Sean Esteban McCabe, PhD

Sean Estaban McCabe

Professor
Carol J. Boyd Collegiate Professor
Director, Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health
Department of Health Behavior and Biological Sciences
Room 2241A NURS1

University of Michigan School of Nursing
400 North Ingalls Building
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5482

ORCID

Telephone: (734) 764-4580
Sean McCabe is accepting new PhD students.

In the news

Interests

  • Substance use disorder
  • Health disparities
  • Controlled substances
  • Sexuality
  • Survey methodology

Dr. McCabe is an internationally recognized scholar in the areas of epidemiology of substance use disorders, prescription medication use and misuse, sexual orientation, and survey methodology. He has clinical experience treating adolescents, young adults, and adults with substance use disorders. He is the Director of the Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health (DASH Center) in the School of Nursing at the University of Michigan. Dr. McCabe was the Associate Editor for an addiction journal and regularly reviews grant applications for several organizations including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Education, National Institutes of Health, and William T. Grant Foundation. He previously served as the Acting Director of the University of Michigan Substance Abuse Research Center and Office of Student Conflict Resolution. He has been the recipient of three NIH research awards. He has been a principal investigator of twelve NIH-funded projects, participating investigator on a number of NIH-funded projects and authored or co-authored over 250 peer-reviewed articles. Dr. McCabe is a grateful person in long-term recovery from alcohol and opioid use disorder. He works diligently to help others struggling with addiction and strives to be a resource for those seeking recovery.   

Current Research Grants and Programs

  • 75F A Mosaic Approach for Understanding Stimulant Use, Misuse and Use Disorder Trajectories, US Food and Drug Administration (PI: McCabe), 2021-2024
  • R01 Trajectories of Nonmedical Prescription Drug Misuse, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health (PI: McCabe), 2019-2024
  • R01 Sexual Fluidity and Longitudinal Changes in Alcohol Misuse and Associated Health Consequences: Individual, Community, and Policy Influences, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health (PI: Evans-Polce, Co-I: McCabe), 2022-2025
  • R01 E-Cigarette Use Among US Adolescents and Young Adults: Longitudinal Associations with Tobacco Use and Health and Dimensions of Risk and Protection, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health (PI: Evans-Polce, Co-I: McCabe), 2022-2025
  • R01 Optimized Interventions to Prevent Opioid Use Disorder among Adolescents and Young Adults in the Emergency Department, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health (MPI: Walton and Bonar, Co-I: McCabe), 2019-2024
  • R21 Tobacco Use Trajectories and Disparities among Sexual Minorities in Adolescents and Adults, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health (PI: Evans-Polce, Co-I: McCabe), 2020-2023
  • R01 Sexual Orientation, Discrimination, and Health Disparities in DSM-5 Alcohol Use Disorders, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health (PI: McCabe), 2018-2022
  • R01 Prescription Drug Misuse Characteristics in Adolescents and Young Adults: Influence of School Enrollment, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health (PI: Schepis, Co-I: McCabe), 2017-2022
  • R01 Nonmedical Prescription Drug Misuse among Older Adults: Subtypes, Motives, and Diversion Sources, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health (PI: Schepis, Co-I: McCabe), 2017-2022
  • R25 Mentoring Emerging Scientists for Careers in Substance Use Research, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health (PI: Masson, MPI: Sorensen, Faculty Mentor and Diversity Advisor: McCabe), 2014-2024
  • R01 Prospective Examination of E-Cigarette Use, Tobacco Use Disorder and Health Consequences by US Youth National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health (PI: Boyd, Co-I: McCabe), 2018-2022

Teaching

Dr. McCabe has served as a faculty mentor on five NIH-funded substance use research training programs and he regularly mentors undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty.  He regularly lectures and serves on dissertation committees at the University of Michigan and other universities. Dr. McCabe was the recipient of the University of Michigan Research Faculty Recognition Award and his approach to teaching/mentoring is that of a facilitator. He believes that the mentor-mentee relationship is collaborative, learner-centered, and is most often transformative for all involved. His philosophy reflects a life-long commitment to “lift as we climb,” using combined strengths to meet learning needs and to actively engage the learner (whether student or peer). His most significant teaching and mentoring contributions include teaching graduate seminars, conducting interdisciplinary research, mentoring over 50 high school students, undergraduate students, graduate students as well as post-doctoral fellows, providing over 50 invited guest lectures and presentations, and completing over 400 peer-reviewed articles or presentations with student and/or mentee co-authors. Dr. McCabe takes a great deal of pride in mentoring his student mentees to take active roles disseminating research to federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the US Food and Drug Administration.

Affiliations / Service

  • Member, Student Wellness and Mental Health Work Group, School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 2021-present
  • Advisory Committee Member, Title IX Coordinator, Office for Institutional Equity, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 2021-present
  • Access Improvement Work Team Member, Student Mental Health Committee and Implementation Team, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 2021-present
  • Moderator, Hispanic Heritage Month Health Equity Series, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 2020-present
  • Executive Committee Member, School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 2019-present
  • Reviewer, National Institutes of Health, Population Sciences and Epidemiology Integrated Review Group, Bethesda, MD, 2018-present
  • Member, Professional Latinos Alliance, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 2015-present
  • Chair, Prescription Opioid Epidemiology, Oral Session XIX, The College on Problems of Drug Dependence, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2009
  • Member, Ann Arbor Campus-Community Coalition, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 2006-present
  • Member, Michigan Chapter of the Organization of Latino/a Social Workers, East Lansing, MI, 1995-present

