Faculty Profiles

Dr. Vessey's interests include Methodology, Program Evaluation, Psychometrics, Statistics, Experimental Design, Sex Education, and Classical Christian Education. Dr. Vessey serves as a technical advisor for several national evaluations of abstinence-only sex education programs. He is also interested in psychotherapy research and mental health outcomes research, as well as research on obesity, smoking cessation, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.

Northwestern University
Ph.D., Psychology, 1991

Northwestern University
M.S., Statistics, 1990

Wheaton College
B.A., Psychology, 1986

• Experimental Design
• Program Evaluation
• Psychology
• Psychology and Religion
• Abstinence

• Statistics
• Experimental Psychology
• Advanced Statistics & Research Design

Association of Virginity at Age 18 With Educational, Economic, Social, and Health Outcomes in Middle Adulthood, Adolescent and Family Health
Finger, Thelen, Vessey, Mohn, Mann, 2005

Do organizations that voluntarily participate in a program differ from non-participating organizations?, Evaluation and Program Planning 28 (2):161-165.
Fabian, Toomey, Mitchell, Erickson, Vessey, Wagenaar, 2005
The goal of this study was to assess potential participation bias in a program that required voluntary participation of organizations. Evaluations of intervention studies are often limited to information provided by program participants, with little or nothing known about non-participants.
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The TEAM project: the effectiveness of smoking cessation intervention with hospital patients, Preventive Medicine 40:249-258.
Hennrikus, Lando, McCarty, Klevan, Holtan, Huebsch, Jestus, Pentel, Pine, Sullivan, Swenson, Vessey, 2005
This study evaluated the effectiveness of three smoking cessation interventions for this population: (1) modified usual care (UC); (2) brief advice (A); and (3) brief advice plus more extended counseling during and after hospitalization (A + C).
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Predictors of Quitting in Hospitalized Smokers, Nicotine & Tobacco Research 5 (2): 215-222.
Lando, Hennrikus, McCarty, Vessey, 2003
Hospitalization represents a teachable moment for quitting. The current study examined predictors of quitting among hospitalized smokers. Patients reported smoking history and demographic characteristics during in-hospital baseline interviews.
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The Role of Disease-Specific Infectivity and Number of Disease Exposures on Long-Term Effectiveness of the Latex Condom, Sexually transmitted diseases
Mann, J. R., Stine, C. C., & Vessey, J., 2002
Condom use is a primary prevention strategy for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Consistent condom use substantially reduces the risk of HIV infection. Similar levels of effectiveness for reducing the risk of other STIs have not been established. Differences in disease-specific infectivity and the number of exposures to an infected partner may explain differences in condom effectiveness...
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Dr. Vessey's interests and expertise are in the areas of statistics, experimental design, psychometrics, and program evaluation. He is also interested in decision-making models.