Dr. Dermen’s primary research focus has been on developing, evaluating and disseminating motivational and behavioral interventions for treatment of substance use disorders and for health risk reduction and health promotion in substance-using populations. His efforts have involved testing methods to facilitate AA involvement in treatment for alcohol use disorders, identifying factors that affect dissemination of an empirically-supported treatment innovation, developing and piloting a brief motivational intervention to promote oral health in the context of inpatient treatment for alcohol use disorder, and testing the impact of a protocol for tailoring treatment for alcohol use disorder on the basis of clients’ pretreatment drinking trajectories. Most recently, he has led efforts to create a web-delivered intervention based on motivational interviewing (MI) to promote oral health and has contributed to development of a brief, MI-based intervention for couples attending a pre- and post-natal parenting intervention, with the goal of reducing fathers' drinking.

Recently, Dr. Dermen established the Motivational Interviewing Center (MIC) at UB. As director of the MIC, Dr. Dermen oversees the Center's delivery of MI training, coaching, and consultation services to UB and the greater Western New York community.