Anissa Abi-Dargham, M.D., aa324@columbia.edu
PET imaging in different categories of mental illnesses including schizophrenia, addiction, autism, personality and anxiety disorders. Student can be involved in all aspects of the operation, from recruiting to acquiring and analyzing brain scan data.

Evelyn Attia, M.D., ea12@columbia.edu
The Eating Disorders Research Unit - B. Timothy Walsh, Evelyn Attia, Michael Devlin
This group has a variety of federally funded studies that aim to explore the psychobiology of, and treatment for, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder.

Beatrice Beebe, Ph.D., beebebe@pi.cpmc.columbia.edu
Communications Sciences: Drs. Joseph Jaffe and Beatrice Beebe; Our Lab has two components, (1) a basic research program on mother-infant face to face communication and its associations with attachment and cognition, and (2) a combination treatment and research project for mothers who were pregnant and widowed on 9-11 and their young children.

Joshua Berman M.D. Ph.D., jb481@columbia.edu
How stress modulates the effects of nicotine and other psychostimulants on the brain, and on how signals pertaining to affective valence and salience are integrated in basal ganglia and limbic circuits.

Adam Bisaga, M.D., amb107@columbia.edu
1) Behavioral and cognitive pharmacology of substance abuse, particularly nicotine. 2) Methodology of medication development for substance use disorders, from animal and human laboratory models of disease through early efficacy clinical trials

Gerard Bruder, Ph.D, bruderg@pi.cpmc.columbia.edu
Studies using electrophysiologic (EEG and event-related brain potentials) and behavioral measures to study neurophysiologic, cognitive, and olfactory function in depressive disorders and schizophrenia.

Donald A. Bux Jr., Ph.D., buxdona@pi.cpmc.columbia.edu
Project SMART is a 5-year, NIAAA-funded research program studying treatment options for gay and bisexual men who are interested in moderating their drinking, but who do not wish to stop drinking altogether. The program combines medication (naltrexone) and specialized, cognitive-behavior psychotherapy provided over 12 weeks.

Carol Caton, Ph.D., clc3@columbia.edu
Directs the Columbia Center for Homelessness Prevention Studies (CHPS). CHPS is a NIMH-funded P30 ACISIR focused on the development of interventions to prevent chronic homelessness (see http://cchps.columbia.edu). Scholars from various departments and schools within Columbia University and providers, consumers, and policy makers throughout the New York City region are involved in this multidisciplinary effort.

Sandra D. Comer, Ph.D., sdc10@columbia.edu
Our laboratory focuses on the abuse liability of a variety of opioids, including heroin and prescription opioid medications. Studies are conducted in both inpatient and outpatient settings in different populations, such as normal healthy volunteers, prescription opioid abusers, pain patients, and heroin abusers.

Cheryl Corcoran, M.D., cc788@columbia.edu
Evaluates teenagers and young adults at heightened clinical risk for psychosis. Research focuses on identifying risk factors and biomarkers for psychosis, and characterizing the risk state, including cognitive deficits, mood symptoms, poor social function, stress vulnerability, and abnormalities identified in brain imaging.

Francine Cournos, M.D., fc15@columbia.edu
WHCS welcomes students to participate in two research projects with patients who have severe mental illness. One involves studying the metabolic complications of antipsychotic medications, and the other involves an HIV prevention intervention in Brazil.

Lirio S. Covey, Ph.D., lsc3@columbia.edu
We are conducting a clinical trial for smokers with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The main aim of the study is to determine whether adding an FDA-approved medication for ADHD to the standard smoking cessation regimen of nicotine patch and individual counseling will increase quit rates among smokers with ADHD.

Janis Cutler, M.D., cutlerj@pi.cpmc.columbia.edu
The division of Medical Student Education has projects exploring the medical student career choice process and the impact of various aspects of the psychiatry curriculum on students’ learning and attitudes.

