Christopher AhnAllen, Ph.D. CPDD Early Career Investigator Travel Award Mentor: Jennifer W. Tidey, Ph.D.

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Christopher AhnAllen, Ph.D.CPDD Early Career
Investigator Travel AwardMentor Jennifer W.
Tidey, Ph.D.
Dr. AhnAllen's research examines cigarette
smoking patterns in persons diagnosed with
schizophrenia. His current project investigates
the impact of high-dose nicotine and sensorimotor
replacement on cognitive functioning in these
smokers. Other interests include cue reactivity,
EMA and caffeine use.
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Will Aklin, Ph.D.CPDD Early Career Investigator
Travel AwardMentor Robert K. Brooner, Ph.D.,
Kenneth Silverman, Ph.D.
Dr. Aklins research considers laboratory
measures to better understand the interaction
between biologically-based psychological
constructs (risk taking, impulsivity) and social
context variables (inner-city environmental
factors) in relation to substance abuse. He
evaluates operant-based treatments to promote
drug abstinence, employment, and medication
compliance.
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Anika Alvanzo, M.D., M.S.CPDD Early Career
Investigator Travel AwardMentor Dace Svikis,
Ph.D.
Dr. Alvanzos research focuses on the association
between psychological trauma and substance use.
In particular, she is interested in how
co-occurring history of physical and / or sexual
violence and substance misuse impact sex risk and
other health behaviors in women.
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Judson Brewer, M.D., Ph.D.CPDD Early Career
Investigator Travel AwardMentor Marc N.
Potenza, Ph.D., M.D.
Dr. Brewers work focuses on measuring cognitive
control as a way to predict treatment outcomes
and to delineate mechanisms of behavioral
treatments for addictions. He also studies
mindfulness training with respect to its effects
on cognitive control processes and as treatment
for addictions.
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Julia Buckner, MSCPDD Early Career Investigator
Travel AwardMentor Kathleen Carroll, Ph.D.
Ms. Buckners research focuses on understanding
the transactional relationships between specific
substance use and anxiety disorders by
investigating temporal relations between
addiction and anxiety, mechanisms underlying
these relations, and development and evaluation
of empirically-informed treatments and
preventions for these disorders.
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Kevin Gray, M.D. CPDD Early Career Investigator
Travel AwardMentor Himanshu Upadhyaya, Ph.D.
Dr. Gray is one of five recipients of the
American Academy of Child and Adolescent
Psychiatry / NIDA Physician Scientist in
Substance Abuse K12 Award. His research focus is
on craving, cue reactivity, and medication
treatment development in cannabis dependent
adolescents.
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Doug Hyan Han, M.D., Ph.D.CPDD Early Career
Investigator Travel AwardMentors Perry Renshaw,
M.D., Ph.D., MBA
Dr. Hans research focuses on the etiology and
treatment of internet video game addiction for
child and adolescent populations, including
excessive internet users.  In addition, his
research interests include the craving for
non-chemical addiction such as binge eating and
gambling.
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Bryan Hartzler, Ph.D CPDD Early Career
Investigator Travel AwardMentors Donald Calsyn,
Ph.D.
Dr. Hartzlers research focuses on clinical
application, fidelity measurement, and
practitioner training/implementation of
empirically-supported behavioral approaches for
substance users. Most of his early career work
relates to applications of patient-centered
therapeutic approaches, most notably motivational
interviewing.
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Jennifer Havens, Ph.D, MPH CPDD Early Career
Investigator Travel AwardMentor Carl Leukefeld,
DSW
Dr. Havens currently holds an R01 from NIDA
titled Social Networks and HIV Risk among Rural
Drug Users. Her research explores the medical
consequences of injection drug use in rural
areas, including HIV and HCV.
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Iliyan Ivanof, MD CPDD Early Career Investigator
Travel AwardMentor Jeffrey Newcorn, MD
Dr. Ivanov is the PI on an AACAP/NIDA K-12 Career
Development Award titled Brain Activation in
Preadolescents at Low vs. High Risk for
Subsequent Substance Abuse. His main research
interests are in the area of identifying
childhood biological markers for addiction
vulnerability using fMRI neuroimaging to evaluate
neuronal networks related to reward and executive
control in young children before exposure to
drugs of abuse.
