Psychiatry
Psychiatry (PSY)
PSY Contacts
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Department of Psychiatry
4301 Jones Bridge Road
Bethesda, Maryland 20814-4799
Chair (301) 295-3294
FAX (USUHS) (301) 295-1536
FAX (WRNMMC) (301) 319-6965
PSY - Local/NCA Faculty
David M Benedek, M.D., Colonel, Army
Name: David M Benedek, M.D., Colonel, Army
USU Department of Primary Appointment:
Psychiatry
Title:
Professor & Chair, Department of Psychiatry
Faculty Rank:
Professor
Location:
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
Research Interests:
Traumatic Stress Response: Neurobiology, Epidemioogy and Intervention
Email:
Office Phone:
(301) 295-9797
Education
B.A. Art History, University of Virginia, Charlottesville VA 1987
M.D. Uniformed Service University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), Bethesda, MD 1991
Internship and Residency in Adult General Psychiatry, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington DC, 1995
Fellowship, Forensic Psychiatry, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington DC, 1998
M.D. Uniformed Service University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), Bethesda, MD 1991
Internship and Residency in Adult General Psychiatry, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington DC, 1995
Fellowship, Forensic Psychiatry, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington DC, 1998
Biography
Dr. Benedek is Professor and Chairman, Department of Psychiatry, and Associate Director at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress at the Uniformed Services University. He is a past President of the Society of Uniformed Service Psychiatrists — the Military District Branch of the American Psychiatric Association, and a past Branch Representative to the APA Assembly. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. In addition to his operational experience in Bosnia and Croatia Dr. Benedek has deployed to Cuba, Iraq, and Kuwait in conjunction US Military Operations in those countries. Dr. Benedek served as Consultant to the U.S. Army Surgeon General for Forensic Psychiatry from 2004–2008.
Dr. Benedek received his B.A. from the University of Virginia in 1986 and his M.D. from the Uniformed Services University School of Medicine in 1991. After Internship and Residency in Psychiatry at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, he was assigned as Division Psychiatrist, First Armor Division, Germany. From there, he deployed to the former Yugoslavia and delivered mental health support to U.S. and NATO Troops for Operation Joint Endeavor (1996). He returned to Walter Reed to complete forensic psychiatry fellowship training in 1998 and then served as the Assistant Chief of Inpatient Psychiatry, Walter Reed Army Medical Center. In 1999 he became Chief, Forensic Psychiatry Service, and Director, National Capital Consortium Military Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program at Walter Reed, and he remained in those positions until joining the USUHS/CSTS faculty in 2004. Dr. Benedek’s awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Meritorious Service (3OLC) and Army Commendation (3OLC) Medals, the LTG Claire Chennault Award for Outstanding Military Psychiatry Faculty Member, and the American Psychiatric Association’s Nancy C.A. Roeske Award for Excellence in Medical Student Education. In 2002 he received the U.S. Army Surgeon General’s “A” Proficiency Designator, and received the Order of Military Medical Merit in 2009
Dr. Benedek has authored or co-authored over 100 scientific publications, and has presented on numerous aspects of military, disaster, and forensic psychiatry at regional, national, and international professional conferences. He has served on the American Psychiatric Association’s Committee on Confidentiality, was a consultant to the Association’s Practice Guideline for the treatment of Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder work-group in the development of its 2004 practice guideline, and was also lead author on the 2009 guideline update. Dr. Benedek has led several ongoing clinical and epidemiological studies. He previously Directed the National Capital Area Integrated Clinical Study Site within the INTRuST Clinical Consortium for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury was the USUHS site lead investigator for the Soldier Health Outcomes Study-B (SHOS-B) arm of the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (ARMY STARRS). Prior to his return to USU in 2017, he Directed the Center for Forensic Behavioral Sciences at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Dr. Benedek received his B.A. from the University of Virginia in 1986 and his M.D. from the Uniformed Services University School of Medicine in 1991. After Internship and Residency in Psychiatry at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, he was assigned as Division Psychiatrist, First Armor Division, Germany. From there, he deployed to the former Yugoslavia and delivered mental health support to U.S. and NATO Troops for Operation Joint Endeavor (1996). He returned to Walter Reed to complete forensic psychiatry fellowship training in 1998 and then served as the Assistant Chief of Inpatient Psychiatry, Walter Reed Army Medical Center. In 1999 he became Chief, Forensic Psychiatry Service, and Director, National Capital Consortium Military Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program at Walter Reed, and he remained in those positions until joining the USUHS/CSTS faculty in 2004. Dr. Benedek’s awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Meritorious Service (3OLC) and Army Commendation (3OLC) Medals, the LTG Claire Chennault Award for Outstanding Military Psychiatry Faculty Member, and the American Psychiatric Association’s Nancy C.A. Roeske Award for Excellence in Medical Student Education. In 2002 he received the U.S. Army Surgeon General’s “A” Proficiency Designator, and received the Order of Military Medical Merit in 2009
Dr. Benedek has authored or co-authored over 100 scientific publications, and has presented on numerous aspects of military, disaster, and forensic psychiatry at regional, national, and international professional conferences. He has served on the American Psychiatric Association’s Committee on Confidentiality, was a consultant to the Association’s Practice Guideline for the treatment of Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder work-group in the development of its 2004 practice guideline, and was also lead author on the 2009 guideline update. Dr. Benedek has led several ongoing clinical and epidemiological studies. He previously Directed the National Capital Area Integrated Clinical Study Site within the INTRuST Clinical Consortium for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury was the USUHS site lead investigator for the Soldier Health Outcomes Study-B (SHOS-B) arm of the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (ARMY STARRS). Prior to his return to USU in 2017, he Directed the Center for Forensic Behavioral Sciences at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Representative publications, projects, and/or deployments
- 1998-1999 Assistant Chief, Inpatient Psychiatry Service, WRAMC, Washington DC
- 1999-2004 Chief, Forensic Psychiatry Service, WRAMC, Washington DC
- 2004-2008 Consultant to US Army Surgeon General for Forensic Psychiatry, Assistant Chair for Education, Dept. of Psychiatry, USUHS , Senior Scientist, CSTS
- 2008-2015 Proefessor (PSY) & Assoc. Director, CSTS, USUHS, Bethesda MD, Deputy Chair, Dept. of Psychiatry USUHS
- 2015-2017 Chief, Forensics and Director, Center for Forensic Behavioral Sciences, WRNMMC, Bethesda MD
- 2017-Professor & Chair, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University School of Medicine, Bethesday
- 2004-The US Army Surgeon General’s “A” Proficiency Designator; American Psychiatric Association Roeske Award for Excellence in Medical Student Education
- 2004-Council for International Cooperation Lieutenant General Claire L. Chennault Award for Outstanding Psychiatry Faculty Member, National Capital Consortium
- 2008 -Meritorious Service Medal (3rd OLC), 2009- Order of Military Medical Merit
- 2016-Defense Superior Service Medal
Bibliography
- Benedek DM, Morganstein JC, Holloway HH, Ursano RJ, “Disaster Psychiatry: Disasters, Terrorism and War,” in, Sadock BJ, Sadock VA, Ruiz PR, eds., Kaplan & Sadock’s Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, 10th ed., Wolters-Kluwer, Phildadelphia, 2017 pp. 2564-2576.
