College of Humanities and Sciences

As a researcher and clinician, Molly Bowdring, Ph.D., is dedicated to reducing high-risk substance use, with a primary focus on alcohol. She combines training in clinical, health, and social psychology, as well as public health. Her work has two main goals: identify behavioral, social, and environmental factors that influence substance use and test new approaches for reducing high-risk use. Her primary methods involve lab-based experimental studies, online cross-sectional surveys, ecological momentary assessment, and clinical trials.

Q&A with Molly Bowdring

Where did you grow up? Can you tell us a little about your educational journey?

I grew up in Alexandria, Va. For college, I went to my mom's alma mater, Virginia Tech. While there, I got involved in conducting research on high-risk alcohol use among university students. I fell in love with the research process and knew that I wanted to pursue graduate school. 

I completed my Ph.D. in clinical and biological health psychology at the University of Pittsburgh and my pre-doctoral internship at VA Palo Alto healthcare. I then completed a clinical psychology postdoc, followed by a T32-funded research postdoc, at Stanford University School of Medicine. Funded by a K99 from National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, I became an instructor at Stanford. I'm now excited to return to Virginia and transition to an assistant professor role in VCU's Department of Psychology!

When did you first fall in love with your field of study? What made you decide to work in academia?

I became fascinated by alcohol use and the role it played in social experiences early on. For example, I remember in high school observing how friend groups changed based on the alcohol use of members of the group, and coming up with a study idea to look at this topic. I soon found a recently published paper that had done exactly what I had wanted to, but better (probably for the best, seeing as I was a high schooler with no funding to conduct research). 

Once I got to college though, I sought out opportunities to get involved in research, which reinforced my love of psychology and interest in alcohol research specifically. I have also had incredible mentors along the way, whose passion for academia has definitely rubbed off on me.

Can you explain the focus of your research?

I am committed to research that keeps up with the ever-evolving substance use landscape and that provides useful information for clinical practice and public health. Recently, I’ve focused on studying non-alcoholic beverages that mirror alcohol (i.e., non-alcoholic beer/wine/liquor/mocktails), with relevance for high-risk alcohol use prevention and intervention. 

Other topics I study include addiction treatment access and efficacy (e.g., telehealth and ways to manage cravings), how alcohol affects people in social context (e.g., changes in mood and attractiveness perceptions), and drug policy.

Can you talk a little about your teaching philosophy? What do you most like about teaching?

“You need to speak up more,” is the message I often received as a student. It was actually through teaching undergraduate courses when I was a graduate student that I really found my voice in the classroom. 

My experiences as a reticent student compelled me to make my classroom environment one in which all students feel comfortable engaging. I love being able to facilitate an environment where students can show up authentically and contribute to a discussion that enhances the learning for everyone involved (myself included).

What attracted you to VCU? What are you most excited about in regards to VCU and Richmond?

I'm really excited by the large number of faculty and students affiliated with the Department of Psychology. I think this will create a lot of opportunities for collaborations, teaching, and (hopefully) inspiring the next generation of students to become psychologists in whatever way they find most exciting. 

Beyond VCU, Richmond seems like a really cool city. So far I've been enjoying the great food and arts scenes, plus I've been able to reconnect with old friends and family who live in the area.

Can you tell us either a quirky fact about yourself or some of your hobbies?

I really enjoy staying active (running, hiking, swimming), cooking, going to concerts, playing board games, and reading. That being said, I'm about to have my first baby, so I imagine some of that will fall by the wayside for a little while!