As a professor, Dr. Masi provides training in the following areas:

- Supervisory training for EAPs
- Substance abuse in the workplace
- Evaluation of EAPs
- Workplace violence
- Work/Life programs
- Wellness programs
- Student assistance programs
- Binge drinking on college campuses
- Substance abuse

MASI can provide expertise in cost benefit studies, customer satisfaction survey analysis, outcome measurements, and performance guidelines for EAPs and mental health services, as well as other human resource issues. MASI also conducts research and studies on a variety of workplace issues, including the prevention of workplace violence. Dr. Masi has testified as an expert witness on workplace violence in a number of significant court cases.

On the strength of Dr. Masi’s 30 years of teaching experience in Social Work, Mental Health, and EAPs, MASI is also involved in curriculum development for Universities and Colleges that wish to expand or develop degree programs that specialize in EAPs. Dr. Masi currently consults with universities in Japan, Italy, and Trinidad to develop programs that will train the next generation of EAP professionals.

MASI Research EAP Online Program

Dr. Masi is pleased to announce the development of an EAP online education program. The virtual courses will include the following:

- Introduction to Employee Assistance Program (EAPs)
- EAP Services (Optional programs such as Work/Life, and Legal/Financial)
- Quantitative and Qualitative Evaluation of EAPs
- Clinical Components of EAP Services
- Addictions in the Workplace

Presently, Dr. Masi is working with the University of Occupational and Environmental Health in Japan and the Master’s Program in International Health at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Pioneers are social workers who have made significant contributions to the field, and who have been recognized as role models for future generations of social workers. NASW Pioneers, according to the NASW, "have explored new territories and built outposts for human services on many frontiers ... and each has made an important contribution to the social work profession and to social policies through service, teaching, writing, research, program development, administration, or legislation."

Masi Research Consultants is currently the only EAP or Managed Health Care consulting firm certified by the State of Massachusetts.

This grant was written in response to a request for applications to respond to the problem of college binge drinking. The Northeastern University award is one of fifteen. Its unique approach is based on well established Employee Assistance Program (EAP) technologies that have been very successful at reaching employees with alcohol problems.

The program is being called the University Assistance Program (UAP) and is comprised of several key ingredients including:

• Advisory Board
• Review and revision of Northeastern campus alcohol policy and discipline procedures
• Training of faculty to assist in making referrals
• Monthly educational programs
• Program promotion
• Early identification, short term counseling and referral services

In addition to reaching students with alcohol problems, the Northeastern grant is unique among the fifteen as it is also reaching out to students who are living with the problem, e.g. roommates, boyfriends/girlfriends, or parents.

The proposed research plan is two-fold. Part One is designed to measure the overarching changes resulting from the application of the six essential ingredients of the UAP including a quasi-experimental study and a longitudinal trend study with three different cohorts. Part Two utilizes a longitudinal research design and a true-experimental research design to assess behavioral outcomes among students following participation and the clinical services offered by the UAP.

“We are proud to be the first university to test the UAP model, and believe that alcohol-related health problems and other associated issues warrant the attention of higher educational institutions,” says Dr. Philomena Mantella, Senior VP of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs at Northeastern University and Principal Investigator of the grant. “The students affected by alcohol one way or another need our assistance in terms of intervention, counseling, treatment, and of course, prevention.” An important part of the program is that the university will do extensive outreach training faculty, academic advisors, staff and resident assistants to identify a potential alcohol problem and refer students to the UAP. As supervisors do in EAPs, faculty will play a key role in helping to identify students for assistance.

“Receiving this recognition by the federal government places Northeastern University in a leadership role to provide a model for other universities across the country. The EAP model has been effective in other settings but this will be the first time it is being utilized in a university atmosphere. Northeastern should be dually proud of having been selected for this unique role by the premier research institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH),” says Dr. Masi, who brings extensive experience from the field of Employee Assistance Programming, specializing in substance abuse.

The clinical results have shown that the methods utilized in the EAP model were successful and that there was a significant drop in the drinking patterns of the students that were referred for disciplinary reasons as compared to services as usual.