- Benedek DM and Wynn GH, “Acute Stress Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,” in Ursano RJ, Fullerton CS, Weisaeth L and Raphael B, eds., Textbook of Disaster Psychiatry. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge UK, 2017, pp. 101-123.
- Benedek DM and Wynn GH: (eds) “Complementary and Alternative Medicine for PTSD” (TEXTBOOK)
- Benedek DM and Wynn GH: (eds), “Clinical Manual for Management of PTSD” Washington DC, American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc., 2010. (TEXTBOOK)
- Zhang L, Benedek DM, Fullerton CS, Forsten RD, Naifeh JA, Li XX, Hu XZ, Li H, Jia M, Xing GQ, Benevides KN and Ursano, RJ: “PTSD risk is associated with BDNF Val66Met and BDNF overexpression,” Molecular Psychiatry , 2014 Jan;19(1):8-10.
- Zhang L, Hu X-Z, Benedek DM, Fullerton CS, Forsten RD, Naifeh JA, Li X, Li H, Benevides KN, Smerin S, Le T, Choi K and Ursano RJ. The interaction between stressful life events and leukocyte telomere length is associated with PTSD. Molecular Psychiatry advance online publication, 5 November 2013; doi:10.1038/mp.2013.141.
- Benedek DM and Grieger TA, “Legal Issues in Psychiatric Practice” in Tasman A, Kay J, Lieberman J, First MB, and Maj M, eds., Psychiatry, 4th Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, UK, (2015).
- Malone RD and Benedek DM, “Personality Disorders in the Military Operational Environment,” in Oldham J., ed., Textbook of Personality Disorders, American Psychiatric Publishing, Arlington VA (2014): 475-485.
- Lang AJ, Schnurr PP, Jain S, Raman R, Walser R, Bolton E, Chabot A, Benedek D: “Evaluating transdiagnostic treatment for distress and impairment in veterans: A multi-site randomized controlled trial of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy” Contemporary Clinical Trials, 2012, 33(1), pp. 116 - 123
- Nock MK, Dempsey CL, Aliaga PA, Brent DA, Heeringa SG, Kessler RC, Stein MB, Ursano RJ, Benedek D, “psychological Autopsy StudyComparing Suicide Decedents, Suicide Ideators, and Propensity Score Matched Controls: Results from the Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Service Members (Army STARRS), Psychological Medicine, 47(15), 2663-2774, November, 2017 (published online 18 May 2017);
Stephen J Cozza, MD, Colonel, Army
Name: Stephen J Cozza, MD, Colonel, Army
USU Department of Primary Appointment:
Psychiatry
Title:
Associate Director, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress
Faculty Rank:
Professor
Location:
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
Research Interests:
Impact of trauma on adults, children and families
Bereavement and complicated grief
Email:
Office Phone:
(301) 319-4616
Department Website:
Education
B.S., 1981 United States Military Academy, West Point NY
M.D., 1985 George Washington University School of Medicine and the Health Sciences, Washington DC
Transitional Internship, 1986 Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington DC
General Psychiatry Residency, 1989 Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington DC
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship, 1991 Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington DC
M.D., 1985 George Washington University School of Medicine and the Health Sciences, Washington DC
Transitional Internship, 1986 Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington DC
General Psychiatry Residency, 1989 Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington DC
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship, 1991 Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington DC
Biography
Stephen J. Cozza, MD is Professor of Psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University where he serves as Associate Director, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He received his medical degree from the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. He completed his residency in General Psychiatry and fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. Dr. Cozza is a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in the specialties of General Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He has served in a variety of positions of responsibility in the Department of Psychiatry at Walter Reed Army Medical Center to include Chief, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Service, Program Director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program and Chief, Department of Psychiatry. He retired from the U.S. Army in 2006 after 25 years of military service.
