My primary research interests are in the areas of crime and deviance, adolescence, and context effects. In particular, my recent work has focused on adolescent substance use and the effect of neighborhoods, peers, and geographic contexts. I strive to understand how the contexts in which adolescents are embedded shape their attitudes and behaviors. My previous work has focused on hard-to-reach and stigmatized populations, such as drug users and sex workers. I am currently working on my dissertation with the assistance of my advisors, Drs. Tara Warner and Lisa Kort-Butler. I am also working on research projects with Dr. Tara Warner.

During my time at UNL, I have been a recitation instructor for the mass introduction to sociology courses. In addition, I was the instructor for an online Drugs and Society course. I strive to help my students understand sociological ideas and concepts and connect them to their everyday experiences through interactive exercises and projects.

Publications

• Hautula, Dane, Roberto Abadie, Courtney R. Thrash, Bilal Khan, Juan Carlos Reyes, and Kirk Dombrowski. Forthcoming. “HIV-Risk Subtypes among People who Inject Drugs (PWID) in Rural Puerto Rico: A Latent Class Analysis.” The Journal of Rural Health.
• Thrash, Courtney R., Melissa Welch-Lazoritz, Gertrude Gauthier, Bilal Khan, Roberto Abadie, Kirk Dombrowski, Sandra Miranda De Leon, and Yadira Rolon Colon. 2018. “Rural versus Urban Injection Drug Use in Puerto Rico: Network Implications for HIV and HCV Infection.” Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse 17(2).
• Coronado Garcia, Mayra, Courtney R. Thrash, Melissa Welch-Lazoritz, Robin Gauthier, Juan Carlos Reyes, Bilal Khan, and Kirk Dombrowski. 2017. “Using Network Sampling and Recruitment Data to Understand Social Structures Related to Community Health in a Population of People who Inject Drugs in Rural Puerto Rico.” Puerto Rico Health Sciences Journal 36(2).
• Thrash, Courtney R. and Tara D. Warner. 2016. “The Geography of Normative Climates: An Application to Adolescent Substance Use.” Journal of Youth and Adolescence 45(8):1587-1603.