Elissa Epel, PhD has been awarded two National Institute on Aging (NIA) grants to start this fall:

1. with Psychiatry colleagues Owen Wolkowitz and Bryna Siegel, the R01 studies stress, depression, and cell aging trajectories in parental caregivers of children with pervasive developmental disorders  and ‘control’ parents over two years;
2. with Psychiatry colleagues Nancy Adler and Steve Hamilton, the second R01 examines how social status, depression, and genetic variation are linked to cellular aging, and how this predicts mortality, in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) study.

Joe Guydish, PhD.  The National Institute on Drug Abuse has awarded the San Francisco Treatment Research Center just under $14 million (direct and indirect) to renew the Center grant for five more years, years 16 through 20.  Led by Joe Guydish (Sharon Hall was the PI for the first 15 years), component Principal Investigators are Sharon Hall, Connie Weisner, Jodi Prochaska, and Dieter Meyerhoff.  Joe Guydish directs the Scientific and Administrative Core, Kevin Delucchi leads the Statistics and Health Economics Core, and Jim Sorensen directs the Research Training Core.

Descartes Li, MD and Maura McLane, MFT are leading the UCSF site in a multi-site pilot study funded by the National Networks of Depression Centers.  The study, called “Disseminating evidence-based mood disorder chronic care models (CCM) study,” is a one-year pilot, randomized, controlled trial. The goal of the study is to assess the Life Goals Collaborative Care in patients with either unipolar or bipolar depression.

Christina Mangurian, MD received a grant from the UCSF Center for Aging in Diverse Communities for her study "Understanding barriers to metabolic screening of minorities with severe mental illness:  A survey study of primary care physicians."

Anne Richards, MD, MPH (PI) and Thomas Neylan, MD (co-PI) and Frank Schoenfeld, MD (co-PI) received an NCIRE/Department of Defense award to conduct a pilot trial to assess the effects of the drug prazosin on sleep EEG in individuals with PTSD.

James Sorensen, PhD directs the newly-formed Western States Node of the NIDA Clinical Trials Network program, which has been awarded funding.  The Clinical Trials Network is a cooperative agreement among the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Community Treatment Programs, and Regional Research and Treatment Centers, involving a dozen nodes across the country.  The intent is to use science as a tool to improve substance abuse treatment and to disseminate treatment innovations.

Alexopoulos, G., Raue, P. J., Kiosses, D. N., Mackin, R. S., Kanelloplous, D., McCulloch, C. E., & Areán P. A. (in press).  Problem solving therapy and supportive therapy in older adults with major depression and executive dysfunction:  Effect on disability.  Archives of General Psychiatry. 

Areán, P. A., Raue, P., Mackin, R. S., Kanellopoulos, D., McCulloch, C., & Alexopoulos, G. S. (in press).  Problem-solving therapy and supportive therapy in older adults with major depression and executive dysfunction.  American Journal of Psychiatry.  [2010 Jun 1 Epub ahead of print; it was also selected to be the CME lead article in the journal.]

Mathews

Delucchi

Delucchi, K., & Kaskutas, L.A. (in press).  Following problem drinkers over 11 years:  Understanding changes in alcohol consumption.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

Delucchi^*, K. L., Katerberg^*, H., Stewart, S. E., Denys, D. A. J. P., Lochner, C., Stack, D. E., den Boer, J. A., van Balkom, A. J. L. M., Jenike, Stein, D., M. A., Mathews, C. A., & Cath, D. C. (*equal authorship)  (in press).  Latent class analysis of YBOCS symptoms in obsessive compulsive disorder.  Comprehensive Psychiatry.

Katerberg^*, H., Delucchi^*, K. L., Denys, D. A. J. P., Stewart, S. E., Stack, D. E., De Geus, F., Vulink, N. C. C., Fluitman, S., den Boer, J. A., van Balkom, A. J. L. M., Smit, J. H., van Oppen, P., Polman, A., Jenike, M. A., Mathews, C. A., & Cath, D. C. (*equal authorship) (2010).  Categorical versus item-level factor analysis of obsessive compulsive symptoms:  A one factor model?  Behavior Genetics.  Online:  DOI:10.1007/s10519-010-9339-z

Delucchi, K. L., & Weisner, C. (2010).  Transitioning into and out of problem drinking across seven years.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 71, 210-218.

Kiosses, D. N., Areán, P. A., Teri, L., & Alexopoulos, G. S. (in press).  Home-delivered problem adaptation therapy (PATH) for depressed, cognitively impaired, disabled elders:  A preliminary study.  American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Palagini, L., & Rosenlicht, N. (in press).  Sleep, dreaming, and mental health:  A review of historical and neurobiological perspectives.  Sleep Medicine Reviews.  [2010 Sep 17 Epub ahead of print]

Rubenstein, J. L. R. (2010).  Three hypotheses for developmental defects that may underlie some forms of autism.  Current Opinion in Neurology, 23(2), 118-123.

Young, J. Q., Niehaus, B., Lieu, S. C., & O’Sullivan, P. S. (2010).  Improving resident education and patient safety:  A method to balance initial caseloads at academic year-end transfer.  Academic Medicine, 85, 1418–1424.  (AHRQ's Patient Safety website also featured this article.)

Patricia Arean, PhD has been appointment to the Clinical Treatment Guidelines Advisory Steering Committee of the American Psychological Association.

Laura Dunn, MD and Robert Hendren, DO have been appointed to the UCSF Academic Senate Committee on Research (COR) for three-year terms.

Sophia Vinogradov, MD had her research prominently acknowledged in the NIMH’s August 2010 report, “From discovery to cure:  Accelerating the development of new and personalized interventions for mental illness.”

Lauren Weiss, PhD was selected as a 2010 NIH Director’s New Innovator Award recipient, effective September 30, 2010.

Nicholas Weiss, MD represented UCSF as an expert at the "Ask the Expert" Child and Adolescent Mental Health Session at the annual NAMI California Convention on August 27, 2010.