Dr. Cozza’s professional interests have been in the areas of clinical and community response to trauma and the impact of deployment and combat injury, illness and death on military service members, their families and their children. He was instrumental in organizing and executing the initial mental health response to the September 11th 2001 attack on the Pentagon. Under his leadership, the Walter Reed Department of Psychiatry spearheaded the initiative to provide mental health services, support and follow up to the many injured service members, their families and their children who receive medical treatment. Dr. Cozza has highlighted the impact of deployment, injury, illness and death on the children and families of military service members. He is published in the scientific literature and has presented on these topics at multiple national and international scientific meetings. Dr. Cozza serves as a scientific advisor to several national organizations that focus on the needs of military children and families.
Visit ResearchGate for a list of Dr. Cozza’s publications.
Dr. Cozza’s professional interests have been in the areas of clinical and community response to trauma and the impact of deployment and combat injury, illness and death on military service members, their families and their children. He was instrumental in organizing and executing the initial mental health response to the September 11th 2001 attack on the Pentagon. Under his leadership, the Walter Reed Department of Psychiatry spearheaded the initiative to provide mental health services, support and follow up to the many injured service members, their families and their children who receive medical treatment. Dr. Cozza has highlighted the impact of deployment, injury, illness and death on the children and families of military service members. He is published in the scientific literature and has presented on these topics at multiple national and international scientific meetings. Dr. Cozza serves as a scientific advisor to several national organizations that focus on the needs of military children and families.
Visit ResearchGate for a list of Dr. Cozza’s publications.
Representative publications, projects, and/or deployments
- National Military Family Bereavement Study (www.militarysurvivorstudy.org)
- Stepping Forward in Grief, a study of a selective preventive Intervention to assist bereaved military family members (www.steppingforwardstudy.org)
- Grief Outcomes Related to Terrorism, a study of family members who lost loved ones due to 9- 11 or the Air India bombing in 1985
- FOCUS-CI, a study of a preventive intervention for children and family of combat injured service members
- Study of Risk and Protective Factors Contributing to Military Child Maltreatment/Child Neglect
- 2005 William C. Porter Award, American Military Surgeons of the United States of America
- 2011 International Society for the Study of Traumatic Stress Studies Frank Ochberg Award for Media and Trauma Study
- 2007 American Psychiatric Association Bruno Lima Award for Excellence in Disaster Response Contributions
- 2003 Order of Military Medical Merit
- The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Distinguished Fellow
Bibliography
- Cozza, S.J., Fisher, J.E., Mauro, C., Zhou, J.,Ortiz, C.D., Skritskaya, N., Wall, M.M., Fullerton, C.S., Ursano, R.J. & Shear, M. K. (2016). Performance of DSM-5 Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder Criteria in a Community Sample of Bereaved Military Family Members. American Journal of Psychiatry, 173, 919-929.
- Cozza, S. J., Fisher, J.E., LaFlair, L., Zhou, J., LaMorie, J., Grein, K., Niemeyer, M., Benfer, N., Fullerton, C.S. & Ursano, R.J. (2017). Bereaved military dependent spouses and children: Those left behind in a decade of war (2001-2011). Military Medicine, 182(3):e1684-e1690.
- Cozza SJ, Ortiz CD, Fullerton CS, McCarroll JE, Holmes AK, Harris AM, Buckley CL, Ursano RJ: Types, subtypes and severity of substantiated child neglect in U.S. Army communities during wartime, Military Medicine 180(11), 2015, 1147-53.
- Cozza, S.J., Whaley, G.L., Fisher, J.E., Zhou, J., Ortiz, C.D., McCarroll, J.E., Fullerton, C. S. & Ursano, R.J (2017). Deployment Status and Child Neglect Types in the U.S. Army. Child Maltreatment, (Epub ahead of print).
- Cozza SJ, Guimond JM, McKibben JB, Chun RS, Arata-Maiers TL, Schneider B, Maiers A, Fullerton CS, Ursano RJ: Combat-injured service members and their families: The relationship of child distress and spouse-perceived family distress and disruption, Journal of Traumatic Stress, 23(1) 2010, 112-5.
- Wadsworth SM, Lester P, Marini C, Cozza SJ, Sornborger J, Strouse T: Approaching family- focused systems of care for military and veteran families, Military Behavioral Health, 1 2013, 31-40.
- Cozza SJ, Lerner RM, (Ed.): Military Children and Families, The Future of Children, (monograph) Princeton-Brookings, Princeton NJ, 2013.
- Cozza SJ, Cohen JA, Dougherty J, (Ed.): Disaster and Trauma, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinics of North America, (monograph) Elsevier, Philadelphia PA, in press 2014.
- Whaley GJ, Cohen WL, Cozza SJ: Children and families: responding to disaster and bereavement. chapter in Textbook of Disaster Psychiatry, Cambridge University Press: New York 2017.
- Cozza SJ, Knobloch L, Gewirtz A, DeVoe E, Flake E, Gorman L, Kees M, Lester P, Lerner RM: Lessons learned and future recommendations for conducting research using primary data collection. Chapter in A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families: Lessons for the Leaders of Tomorrow (in press).
Kelly L. Cozza, MD
Name: Kelly L. Cozza, MD
USU Department of Primary Appointment:
Psychiatry
Title:
Psychiatry Clerkship Director
Faculty Rank:
Associate Professor
Location:
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
Research Interests:
Medical Education
HIV and Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry
Email:
Office Phone:
(301) 442-0009 x301
Education
Creighton University School of Medicine, MD 1987
Walter Reed Army Medical Center Categorical Psychiatry Internship and Psychiatry Residency 1987-1990
Walter Reed Army Medical Center Consultation-Liaison Fellowship 1992-1993
Walter Reed Army Medical Center Categorical Psychiatry Internship and Psychiatry Residency 1987-1990
Walter Reed Army Medical Center Consultation-Liaison Fellowship 1992-1993
Biography
Kelly L. Cozza, MD, DFAPA, FAPM is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) and National Capital Consortium Psychiatry Residency Program, and is a senior faculty-clinician at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. She currently is the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Department of Psychiatry Clinical Clerkship Director, and is also a scientist for the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS) at USUHS.