Notable Awards / Honors

  • Faculty Mentor, The College on Problems of Drug Dependence Primm-Singleton Minority Award (Kcomt), 2021
  • National Hispanic Science Network Travel Award, National Hispanic Science Network, 2019
  • Underserved Population Award Winner, American Society on Addiction Medicine, 2019
  • Adolescent Network Award, Society for Research on Nicotine & Tobacco, 2019
  • Research Faculty Recognition Award, University of Michigan, 2007
  • Michigan Leadership Award, Organization of Latino Social Workers, 1996

Education

  • Post-Doctoral Fellowship, National Institute on Drug Abuse, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 2002
  • PhD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 2000
  • MA, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 1998
  • MSW, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 1995
  • BA, Kenyon College, Gambier, OH, 1992

Publication Highlights

  • McCabe SE, Schulenberg JE, Wilens TE, Schepis TS, McCabe VV, Veliz PT. (2023). Prescription stimulant medical and nonmedical use among US secondary school students, 2005 to 2020. JAMA Network Open, 6(4), e238707. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.8707. PMCID: PMC10114020.

  • McCabe SE, Schulenberge JE, Wilens TE, Schepis TS, McCabe VV, Veliz P. (2023). Transitions in prescription benzodiazepine use and misuse and in substance use disorder symptoms through age 50. Psychiatric Services, appips20220247. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.20220247.

  • Schepis TS, Werner KS, Figueroa O, McCabe VV, Schulenberg JE, Veliz PT, Wilens TS, McCabe SE. (2023). Type of medication therapy for ADHD and stimulant misuse during adolescence: A cross-sectional multi-cohort national study. eClinicalMedicine, 16(58), 101902. doi: 101016/j.eclinm.2023.101902. PMCID: PMC10036501.

  • Veliz PT, Wilens TE, Schepis TS, McCabe VV, McCabe SE. (2023). Trends in diversion sources for prescription stimulant misuse in US adolescents. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. S0749-3797(23)00160-5. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2023.03.018.

  • McCabe SE, Figueroa O, McCabe VV, Schepis TS, Schulenberg JE, Veliz PT, Werner KS, Wilens TE. (2023). Is age of onset and duration of stimulant therapy for ADHD associated with cocaine, methamphetamine, and prescription stimulant misuse? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.13807.

  • McCabe SE, Hughes TL, Fish J, Hoak S, Kcomt L, Evans-Polce RJ, Engstrom CW, Leary K, Veliz P, West BT, McCabe VV, Boyd CJ. (2022). Is it all in the family? Sexual identity differences in DSM-5 alcohol and other drug use disorders and associations with alcohol and other drug use history among parents, offspring, and other relatives. Substance Abuse, 43(1), 1277-1285. doi:10.1080/08897077.2022.2095080.

  • McCabe SE, Schulenberg JE, Schepis TS, McCabe VV, Veliz PT. (2022). Longitudinal analysis of substance use disorder symptom severity at age 18 years and substance use disorder in adulthood. JAMA Network Open, 5(4), e225324. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.5324. PMCID: PMC8976240.

  • McCabe SE, Schulenberg JE, Schepis TS, Evans-Polce RJ, Wilens TE, McCabe VV, Veliz PT. (2022). Trajectories of prescription drug misuse among US adults from ages 18 to 50 years. JAMA Network Open, 5(1), e2141995. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.41995. PMCID: PMC8728613.

  • Evans-Polce RJ, Veliz PT, Kcomt L, Boyd CJ, McCabe SE. (2021). Nicotine and tobacco product use and dependence symptoms among US adolescents and adults: Differences by age, sex, and sexual identity. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 23(12), 2065-2074. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntab127. PMCID: PMC8570663.

  • McCabe SE, Boyd CJ, Evans-Polce R, McCabe VV, Schulenberg JE, Veliz PT. (2021). Pills to powder: A 17-year transition from prescription opioids to heroin among US adolescents followed into adulthood. Journal of Addiction Medicine,15(3), 241-244. doi:10.1097/ADM.0000000000000741. PMCID: PMC7987892.

  • Veliz PT, McCabe SE, Eckner JT, Schulenberg JE. (2021). Trends in the prevalence of concussion reported by US adolescents, 2016-2020. JAMA, 325(17), 1789-1791. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.1538. PMCID: PMC8097492.

  • McCabe SE, West BT, Matthews AK, Evans-Polce R, Lee JGL, Hughes TL, Veliz P, McCabe V, Boyd CJ. (2021). Sexual orientation, tobacco use, and tobacco cessation treatment-seeking: Results from a national U.S. survey. Behavioral Medicine, 47(2), 120-130. doi:10.1080/08964289.2019.1676191. PMCID: PMC7854762.

  • McCabe SE, Arterberry BJ, Dickinson K, Evans-Polce RJ, Ford J, Ryan J, Schepis TS. (2021). Assessment of changes in alcohol and marijuana abstinence, co-use, and use disorders among US young adults from: 2002-2018. JAMA Pediatrics, 175(1),64-72. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.3352. PMCID: PMC7551219.

  • Dahlem CH, Scalera M, Anderson G, Tasker M, Ploutz-Snyder R, McCabe SE, Boyd CJ. (2021). Recovery Opioid Overdose Team (ROOT) pilot program evaluation: A community-wide post-overdose response strategy. Substance Abuse, 42(4), 423-427. doi:10.1080/08897077.2020.1847239. PMCID: PMC8180524.

  • McCabe SE, Hughes TL, West BT, Evans-Polce R, Veliz PT, Dickinson K, McCabe VV, Boyd CJ. (2020). Sexual orientation, adverse childhood experiences, and comorbid DSM-5 substance use and mental health disorders. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 81(6), 20m13291. doi:10.4088/JCP.20m13291. PMCID: PMC7790524.

  • Additional published work.