winter 2017

22 n NSU UNIVERSITY SCHOOL ALUMNI PROFILE Brandon Bergman, Ph.D., graduated from the Univer- sity of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, after which he returned home and taught math at NSU University School’s Middle School. While teaching, he took courses in Nova Southeastern University’s master’s degree in mental health program and volunteered as a research assistant for NSU’s psychology department. Finding his passion in the substance-use disorder recovery, Bergman ultimately earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from NSU. He completed his psychology internship and an addiction psychology postdoctoral fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Bergman is now the associate director and a research scientist at the Recovery Research Institute, a leading nonprofit research institute of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School that is dedicated to the advancement of addiction treatment and recovery. He is also a licensed staff psychologist in Massachusetts General Hospital’s Addiction Recovery Management Service, where he treats adolescents and young adults with substance-use disorders. In addition, he serves nationally as the secretary for Division 50 of the Ameri- can Psychological Association (Addiction Psychology). As a clinical researcher, Bergman’s research interests include treatment and recovery among young adults (in particular those aged 18–29) with co-occurring substance-use disorders and psychiatric disorders as well as community-based mutual-help organizations. His work has been recognized by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, by the Research Society on Alcoholism, and by a Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School institutional award. Clinically, he has experience on the front lines of addiction treatment, having worked as a staff psychologist in the Addiction Recovery Management Service. He is a certified therapist in the delivery of the Adolescent-Community Reinforce- ment Approach, an evidence-based intervention for youth with substance-use disorder. He also has extensive training in Community Reinforcement and Family Training, a set of strategies to help “concerned significant others” of individuals who are reluctant or outright refuse to seek help for their substance-use problems. Bergman says, “I have special interests in the study of online communities that cater to individuals in, or seek- ing, substance-use disorder recovery. Related to my interest in social technologies and recovery, I also aim to develop a contemporary, comprehensive model of recovery-related social influences for young people by integrating the study of digital socialization on popular social technologies such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter into the decades of work showing face-to-face social interactions and networks can have powerful effects on addiction treatment outcomes.” Bergman came to USchool midway through sixth grade and immediately felt at home. He was captain of the tennis team, played in the band as a percussionist/ drummer, and was student council vice president. Bergman said, “I look back at my formative years with a ton of fondness for my teachers and am so grateful for the time I had with them.” USchool is a family tradition: one of Bergman’s nieces is a recent graduate and another is currently a senior. He continues, “Even though the Bay State is now home, South Florida and USchool will always have a special place in my heart.” n Brandon Bergman 1999