Dr. Kelly Cozza received her medical degree from Creighton University in 1987, and completed her psychiatric residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC in 1991. She served as the 3rd Armored Division Psychiatrist and Division Surgeon in Frankfurt, Germany, after which she completed her Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Fellowship at Walter Reed in 1993. She has served as the Chief and Fellowship Director of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Service (1994-1997). After leaving the military, she was the integrated psychiatrist specializing in HIV on the Infectious Disease Service at Walter Reed and for the Department of Defense from 1997-2006, and a consultant to Walter Reed’s Psychiatric Residency program until her return as a clinician-educator in 2015.
Dr. Kelly Cozza has published and lectured extensively in the areas of psychopharmacology and HIV/AIDS. She is the co-chair of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Special Interest Group for HIV, and a founding member of the World Psychiatric Association Workgroup/Section for HIV. She is also a reviewer and former editorial board member for Psychosomatics, the Journal of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. Dr. Cozza has more than 26 years of experience in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry (Psychosomatic Medicine) and HIV care. Her current areas of clinical and research interest include HIV psychopharmacology and treatment, collaborative care of medically complicated older adults, PTSD in medically ill older adults, and psychiatric education for medical students.
Dr. Kelly Cozza received her medical degree from Creighton University in 1987, and completed her psychiatric residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC in 1991. She served as the 3rd Armored Division Psychiatrist and Division Surgeon in Frankfurt, Germany, after which she completed her Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Fellowship at Walter Reed in 1993. She has served as the Chief and Fellowship Director of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Service (1994-1997). After leaving the military, she was the integrated psychiatrist specializing in HIV on the Infectious Disease Service at Walter Reed and for the Department of Defense from 1997-2006, and a consultant to Walter Reed’s Psychiatric Residency program until her return as a clinician-educator in 2015.
Dr. Kelly Cozza has published and lectured extensively in the areas of psychopharmacology and HIV/AIDS. She is the co-chair of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Special Interest Group for HIV, and a founding member of the World Psychiatric Association Workgroup/Section for HIV. She is also a reviewer and former editorial board member for Psychosomatics, the Journal of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. Dr. Cozza has more than 26 years of experience in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry (Psychosomatic Medicine) and HIV care. Her current areas of clinical and research interest include HIV psychopharmacology and treatment, collaborative care of medically complicated older adults, PTSD in medically ill older adults, and psychiatric education for medical students.
Joscelyn E Fisher, PhD
Name: Joscelyn E Fisher, PhD
USU Department of Primary Appointment:
Psychiatry
Faculty Rank:
Research Assistant Professor
Location:
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
Biography
Joscelyn E. Fisher is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University. She received a Bachelor of Arts (majors: Music and Psychology) from the University of Virginia and a PhD in Psychology from the Clinical/Community Division of the Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). She then completed her post-doctoral training at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center (MPRC) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) where she transitioned to a faculty position (Instructor). Dr. Fisher joined the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress in July 2011 as the Project Director/Research Psychologist on the National Military Family Bereavement Study (NMFBS).
Dr. Fisher's research background has focused on how cognitive processes and emotion processes are related to symptom manifestation. One line of research at UIUC investigated the relationship of suspiciousness to anxiety and depression during emotional processing using event-related brain potential (ERP) techniques to index the neural correlates of these symptoms. She also used ERPs and fMRI at the MPRC to investigate semantic memory processes and whether they are associated with positive symptoms of schizophrenia. Thus, her research has focused on the investigation of neurocognitive and mental health symptom correlates of language, memory and emotion processes. Dr. Fisher is currently working on several projects that investigate correlates and predictors of depression, anxiety and grief outcomes in bereaved military family members as part of the NMFBS.
Dr. Fisher has authored/co-authored a number of scientific papers and has been awarded several research grants, including a National Research Service Award –NRSA from NIMH while at UIUC and a Young Investigator Award from NARSAD while at UMB.
Dr. Fisher's research background has focused on how cognitive processes and emotion processes are related to symptom manifestation. One line of research at UIUC investigated the relationship of suspiciousness to anxiety and depression during emotional processing using event-related brain potential (ERP) techniques to index the neural correlates of these symptoms. She also used ERPs and fMRI at the MPRC to investigate semantic memory processes and whether they are associated with positive symptoms of schizophrenia. Thus, her research has focused on the investigation of neurocognitive and mental health symptom correlates of language, memory and emotion processes. Dr. Fisher is currently working on several projects that investigate correlates and predictors of depression, anxiety and grief outcomes in bereaved military family members as part of the NMFBS.
Dr. Fisher has authored/co-authored a number of scientific papers and has been awarded several research grants, including a National Research Service Award –NRSA from NIMH while at UIUC and a Young Investigator Award from NARSAD while at UMB.
Bibliography
Biosketch Link:
Derrick A. Hamaoka, M.D., Colonel, Air Force
Name: Derrick A. Hamaoka, M.D., Colonel, Air Force
USU Department of Primary Appointment:
Psychiatry
Title:
Assistant Chair, Medical Education
Faculty Rank:
Associate Professor
Location:
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
Research Interests:
Medical Education
Email:
Office Phone:
(301) 295-9797
Education
B.S., California Polytechnic - San Luis Obispo, CA
M.D., Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
M.D., Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Biography
Col (Dr.) Derrick Hamaoka serves as the Assistant Chair, Medical Education, for the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Department of Psychiatry. Prior to serving in his current position, he was the Associate Program Director, University of Texas Health San Antonio Psychiatry residency program, leading one of the largest programs in the nation and responsible for a majority of the active duty Air Force psychiatry pipeline.
