Shaddy K. SabaPhD, LCSW

Research and scholarship

As a faculty member at NYU Silver School of Social Work, I study chronic pain and its intersections with behavioral health among vulnerable populations. I ask how these problems develop and intersect, what puts people at risk, and how treatments can better meet their needs. Much of this work has been with veterans, and it is extending to emerging adults, where earlier intervention may be possible. I bring perspectives and methodology from social work and data science to these questions. I also study how artificial intelligence and technology are changing behavioral health practice, and how the workforce can use them thoughtfully and ethically.

Research areasFunded projectsLab members

Research areas

Factors that affect pain and behavioral health

Chronic pain rarely occurs in isolation. Among the populations I work with, it occurs alongside other health and behavioral health challenges, and is shaped by a range of psychosocial factors. Vulnerable populations also face barriers to care that matches the complexity of their needs. My research examines factors that may contribute to these problems and their overlap at several levels. These include early experiences such as childhood adversity and traumatic stress, day-to-day symptom processes such as stress and sleep, and the social and structural context of people’s lives.

Identifying risk in pain and behavioral health

Pain and behavioral health symptoms change often but are difficult to predict. Identifying who is at risk, and when, could help deliver treatments that meet people where they are. I use machine learning to study whether multimodal data, such as daily surveys, wearable sensors, audiovisual recordings, and clinical records, can support these predictions.

Expanding access to pain care

Many individuals who would benefit from psychosocial pain treatments lack access to them, in part because clinicians trained to provide care are scarce or overburdened. Social workers represent a large workforce across the health care and community settings where people with chronic pain often present. Yet pain has rarely been part of social work education, and current social work practice with pain is understudied. I received an NIH HEAL K12 award to conduct national surveys and interviews with social workers, with the goal of producing practice models for chronic pain care across the social work profession, as well as tailored approaches for emerging adults. In parallel, I have co-authored multiple studies of scalable digital interventions for veterans.

Artificial intelligence in behavioral health

Patients use AI for emotional support and advice, but clinicians are often unsure how to discuss it with their clients. My JAMA Psychiatry article argues that clinicians should routinely ask how patients use AI, and offers an evidence-informed framework for beginning these conversations. AI systems themselves also need to be better studied as their use for behavioral health rapidly increases. I am examining how general-purpose AI chatbots (e.g., ChatGPT) respond when people disclose risky drinking to them. With school social workers and community partners, I am also exploring whether AI platforms can support screening and decision-making, to help school staff identify students’ needs and connect them to help. I also prepare the behavioral health workforce for these tools through my teaching.

Full publication list on Google Scholar

Funded projects

  • Social work practice in chronic pain care

    Principal Investigator · NIH HEAL National K12 Clinical Pain Career Development Program · 2026–2029 · HEAL K12 Scholar profile

  • Patient and provider perspectives on chronic pain among disadvantaged emerging adults

    Principal Investigator · NYU Silver Office for Research, with NYC Health + Hospitals · 2025–2027

  • Predicting substance use disorder after trauma from audiovisual data

    Co-Principal Investigator, with Katharina Schultebraucks · NYU Constance and Martin Silver Center on Data Science and Social Equity · 2025–2027 · Project overview

Lab members

Shaddy K. Saba, PhD, LCSW

Principal Investigator · NYU Silver School of Social Work

Aysha Allahverdiyeva, MS

Data scientist

Kaleb Cheek, MSW

Research assistant

Fung Ha (Esther) Tai, MSW

Research assistant

Questions, collaboration, and mentorship

If you have questions about this work, are working on something related, or have an idea for a collaboration, I’d be glad to hear from you. I also welcome inquiries from students and early-career researchers, including about research training and mentorship.

Email me