Jessica Powers, Ph.D.
- Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology
- Assistant Scientist, Cofrin Logan Center for Addiction Research and Treatment
- Judy Janes Professor of Addiction Research
- **Accepting graduate student applications for the 2027-28 academic year**
Contact Info
Lawrence
1415 Jayhawk Blvd
Lawrence, KS 66045
Biography —
Dr. Powers' research is broadly focused on pain, substance use (e.g., nicotine/tobacco, alcohol, opioids, cannabis), and other health behavior in the context of cancer, chronic pain, and chronic/serious illness. Her research program, based in the Pain, Addiction, and Translational Health (PATH) Lab, utilizes a multi-method approach (e.g., large national data such as the PATH Study, qualitative research, laboratory paradigms, RCTs) to identify pain-related psychological mechanisms to ultimately inform development of tailored and accessible intervention approaches for individuals with pain who use substances.
Dr. Powers has authored nearly 40 peer-reviewed publications. She is the recipient of a K12 career development award from the University of Kansas Cancer Center, supporting her work developing a smoking cessation and pain management intervention for cancer survivors. She also serves as a co-investigator on a KU Cancer Center pilot grant examining alcohol use screening in head and neck cancer patients.
Dr. Powers completed a T32 postdoctoral fellowship in Cancer Prevention and Control at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. She is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and currently serves as chair of the Pain Special Interest Group of the Society of Behavioral Medicine. Dr. Powers earned her BA in Psychology from Northwestern University and MS in Clinical Psychology from Syracuse University. She completed her Pre-Doctoral Clinical Internship at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in the Health Psychology/Behavioral Medicine Track and earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Syracuse University in 2023.
Education —
Specialization
PSYC 350 (Psychological Disorders).
Research —
- Chronic Pain
- Addiction/Substance use disorders
- Substance use (nicotine/tobacco, alcohol, opioids, cannabis)
- Cancer
- Pregnancy
- Chronic Illness
- Intervention development
- Large data
- Laboratory paradigms
- Comorbidities
Selected Publications —
Powers, J. M., Jao, N. C., Gollan, J. K., Fishel, V. Y., Schnoll, R. A., & Hitsman, B. (2026). Behavioral Activation for Smoking Cessation May Improve Bodily Pain in Adults with Lifetime Major Depressive Disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 407: 121834. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2026.121834
Lazzari, J. Rubenstein, D., Powers, J. M., O’Keefe, F. J., McClernon, F. J., Pacek, L. R., & Sweitzer, M. M. (2026). Prevalence of Smoking in Adults with Chronic Pain: Results from National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) 2010-2023. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 70(5), 108251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2025.108251.
Powers, J. M., LaRowe, L. R., Rubenstein, D., Paice, J. A., Hitsman, B., & Rini, C. M. (2025). Relationship between pain and nonopioid substance use in two national samples of cancer survivors. Cancer, 131(4), e35701. https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.35701
Powers, J. M., Maloney, S. F., Sharma, E., & Stroud, L. R. (2024). Use and co-use of tobacco and cannabis before, during, and after pregnancy: A longitudinal analysis of waves 1-5 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 38(7), 785–795. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0001004
Powers, J. M., Maisto, S. A., Zvolensky, M. J., Heckman, B. W., & Ditre, J. W. (2023). Longitudinal Associations Between Pain and Use of Cigarettes and E-cigarettes in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 25(3), 404–411. https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntac197
Zale, E. L., Powers, J. M., & Ditre, J. W. (2021). Cognitive-Affective Transdiagnostic Factors Associated With Vulnerability to Alcohol and Prescription Opioid Use in the Context of Pain. Alcohol Research: Current Reviews, 41(1), 08. https://doi.org/10.35946/arcr.v41.1.08
Ditre, J. W., Heckman, B. W., LaRowe, L. R., & Powers, J. M. (2021). Pain Status as a Predictor of Smoking Cessation Initiation, Lapse, and Relapse. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 23(1), 186–194. https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntaa111
Selected Presentations —
Powers, J. M., Sekarski, E., Seng, E. K., Shuter, J., Ashare, R., & Weinberger, A. H. (April, 2026). Pain catastrophizing is related to greater pain intensity, depression, anxiety, HIV-related stigma, cigarette use, and alcohol use among people with HIV. In Travaglini, L. (Chair) The impact of stigma on pain experiences, treatment engagement, and outcomes among individuals with chronic pain and other stigmatized conditions. Panel presented at the 47th annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, Chicago, IL.
Powers, J. M., Hosseinian, Z., Lehan, A., Melendez, A., Shelby, R. A., Yanez, B. R., Somers, T. J., Keefe, F. J., Kimmick, G. G., Paice, J. A., Rini, C. M. (March, 2025). Expectancies for Alcohol Analgesia are Related to Hazardous Alcohol Use, Alcohol Use Problems, and Greater Pain Catastrophizing among Breast Cancer Survivors with Arthralgia. In L. R. LaRowe (Chair) Pain and Substance Use in Complex Populations: Integrating Epidemiological and Clinical Perspectives. Symposium presented at the 46th annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, San Francisco, CA.
Powers, J. M., Jao, N. C., Gollan, J. K., Schnoll, R. B., & Hitsman, B. (March, 2025). Effects of Behavioral Activation for Smoking Cessation on Bodily Pain among Adults with Current or Past Major Depressive Disorder. In A. H Weinberger (Chair) Novel translational research on pain and tobacco use: Examining relationships from laboratory to clinical research. Symposium presented at the 31st annual meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, New Orleans, LA.
Powers, J. M., Maloney, S. F., Sharma, E., & Stroud, L. R. (March, 2024). Use and Co-Use of Tobacco and Cannabis Before, During, and After Pregnancy: A Longitudinal Analysis of Waves 1-5 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study. In N. De Genna (Chair), Thinking Outside the Box to Reduce Health Inequities in Prenatal Tobacco Exposure. Symposium presented the 30th annual meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Awards & Honors —
- Postdoctoral Health Psychology Award for Clinical Excellence Society for Health Psychology (Division 38); American Psychological Association
- NIDA Diversity Scholars Travel Award; Office of Research Training, Diversity, and Disparities; National Institute on Drug Abuse/National Institutes of Health
- Graduate Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Work; Graduate School; Syracuse University
Grants & Other Funded Activity —
Current Grant Funding:
• K12 Paul Calabresi Career Development for Clinical & Translational Oncology Program, University of Kansas Cancer Center (Role: PI), Development of a Smoking Cessation Intervention for Cancer Survivors with Chronic Pain
• University of Kansas Cancer Center Pilot Grant (Role: Co-I), Improving Standardized Alcohol Screening to Inform Novel Intervention Approaches in Head and Neck Cancer
Previous Grant Funding and Fellowships:
• NIH/NCI (T32CA193193) Behavioral and Psychosocial Research Training in Cancer Prevention and Control
• NIH/NIDA NRSA F31 Fellowship (F31DA054717) Longitudinal Associations Between Pain and Use of Cigarettes and E-Cigarettes in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study
Service —
• Editorial Board Member, Annals of Behavioral Medicine
• Chair, Pain Special Interest Group, Society of Behavioral Medicine
• Trainee Network Advisory Council, Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco
Memberships —
- Associate Member of the KU Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Society of Behavioral Medicine
- Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco
- American Psychological Association
- Division 38: Health Psychology
- Division 50: Addiction Psychology
- United States Association for the Study of Pain