Representative publications, projects, and/or deployments
- Assistant Chair, Medical Education, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
- Associate Program Director, Psychiatry, University of Texas Health San Antonio (UTHSA)
- Officer in Charge, Combat Stress Control, Adder Iraq
- Psychiatry Clerkship Director, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Kathryn R Hefner, PhD
Name: Kathryn R Hefner, PhD
USU Department of Primary Appointment:
Psychiatry
Title:
Research Psychologist
Location:
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
Research Interests:
PTSD, substance use and addiction, trauma, military and veteran health, comorbidity
Email:
Office Phone:
(301) 295-0146
Education
PhD, Clinical Psychology - University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2014
MS, Clinical Psychology - University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2008
BA, Clinical and Social Psychology - University of Rochester, 2005
MS, Clinical Psychology - University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2008
BA, Clinical and Social Psychology - University of Rochester, 2005
Biography
Dr. Kathryn R. Hefner is a Research Psychologist at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress of the Uniformed Services University. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Clinical and Social Psychology at the University of Rochester, she completed a post-baccalaureate fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in behavioral neuroscience and genetics. Dr. Hefner then completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she used psychophysiological and behavioral methods to study neuroadaptive changes in affective and reward brain pathways associated with substance use and addiction. She completed her clinical psychology internship at the McGuire VA Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia, and an Advanced Postdoctoral Fellowship at Yale University’s Department of Psychiatry and VA Connecticut Healthcare Center’s Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Centers (MIRECC) in addiction and dual diagnosis. Trained in cognitive-behavioral and dialectical behavior therapy, Dr. Hefner has worked clinically with military veterans and civilians with a wide array of conditions including PTSD, substance use, complicated grief, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and chronic pain, and in a variety of outpatient and inpatient treatment facilities. In 2016, she received her Psychology License from the State of Rhode Island.
Dr. Hefner’s research background and clinical work with dually diagnosed individuals has shaped her focus the mechanisms (e.g., trauma, substance use, stress) that contribute to alterations in negative affective responses and decision-making. In addition, her recent work has focused on clinical epidemiology and multimorbidity associated with PTSD, which is known to co-occur with many additional psychiatric, substance use, medical, and other conditions. This work aims to identify underlying vulnerability factors and correlates associated with risk and resilience for PTSD. Currently, Dr. Hefner is working on several projects investigating correlates and predictors of negative affective outcomes (anxiety, depression, complicated grief, PTSD, etc.) among family members of deceased and injured military service members and victims of terrorism.
Dr. Hefner has authored and co-authored several scientific papers and has been awarded several research grants, including a National Research Service Award (NRSA) from NIDA, as well as many awards for conference presentations and travel.
Dr. Hefner’s research background and clinical work with dually diagnosed individuals has shaped her focus the mechanisms (e.g., trauma, substance use, stress) that contribute to alterations in negative affective responses and decision-making. In addition, her recent work has focused on clinical epidemiology and multimorbidity associated with PTSD, which is known to co-occur with many additional psychiatric, substance use, medical, and other conditions. This work aims to identify underlying vulnerability factors and correlates associated with risk and resilience for PTSD. Currently, Dr. Hefner is working on several projects investigating correlates and predictors of negative affective outcomes (anxiety, depression, complicated grief, PTSD, etc.) among family members of deceased and injured military service members and victims of terrorism.
Dr. Hefner has authored and co-authored several scientific papers and has been awarded several research grants, including a National Research Service Award (NRSA) from NIDA, as well as many awards for conference presentations and travel.
Bibliography
Biosketch Link:
Edmund G. Howe, MD, JD
Name: Edmund G. Howe, MD, JD
USU Department of Primary Appointment:
Psychiatry
Title:
Professor of Psychiatry and Professor of Medicine Senior Scientist, Center for the study of Traumatic Stress, at the Uniformed Services University
Faculty Rank:
Professor
Location:
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD
Research Interests:
Ethics
Military Medical Ethics
Email:
Office Phone:
(301) 295-3097
Department Website:
Education
Dr. Howe received his undergraduate degree at Yale and his MD at Columbia. He completed an internship at Harlem Hospital and his residency in Psychiatry at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He attended Rutgers University Law School and then received his law degree at Catholic University.
Biography
Dr. Howe is a past member of the CIA IRB and has been a member of the American Red Cross IRB and several other IRB’s. He is on several Editorial Boards and is a reviewer for numerous publications, including NEJM and JAMA. He is a past President of the Academy of Medicine in Washington, DC. and has chaired the Medical Student Subcommittee of this organization for over two decades.
Representative publications, projects, and/or deployments
- Director of Programs in Medical Ethics, Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland, 1977- Present.
- Founding Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Clinical Ethics, now almost 30 years old.
- Past and or present member the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, National Naval Medical Center, and Malcolm Grow U.S. Air Force Medical Center Ethics Committees, Montgomery Hospice, the Visiting Nurse Association, Springfield Psychiatric Hospital, the V.A. Hospital of Washington, DC, and the National Institutes of Health.
- Chair of the human use Institutional Review Board (IRB) at USUHS (!0 years #).
- Chair of the human use Institutional Review Board at USU, and the Ethics Subcommittee of the Society of Medical Consultants to the Armed Forces.
- Former Chair of the Ethics Subcommittee of the Society of Medical Consultants to the Armed Forces.
- Past Chair of the International Health Law Committee of the International Law Section of the American Bar Association.
- Past appointee to the Governor’s Commission of Health Care Policy and Financing for the State of Maryland.
