Contact Information

Biography

Dr. Mai-Ly Nguyen Steers joined Duquesne's School of Nursing in Fall 2019. She brings a passion and commitment to health-related research. As an applied social psychologist, she has developed two parallel research trajectories in the addictions field: 1) examining psychosocial factors, particularly social norms, in relation to drinking, and 2) exploring the influences of social media on health and well-being. These two lines of research stem from her educational background in psychology, health, and communication studies. Dr. Steers possesses BA degrees in Biology and Broadcast Journalism from the University of Southern California; an MA in Communication Studies from California State University, Los Angeles; and an MA in Psychology and a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Houston.


Prior to pursuing a PhD, Dr. Steers served as an associate producer and researcher for television documentaries (e.g., "Modern Marvels" and "A&E Biography") for several years. Working in television impressed upon her the dire importance of disseminating research, particularly in the addictions realm, to the general public, since the knowledge gained by such work can have such an enormous impact on people's physical and mental well-being.


Her current research, sponsored by a five-year K99-R00 grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, involves systematically integrating her two complementary interests in addictions and social media use in relation to health and well-being into a programmatic line of research dedicated to developing novel interventions, targeting at-risk drinkers who are also avid social media users. Dr. Steers' ultimate objectives with this research are to provide standardized assessment tools and innovative, low-cost interventions for clinicians and researchers working in this field.

Education

PhD, Social Psychology, University of Houston
MA, Psychology, University of Houston
MA, Communication Studies, California State University, Los Angeles
BA, Broadcast Journalism, University of Southern California
BA, Biology, University of Southern California

Expertise

  • Social media in relation to health and well-being
  • Social media in relation to alcohol use
  • Psychosocial factors on alcohol use and substance use
  • Brief alcohol interventions
  • Cultural influences on health

School