William Dauer, M.D., wtd3@columbia.edu
The central goal of our studies is to unravel the molecular and cellular mechanisms of diseases that disrupt the motor system. Our primary focus is on Parkinson’s disease and DYT1 dystonia. For each of these projects, we focus our efforts on disease genes that cause these disorders.

Cristiane S. Duarte, PhD, M.P.H., duartec@choldpsych.columbia.edu
We use data collected in epidemiological studies to examine the relationship between mental health problems and overweight/obesity in children.

Rachel L. Eisenstadt, eisenra@pi.cpmc.columbia.edu
1) Questionnable Dementia - long-term study following a group of 150 patients with mild cognitive impairment to examine factors that predict conversion to Alzheimer’s Disease through PET Imaging Study in patients with mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s Disease, and healthy controls. 2) Risperidone Study - multi-site study using Risperidone (an atypical anti-psychotic) in Alzheimer’s patients with psychosis or agitation/ aggression 3) multiple clinical trials in our Late-Life Depression Clinic of different medications that may be helpful for depression and/or mild cognitive impairment.

Suzette M. Evans, Ph.D., se18@columbia.edu
I conduct controlled laboratory research looking at the effects of drugs of abuse in various groups of women. In the context of these studies, we look at stress response and measures of impulsivity. Anyone who volunteers would assist in conducting phone interviews, conducting laboratory sessions and entering data.

David Friedman, Ph.D., df12@columbia.edu
The Cognitive Electrophysiology Laboratory employs scalp-recorded event-related brain potentials (ERPs) to understand the neurocognitive processes that underlie mnemonic, attentional and executive functions. Our investigations target childhood development, normal and abnormal aging.

Cathryn Galanter, M.D., cg168@columbia.edu
A child and adolescent psychiatrist who does research in the following areas: 1) describing the diagnostic decision making of clinicians, 2) developing tools to improve clinical decision making and 3) the overlap of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and bipolar disorder in children and adolescents.

James E. Gangwisch, Ph.D., gangwisj@child.cpmc.columbia.edu
I have been working on epidemiological studies on the relationship between sleep duration and diseases associated with the metabolic syndrome. I would be happy to have a student work with me on this.

Andrew J. Gerber, MD, Ph.D., gerbera@childpsych.columbia.edu
We study social cognition in humans using a functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigm which measures memory performance and affective response to information about new individuals.

Joshua A. Gordon, M.D., Ph.D., jg343@columbia.edu
We study genetic models of psychiatric illness from an integrative neuroscience perspective, with a focus on understanding how a given disease mutation leads to a behavioral phenotype in mouse models. To this end, we employ a range of systems neuroscience techniques, including in vivo anesthetized and awake behaving recordings.

Joseph Jaffe M.D., jaffejo@pi.cpmc.columbia.edu
Dr. Jaffe seeks an MD or PhD student to assist in simulation studies of psychopathology based on Hidden Markov Chain Models previously published in Science, Nature and Mathematical Biosciences. Math and programming skills are an obvious plus.

Jonathan A. Javitch, M.D., Ph.D., jaj2@columbia.edu
Structure and function of G-protein coupled receptors and neurotransmitter transporters, with a particular focus on dopamine receptors and transporter, the targets for antipsychotic drugs and cocaine, respectively.

Alayar Kangarlu, Ph.D., ak2334@columbia.edu
We use various MRI techniques such as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), functional (fMRI), and spectroscopy (MRS) for study of the human brain.

David Kimhy, Ph.D., dk553@columbia.edu
Psychosis in Schizophrenia: Mechanisms of Recovery. This NIMH-funded project uses Experience Sampling Method with Palm computers and an ambulatory measure of cardiac autonomic regulation to elucidate the interaction between stress, arousal, and cognitive coping strategies during recovery from psychosis in individuals with schizophrenia.