- Past or present Liaison Member of the International Section of the American Bar Association and the Commissions on Mental and Physical Disability, and Bioethics.
- Consultant at NIH, OTA, HHS, FDA, the Institute of Medicine, the US Public Health Service, the National Science Foundation and NASA.
Bibliography
- Dr. Howe's research has focused on medical ethics with an emphasis on ethics in military medicine and clinical care at the end of life.
- Improving treatment for patients who are elderly and have dementia. Feb 2000. The Journal of Clinical Ethics.
- Helping infants by seeing the invisible. Feb 2001. The Journal of Clinical Ethics.
- Doing ethics consultations better. Feb 2000. The Journal of Clinical Ethics.
- International practices in neonatology. Feb 2001. The Journal of Clinical Ethics.
- Pediatricians' most difficult decision. Feb 2000. The Journal of Clinical Ethics.
- Leaving Laputa: What doctors aren't taught about informed consent. Feb 2000. The Journal of Clinical Ethics.
- Unicorns, Carravaggio, and fetal surgery. Feb 2001. The Journal of Clinical Ethics.
- Challenging patients' personal, cultural, and religious belief. Feb 2002. The Journal of Clinical Ethics.
- Health Care Rationing in the Aged. Jul 1999. Drugs & Aging.
David Mears, Ph.D.
Name: David Mears, Ph.D.
USU Department of Primary Appointment:
Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics
Title:
Basic Science Co-Director, Neuroscience Module and Interim Chair
Faculty Rank:
Associate Professor
Location:
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
Research Interests:
Neuroscience
Medical Education
Email:
Office Phone:
(301) 295-3504
Department Website:
Education
Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, 1996
B.S., Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, 1989
B.S., Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, 1989
Representative publications, projects, and/or deployments
- Chair, Council of Module Directors, USU School of Medicine, 2017-
- Dean's Faculty Teaching Award, USU School of Medicine, 2016
- Outstanding Civilian Educator Award, USU School of Medicine, 2013
Bibliography
- Mears D, Pollard HB. Network science and the human brain: using graph theory to understand the brain and one of its hubs, the amygdala, in health and disease. J. Neurosci. Res. 94(6):590-605, 2016
- Llanos P, Valencia M, Barrientos G, Hidalgo C, Mears D. Glucose-dependent insulin secretion in pancreatic β-cells requires Ca2+ signals generated by redox stimulation of ryanodine receptors. PLOS 1 10(6): e0129238. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0129238, 2015
- Mears D, Zimliki CL, Atwater I, RojasE, Glassman M, Leighton X, Pollard HB, Srivastava M. The Anx7(+/-) knockout mutation alters electrical and secretory responses to Ca2+-mobilizing agents in pancreatic β-cells. Cell Physiol. Biochem 29:697-704, 2012.
- Verma R, Xu X, Jaiswal MK, Olsen C, Mears D, Caretti G, Galdzicki Z. In vitro profiling of epigenetic modifications underlying heavy metal toxicity of tungsten-alloy and its components. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 253:178-87, 2011.
- Contreras-Ferrat AE, Toro B, Bravo R, Parra V, Vásquez C, Ibarra C, Mears D, Chiong M, Jaimovich E, Klip A, Lavandero S. An inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (IP3) receptor pathway is required for insulin-stimulated glucose transporter 4 translocation and glucose uptake in cardiomyocytes. Endocrinology 151:4665-77, 2010.
- Atwater I, Guajardo M, Caviedes P, Jeffs S, Parrau D, Valencia M, Romero C, Arriagada C, Caamaño E, Salas A, Olguin F, Atlagich M, Maas R, Mears D, Rojas E. Isolation of viable porcine islets by selective osmotic shock without enzymatic digestion. Transplant Proc. 42:381-6, 2010.
Eric G Meyer, MD, Major, Air Force
Name: Eric G Meyer, MD, Major, Air Force
USU Department of Primary Appointment:
Psychiatry
Title:
Associate Clerkship Director
Faculty Rank:
Assistant Professor
Location:
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
Research Interests:
Medical Education
Military Culture
Email:
Office Phone:
(301) 295-9797
Department Website:
Education
Health Professions Education (Feb 2016 - Current)
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), Bethesda, MD
Doctor of Philosophy (anticipated 2020)
Dissertation Topic: “The Use of Entrustable Professional Activities to Assess Medical Students During the Clerkship Year”
Psychiatry Residency (June 2014)
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA), San Antonio, TX
San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium (SAUSHEC), San Antonio, TX
Research Track
Chief Resident of Medical Student Education
Medical School (May 2010)
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), Bethesda, MD – Alpha Omega Alpha
Doctor of Medicine
Undergraduate (May 2005)
Boston University (BU), Boston, MA – Cum Laude
Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry with a minor in Biology
Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), Bethesda, MD
Doctor of Philosophy (anticipated 2020)
Dissertation Topic: “The Use of Entrustable Professional Activities to Assess Medical Students During the Clerkship Year”
Psychiatry Residency (June 2014)
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA), San Antonio, TX
San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium (SAUSHEC), San Antonio, TX
Research Track
Chief Resident of Medical Student Education
Medical School (May 2010)
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), Bethesda, MD – Alpha Omega Alpha
Doctor of Medicine
Undergraduate (May 2005)
Boston University (BU), Boston, MA – Cum Laude
Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry with a minor in Biology
Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy
Biography
Dr. Eric Meyer is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University (USU), Bethesda, MD. He currently serves as the USUHS associate psychiatry clerkship director, a scientist at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS), and as an attending psychiatrist on the Consultation-Liaison Service at WRNMMC. He completed his undergraduate training at Boston University, with degrees in Chemistry and Philosophy. He completed his medical training at USU and his residency at the San Antonio Military Medical Center, where, as Chief Resident of Medical Student Education, he was recognized as a Webb Fellow, an Academic Psychiatry Fellow, and a Laughlin Fellow. After residency, he served as the Medical Director for the 51st Mental Health Squadron and the chief of Combat and Operational Stress Control at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea. He currently serves as the Associate Clerkship Director for the USU Psychiatry Clerkship and has received several USUHS and National teaching awards for his work on the use of simulation, assessment design, feedback, and online learning. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Health Professions Education with a focus on Entrustable Professional Activities in Undergraduate Medical Education. His current areas of research include medical education, military cultural competence, and irritability secondary to PCOS.
