Participate in research
All of our studies are compensated
​We are now enrolling study participants! If you are interested to participate in our current or studies, please read the information below about the requirements, location, and hours. You can contact us with any questions using the form at the bottom of this page. When you are ready to sign up, click the ‘Participate’ button to complete the confidential pre-screening questionnaire.
Ovarian Hormones and Drug Effects
The purpose of this study is to assess the influence of synthetic and natural ovarian hormones (estrogen, progesterone) on the effects of drugs on mood and behavior. If you are a woman (sex assigned at birth) aged 18-35 years and either use the oral contraceptive pill (monophasic, 21/7 formulation), or do not use any hormonal birth control, you may be eligible to participate.
To find out if you are eligible, please complete our confidential online survey by clicking the 'Participate' button. We will check your information and email you within 1 week with further details. The video below briefly explains our recruitment, screening, and study participation procedures. More details about what will happen at the screening visit and during study sessions are given below.
Participating in a Study at the HAPPY lab
Created: Nam Nguyen, Vocal artist: Drey Maton
Screening Visit (60-90 min)
If your preliminary information indicates you are eligible to participate in the study, we will invite you to the lab for a screening interview. At this visit, we will ask about your medical history and use of different drugs to ensure that it is safe for you to participate. All of the information we collect is kept strictly confidential and protected by a certificate of confidentiality. We will also conduct a brief medical exam that includes an electrocardiogram (a painless procedure that reads the electrical activity of your heart). If, at the end of this visit, it is decided (by the study physician) that it may be unsafe for you to participate, we will compensate you $10 for your time. If you qualify to participate, we will give you more information about the study and procedures and invite you to enroll in the study.
Study Visits
First, you will attend an enrollment/orientation visit (60min) at which you will read and sign the consent form and practice the study measures. We will then schedule the study sessions with you; study sessions will take place at certain times of the month based on where you are in your pill pack/menstrual cycle and are scheduled at your convenience. There will be 6 study sessions during which you will be given capsules to consume that may or may not contain a drug*. Sessions take place in the morning (from 9am-1pm) and we are also open at weekends to accommodate anyone who works office hours. During the sessions, when you are not completing study measures you are free to relax in our comfortable testing rooms and watch television (netflix), read, etc. Once you have completed all sessions, you will be debriefed by the senior investigator and compensated ($400) for your time. During some of the study sessions, you will also have the opportunity to win money for completing computerized games.
*details of the study drug will be provided at study invite. All drugs administered are FDA-approved.
If you’d like to apply to participate in this research, please click the ‘Participate’ button to complete our confidential online survey. We will contact you within 1 week to let you know if you qualify.