Harry R. Kissileff , Ph.D., hrk2@columbia.edu
Eating behavior and physiological measures in patients with eating disorders and normal controls. Volunteers only. Volunteer will help coordinate making of appointments, collecting specialized data, participate in data analysis and prepare preliminary reports.

E. David Leonardo M.D., Ph.D., el367@columbia.edu
The role of ventral hippocampal neurogenesis in the antidepressant response. We use transgenic mouse models to try and dissect the role of the ventral hippocampus in mediating anxiety-like behavior and its possible contribution to the response to antidepressants.

Sarah H. Lisanby, M.D., slisanby@columbia.edu
Brain stimulation research, employing transcranial magnetic stimulation and other new developments in electromagnetic interventions to study and treat psychiatric and neurological disorders. Topics can range from clinical trials, to preclinical studies, to neurophysiological studies, to engineering projects on the development of novel technologies for noninvasive brain stimulation.

Lawrence Maayan, M.D., maayan1@childpsych.columbia.edu
Clinical research with children and adolescents mainly in psychotic disorders, their treatment with antipsychotic medications and metabolic side effects that follow.

Christina Mangurian, M.D., cm2195@columbia.edu
Research to improve medical screening of severely mentally ill patients, particularly those taking antipsychotic medications and are at risk of developing the metabolic syndrome.

J. John Mann, M.D., jjm@columbia.edu
Functional brain imaging, neurochemistry and molecular genetics to probe the causes of depression and suicide.

Rachel Marsh, rm2205@columbia.edu
A fMRI study of self-regulatory control in adolescents with Bulimia Nervosa (BN). We are investigating how disturbances in frontostriatal neural systems contribute to the impulsive and habitual binge-eating behaviors in patients with BN.

Randall D. Marshall, MD, Randall@nyspi.cpmc.columbia.edu
Students will have the opportunity to participate in an NIMH-funded clinical trials research investigating treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Alice Medalia, Ph.D., am2938@columbia.edu
1) This study examines whether people with schizophrenia learn more when they are intrinsically motivated as opposed to extrinsically motivated, and manipulates the instructional factors that enhance or inhibit learning. 2) This study examines whether people with schizophrenia are more likely to improve working memory if they are given a cognitive remediation approach that directly targets working memory in a noncontextualized task or a cognitive remediation approach that targets working memory as it is activated in a contextualized problem solving activity.

Tommy Melore, - Chada Chotidiloke, meloret@pi.cpmc.columbia.edu
We are very involved in all aspects of research, including organizing, filing, and keeping good records over our pharmacy dispensing involving our IRB protocols. The job will include filing prescriptions and organizing our inventory store room.

Elizabeth Mezzacappa, exm25@columbia.edu
Study on maternal effects of breast-feeding.

Holly Moore, Ph.D., hm2035@columbia.edu
Our laboratory uses rodent models to study how the abnormal brain or neuronal structure that has been observed in schizophrenia may lead to the behavioral symptoms. We use anatomical, behavioral, neurochemical and neurophysiological techniques to explore brain structure-function abnormalities in these models.

Catherine Monk, cem31@columbia.edu
Prenatal environmental influences on infant biobehavioral development. Specifically, in work with pregnant women and their children, we investigate mood–based changes in women’s physiology (from stress, depression, & anxiety) as they relate to alterations in fetal and infant functioning.

Julia Najara, M.D., jun9003@nyp.org
We are doing a study on the decreased use of restraints and medications for the management of agitation in the comprehensive psychiatric emergency program. The student will review charts and enter information in computerized formats.

Teresa Nguyen, nguyent@pi.cpmc.columbia.edu
The Division of Brain Stimulation and Therapeutic Modulation is currently involved in a number of research protocols investigating several brain stimulation techniques in treating depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and many other psychiatric disorders and neural processes.

Edward Nunes, M.D., nunesed@pi.cpmc.columbia.edu
I would be interested in having an MD or PhD student work in the lab or volunteer for a clinical project. My group is conducting clinical trials to study the effectiveness of treatments for drug/alcohol dependence and commonly co-occurring disorders, such as depression, anxiety, PTSD. The group is also correlating clinical outcome with findings from PET imaging.