Joshua C Morganstein, M.D., Captain, Public Health
Name: Joshua C Morganstein, M.D., Captain, Public Health
USU Department of Primary Appointment:
Psychiatry
Title:
Assistant Chair
Faculty Rank:
Associate Professor
Location:
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
Research Interests:
Disaster Mental Health
Risk and Crisis Communication
Email:
Office Phone:
(301) 295-9797
Department Website:
Education
1990-1995 University of Maryland, College Park, MD (B.S.)
1997-2001 Uniformed Services University (USU), Bethesda, MD (M.D.)
2001-2002 Internship in General Psychiatry & Family Medicine, National Capital Consortium, Washington, DC
2002-2006 Residency in General Psychiatry & Family Medicine, National Capital Consortium, Washington, DC
1997-2001 Uniformed Services University (USU), Bethesda, MD (M.D.)
2001-2002 Internship in General Psychiatry & Family Medicine, National Capital Consortium, Washington, DC
2002-2006 Residency in General Psychiatry & Family Medicine, National Capital Consortium, Washington, DC
Biography
Dr. Joshua C. Morganstein is Associate Professor and Assistant Chair in the Department of Psychiatry and Assistant Director at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS) in the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD. He is a Captain in the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service. Dr. Morganstein received his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and completed a combined residency in Psychiatry and Family Medicine in the National Capital Consortium in Washington, DC. Dr. Morganstein leads the Disaster Mental Health education and consultation services at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress and provides mental health subject-matter expertise to federal and national organizations. He advised on the United Nations’ 2015 Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and co-authored the first Curriculum Recommendations for Disaster Behavioral Health Professionals. Dr. Morganstein served as a co-author for a landmark interagency report on the Impact of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States. Dr. Morganstein authored a range of articles, chapters, and technical reports on the mental health impact of various disaster events including natural disasters, mass violence, terrorism, pandemics, and nuclear exposure. He is Assistant Editor for the second edition of the Textbook of Disaster Psychiatry. In collaboration with the National Institutes of Justice and UCLA, Dr. Morganstein is the site Principal Investigator for a study of community mass violence, focusing on the 2013 Washington Navy Yard workplace shooting. He currently leads an investigative team assisting the U.S. Air Force to identify and mitigate the effects of combat and operational stress exposure on personnel involved in drone aircraft operations.
James A Naifeh, PhD
Name: James A Naifeh, PhD
USU Department of Primary Appointment:
Psychiatry
Faculty Rank:
Research Assistant Professor
Location:
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
Email:
Department Website:
Biography
James A. Naifeh, PhD, is a Research Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University and a Research Psychologist at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress. Following an undergraduate education at the University of Colorado, Dr. Naifeh received his PhD from the University of South Dakota, where he completed the Doctoral Specialty Track in Clinical/Disaster Psychology and served as a Morgan Fellow in the Disaster Mental Health Institute. He completed his clinical internship with the VA Maryland Health Care System and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Trained in psychological assessment and cognitive-behavioral interventions, he has worked clinically with military veterans and civilians in a variety of outpatient and residential treatment facilities.
Dr. Naifeh’s research aims to advance our understanding of mental health risk and resilience in military personnel through the identification of psychological, environmental, and neurobiological factors associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), suicide, and other adverse health outcomes. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and has served as an investigator on research projects funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, Department of Defense, and Department of the Army. Included among these is the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS), the largest epidemiological and neurobiological study of risk and resilience ever conducted in the U.S. military.
Dr. Naifeh’s research aims to advance our understanding of mental health risk and resilience in military personnel through the identification of psychological, environmental, and neurobiological factors associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), suicide, and other adverse health outcomes. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and has served as an investigator on research projects funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, Department of Defense, and Department of the Army. Included among these is the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS), the largest epidemiological and neurobiological study of risk and resilience ever conducted in the U.S. military.
Bibliography
- Naifeh, J. A., Ursano, R. J., Benfer, N., Wu, H., Herman, M., Benedek, D. M., Russell, D. W., Benevides, K. N., Kao, T.-C., Ng, T. H. H., Aliaga, P. A., Wynn, G. H., Zhang, L., Forsten, R. D., & Fullerton, C. S. (2017). PTSD symptom severity and sensitivity to blood, injury, and mutilation in U.S. Army special operations soldiers. Psychiatry Research, 250, 78-83.
- Naifeh, J. A., Nock, M. K., Ursano, R. J., Vegella, P. L., Aliaga, P. A., Fullerton, C. S., Kessler, R. C., Wryter, C. L., Heeringa, S. G., & Stein, M. B. (2017). Neurocognitive function and suicide in U.S. Army soldiers. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 47(5), 589-602.
- Ursano, R. J., Kessler, R. C., Naifeh, J. A., Herberman Mash, H. B., Fullerton, C. S., Ng, T. H. H., Aliaga, P. A., Wynn, G. H., Dinh, H. M., McCarroll, J. E., Sampson, N. A., Kao, T.-C., Schoenbaum, M., Heeringa, S. G., & Stein, M. B. (2017). Suicide attempts in U.S. Army combat arms, special forces and combat medics. BMC Psychiatry, 17, 194.
