Skip to main content Skip to navigation
Washington State University
College of Arts and Sciences Department of Psychology

Celestina Barbosa-Leiker

Executive Vice Chancellor
Washington State University Health Sciences Spokane

Ph.D. Washington State University, 2008

Contact Information

Email: celestina@wsu.edu
Office: SAC 503M (Spokane campus)
Phone: (509) 324-7477

Research Interests

Dr. Celestina Barbosa-Leiker is the Executive Vice Chancellor at Washington State University (WSU) Health Sciences Spokane and a Professor in the College of Nursing. She is also a member of the Committee on Cannabis Research and Outreach at WSU. Dr. Barbosa-Leiker’s primary research investigates gender differences in substance use. He research has demonstrated sex differences in the measurement of opioid withdrawal, relapse while in treatment, and predictors of relapse. Her additional line of research focuses on the transition from pregnancy to parenthood in women with substance use disorders. She is currently leading an interdisciplinary research team to assess mothers, infants, and healthcare providers in order to better care for women with opioid use disorders, as well as for women using cannabis during pregnancy. The results of these studies will help better educate healthcare providers and pregnant women, inform maternal and infant health policy, and improve standards of care. Dr. Barbosa-Leiker has methodological expertise in psychometrics and longitudinal latent variable modeling.