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Ryan K. Lanier, Ph.D. CPDD Early Career
Investigator Travel AwardMentors George
Bigelow, Ph.D., Eric Strain, MD, Miriam Z.
Mintzer, Ph.D.
Dr. Laniers research interests include
evaluating new pharmacotherapies for opioid
dependence, investigating the cognitive,
behavioral, and physiological effects of opioid
pharmacotherapy maintenance, and assessing the
abuse liability of new medications for pain
treatment.
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Alison Looby, MA CPDD Early Career Investigator
Travel AwardMentor Mitch Earleywine, Ph.D.
Ms. Loobys research examines neurocognitive
deficits in cannabis users.  Specifically, she is
interested in mediating factors influencing
performance, such as incentives and stereotype
threat.  In tandem, her research examines the
role that expectancy effects play in predicting
prescription stimulant misuse.
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Michael Mancino, MD CPDD Early Career
Investigator Travel AwardMentor Alison Oliveto
Beaudoin, Ph.D.
Dr. Mancinos research examines patient factors
such as sex, genetic polymorphisms, psychiatric
comorbidity, and neurophysiological markers that
may impact treatment response. End goal is to
identify potential treatment agents for
psychostimulant dependence.
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Michael Odenwald, Ph.D., Dipl Psych CPDD Early
Career Investigator Travel AwardMentor Thomas
Elbert, Ph.D.
Dr. Odenwalds research focus on drug abuse and
PTSD in post-conflict regions and among refugees
in western countries. He is also interested in
neurobiological mechanisms of cross-sensitization
in humans. He currently works in a clinical
research setting at the University of Konstanz,
Germany.
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Rajkumar Sevak, Ph.D CPDD Early Career
Investigator Travel AwardMentor Craig R. Rush,
Ph.D.
Dr. Sevaks research examines the behavioral and
pharmacological determinants of the stimulant
abuse, using drug discrimination and drug
self-administration procedures in humans. His
current research is focused on identifying
putative pharmacotherapies for the management of
stimulant dependence.
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Jesse Suh, Psy.D. CPDD Early Career Investigator
Travel AwardMentor Anna Rose Childress, Ph.D.,
Charles OBrien, MD, Ph.D., Ronald Ehrman, Ph.D.
Dr. Suhs research demonstrates a functional
frontal-limbic disconnection when exposed to
"unseen" aversive stimuli in cocaine patients- a
potential source of affective dysregulation and
relapse vulnerability. His ongoing work involves
novel brain-behavioral probes of affect
dysregulation in substance abusers with comorbid
conditions.
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Ryan Vandrey, Ph.D CPDD Early Career
Investigator Travel AwardMentors Alan Budney,
Ph.D., Maxine Stitzer, Ph.D.
Dr. Vandreys research interests include
assessing the consequences of heavy cannabis or
tobacco cessation and investigating medications
which assist cessation. Integrally, Ryan is
pursing novel ways to apply behavioral
modification techniques (CM) to the treatment of
drug abuse problems.
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Sunmee Wee, Ph.D CPDD Early Career Investigator
Travel AwardMentor George F. Koob, Ph.D.
Dr. Wees research focuses on identifying the
neurocircuitry and neuropharmacological
mechanisms underlying behavioral changes that
occur during the development of psychostimulant
dependence using a rodent model of drug
self-administration with extended access.
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Thomas E. Wooters, MS CPDD Early Career
Investigator Travel AwardMentors Michael Bardo,
Ph.D.
Mr. Wooters uses behavioral (e.g., drug
self-administration) and neurochemical (e.g., in
vivo voltammetry) animal models to study the
neurobehavioral pharmacology of illicit and
therapeutic stimulant drugs. He is also
interested in the development of selective
inhibitors of a-CTX MII-sensitive a6 nicotinic
receptors involved in nicotine-evoked dopamine
release as potential smoking cessation
medications.