Maria A. Oquendo, M.D., moquendo@neuron.cpmc.columbia.edu
The research clinic focuses on three different topics: mood disorders, alcoholism and suicide. We conduct studies with human subjects to delineate the underlying neurobiology as well as intervention studies to decrease negative outcomes.

Tarique. D. Perera. M.D., tp119@columbia.edu
The role of new neuron formation (neurogenesis) in the treatment of major depression in rats, monkeys, and humans. We accommodate qualified volunteers and MD PhD students interested in translational research.

Angel V. Peterchev, Ph.D., ap2394@columbia.edu
Development of electromagnetic brain stimulation technologies and paradigms for basic research and clinical applications. Projects are interdisciplinary, encompassing engineering, neuroscience, and psychiatry.

Bradley Peterson, M.D., PetersoB@childpsych.columbia.edu
Pediatric Neuroimaging Laboratory: We combine MRI technologies with genetic, cognitive, and detailed behavioral assessments to understand normal and pathological development of brain structure, function, connectivity, and metabolism in children across a wide range of neuropsychiatric disorders.

Harold Alan Pincus, M.D., pincush@pi.cpmc.columbia.edu
1) Conducting key informant interviews with professionals working in aging and mental health to aid in developing a conceptual framework for enhancing the pathways for leadership by these professionals in the policymaking arena. 2) Assisting with the design of an instrument and key informant interviews to help evaluate seven interdisciplinary research centers in geriatrics. 3) Assisting in the evaluation of a national program to improve care of depression in primary care. 4) Further developing and piloting an instrument to assess research mentoring at the individual mentor-mentee and institutional levels.

Ning Qian, Ph. D., nq6@columbia.edu
Computational modeling of vision and visuomotor integration; visual psychophysical experiments.

Wilfrid Raby PH.D., M.D., rabywi1@pi.cpmc.columbia.edu
STARS clinic: Preparation of a genetic screening protocol for outpatient substance abuse treatment protocols. This would set the stage for genome wide scans for vulnerability genes related to substance abuse disorders.

Stephen A. Sands, Psy.D., ss2341@columbia.edu
Pediatric oncology and bone marrow transplant at Columbia University Medical Center are available and range from assessing Quality of Life for patients and Neuropsychological Late Effects from medical treatment to participating in intervention studies working with parents of newly diagnosed children undergoing medical treatment.

Daniel S. Schechter M.D., dss11@columbia.edu
The Parent-Child Interaction Project involves investigation of the effects of mothers’ violence-related posttraumatic stress disorder on their relationship with their toddlers. We examine a variety of maternal and child factors including maternal perception of her child, autonomic nervous system physiology, and behavior during interaction with her child, brain activation during video feedback, and intervention. We also examine child attachment disturbances and behavior.

Randye J. Semple, Ph.D., rjs243@columbia.edu
Studies of families show that the parents, siblings, and children of a person with major depression that began before the age of 30 are three to five times more likely to have major depression themselves. We are trying to learn if genes are associated with major depression by creating a DNA collection from over 3,000 people with a history of major depression who also have a family member with a history of major depression.

Harry N. Shair, hns1@columbia.edu
Dr. Shair studies the behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms by which the early environment influences current actions and contributes to ontogenetic course of the growing organism. Much of his research focuses on the parent-infant interaction of rats, in particular the formation and expression of early-life social bonds.

Steven A. Siegelbaum, Ph.D., sas8@columbia.edu
Our laboratory examines the relationship between hippocampal neural activity and learning and memory. We study mice with a deletion of the HCN1 ion channel gene to determine the neuronal mechanisms underlying the unexpected enhancement in spatial learning and memory observed in these mutant animals.

Jonathan A. Slater, M.D., jas14@columbia.edu
I am interested to know if there are any students interested in writing up clinical histories on children who my service consults on in Children’s Hospital, for publication in a journal. They are often children with somatization disorders (such as Pain Disorders).

Richard Sloan, Ph.D., rps7@columbia.edu
Psychophysiological studies investigating how psychological and behavioral factors affect autonomic regulation of the heart, which in turn affects development of heart disease; studies include ambulatory monitoring of autonomic reactivity to “everyday life” stressors, as well as laboratory-based protocols. Second, we study interferon-alpha induced depression syndrome.

Dr. Charles Soule1, crs9002@nyp.org
The Turn 2 Us Program is an Elementry School Based Comprehensive Wellness Program that is holistic in nature and addresses the overall well being of the students, parents and school staff. We provide a a series of preventive services that include but are not limited to mind/body iniitiatives, nutrition, arts, drama, sports, physical fitness, staff development and parent psychoeducation.

Arielle D. Stanford, M.D., as1019@columbia.edu
I study the pathophysiology of the negative symptoms of schizophrenia using transcranial magnetic stimulation in combination with various imaging and electrophysiological techniques. This work will lead to the optimization of novel non-invasive brain stimulation treatments for these symptoms.

Barbara Stanley, Ph.D., bstanley@neuron.cpmc.columbia.edu
Our group conducts research in two areas: 1) biobehavioral, clinical and neuroimaging research on borderline personality disorder, suicidal behavior and non-suicidal self injury such as superficial cutting; and 2) development and testing of interventions for individuals at risk for suicide.

Jonathan W. Stewart, M.D., jws6@columbia.edu
The Depression Evaluation Service (DES) is anticipating a new treatment study to begin July 1, 2007, entitled “Combining Antidepressants to Hasten Remission from Depression.” Prior to the start date a volunteer is needed to put together study books and start-up materials, and otherwise help organize the start-up meetings. Once recruitment begins, they would track patients through the study, input the study data and otherwise help organize and prepare materials for the in-study meetings.

Gregory M. Sullivan, M.D., gms11@columbia.edu
My research is focused on the underlying neurobiology of particular anxiety disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and panic disorder, through use of PET radioligand neuroimaging. Current projects include assessment of serotonin transporter and serotonin-1A receptor binding in tandem with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis reactivity in patients with PTSD and healthy volunteers.

Felice Tager, ft49@columbia.edu
Paula McKinley, Ph.D., pm491@columbia.edu
The effects of chemotherapy, hormone depletion and other factors on cognitive impairment during and after cancer treatment; our current focus is in breast and prostate cancer populations being treated at CUMC.

Adi Talati, Ph.D., talatia@child.cpmc.columbia.edu
On-going studies of anxiety and depressive disorders, currently focusing on integrating data from clinical, genetic, and neuroimaging sources so that we can most comprehensively understand the mechanisms underlying these disorders.

Stanislav R. Vorel, M.D. Ph.D., srv2004@columbia.edu
Schizophrenic patients often smoke cigarettes, possibly to self-medicate their thinking. My work looks at the effects of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulations of brain areas with intellectual functions on thought disturbances during nicotine withdrawal.

Suzanne Vosburg, Ph.D., skv2001@columbia.edu
The Buprenorphine Program at Columbia University treats individuals who abuse opioids (heroin, methadone, and prescription pain medications) on an outpatient basis. Contact persons: Suzanne Vosburg, Ph.D. or Erik Gunderson, M.D. gunders@pi.cpmc.columbia.edu).

Myrna Weissman Ph.D., weissman@childpsych.columbia.edu
A student can work on screening for depression in a genetic study of early onset recurrent depression or on analysis of a three generation study of depression looking at the clinical data and integrating it with MRI and genetics data.

Ping Wu, Ph.D., pw11@columbia.edu
Research projects: Epidemiological studies of children and adolescents, focusing on substance use/abuse, comorbid psychiatric disorders, and patterns of service utilization.