- Naifeh, J. A., Colpe, L. J., Aliaga, P. A., Sampson, N. A., Heeringa, S. G., Stein, M. B., Ursano, R. J., Fullerton, C. S., Nock, M. K., Schoenbaum, M., Zaslavsky, A. M., & Kessler, R. C. (2016). Barriers to initiating and continuing mental health treatment among soldiers in the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS). Military Medicine, 181(9), 1021-1032.
- Kessler, R. C., Warner, C. H., Ivany, C., Petukhova, M. V., Rose, S., Bromet, E. J., Brown III, M., Cai, T., Colpe, L. J., Cox, K. L., Fullerton, C. S., Gilman, S. E., Gruber, M. J., Heeringa, S. G., Lewandowski-Romps, L., Li, J., Millikan-Bell, A. M., Naifeh, J. A., Nock, M. K., Rosellini, A. J., Sampson, N. A., Schoenbaum, M., Stein, M. B., Wessely, S., Zaslavsky, A. M., & Ursano, R. J. (2015). Predicting suicides after psychiatric hospitalization in US Army soldiers: The Army Study to Assess Risk and
- Ursano, R. J., Kessler, R. C., Stein, M. B., Naifeh, J. A., Aliaga, P. A., Fullerton, C. S., Wynn, G. H., Vegella, P. L., Ng, T. H. H., Zhang, B. G., Wryter, C. L., Sampson, N. A., Kao, T.-C., Colpe, L. J., Schoenbaum, M., McCarroll, J. E., Cox, K. L., & Heeringa, S. G. (2016). Risk factors, methods, and timing of suicide attempts among U.S. Army soldiers. JAMA Psychiatry, 73(7), 741-749.
- Naifeh, J. A., Tull, M. T., & Gratz, K. L. (2012). Anxiety sensitivity, emotional avoidance, and PTSD symptom severity among crack/cocaine dependent patients in residential treatment. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 36, 247-257.
- Naifeh, J. A., Richardson, J. D., Del Ben, K. S., & Elhai, J. D. (2010). Heterogeneity in the latent structure of PTSD symptoms among Canadian veterans. Psychological Assessment, 22, 666-674.
- Naifeh, J. A., & Elhai, J. D. (2010). An experimental comparison of index traumatic event queries in PTSD assessment. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 24, 155-160.
- Naifeh, J. A., Elhai, J. D., Kashdan, T. B., & Grubaugh, A. L. (2008). The PTSD Symptom Scale’s latent structure: An examination of trauma-exposed medical patients. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 22, 1355-1368.
Brett Schneider, M.D., Colonel, Army
Name: Brett Schneider, M.D., Colonel, Army
USU Department of Primary Appointment:
Psychiatry
Faculty Rank:
Clinical Associate Professor
Location:
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
Research Interests:
Suicide, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Development, Health Care Services
Email:
Office Phone:
(240) 277-0520
Stanley E Smerin, Ph.D.
Name: Stanley E Smerin, Ph.D.
USU Department of Primary Appointment:
Psychiatry
Title:
Senior Research Associate
Location:
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
Research Interests:
Neuropsychology
Neurophysiology
Email:
Office Phone:
(301) 295-2454
Education
Ph.D. Neuropsychology Stanford
B.A. Biology Stanford
B.A. Biology Stanford
Biography
Dr. Smerin's career interest is in the neurophysiology underlying the intersection of cognition and emotion. His dissertation with Karl Pribram is early work tying the striatum with visual attention. Under William de Groat he researched the effect of traumatic injury on neural reorganization. At NIH he moved to modulation of brain rhythmicity by potassium leak channels. The devastation caused by of anger in PTSD and TBI has led to his "Neurophysiology of Anger" project currently in the USU Department of Psychiatry.
Bibliography
- Tai C., Smerin S.E., de Groat W.C., Roppolo J.R. (2006) Pudendal-to-bladder reflex in chronic spinal-cord-injured cats. Experimental Neurology 197:225 – 234
- Koizumi H.*, Smerin S.E.*, Yamanishi T.*, Moorjani B.R., Zhang R., Smith J.C. (2010) TASK Channels Contribute to the K+- Dominated Leak Current Regulating Respiratory Rhythm Generation in Vitro. Journal of Neuroscience, 30(12):4273– 4284. * = Contributed equally.
- Zhang L., Li H., Hu X., Li X., Smerin S.E., Ursano R. (2011) Glucocorticoid-induced p11 over-expression and chromatin remodeling: A novel molecular mechanism of traumatic stress? Medical Hypotheses 76:774–777.
- Jia M., Meng F., Smerin S. E., Xing G., Zhang L., Su D. M., Li H. (2012) Biomarkers in an animal model for revealing neural, hematologic, and behavioral correlates of PTSD. J. Vis. Exp. (), e3361, DOI: 10.3791/3361
- Li H., Li X., Smerin S.E., Zhang L., Jia M., Xing G., Su Y.A., Wen J., Benedek D., Ursano R. (2014) Mitochondrial gene expression profiles and metabolic pathways in the amygdala associated with exaggerated fear in an animal model of PTSD. Frontiers in Neurology 5 (article 164): 1-15
- Jia M., Smerin S.E., Zhang L., Xing G., Li X., Benedek D., Ursano R., Li H. (2015) Corticosterone mitigates the stress response in an animal model of PTSD. Journal of Psychiatric Research 60:29-39.
- Zhang L., …, Smerin S.E. … (2015) Mitochondria-focused gene expression profile reveals common pathways and CPT1B dysregulation in both rodent stress model and human subjects with PTSD. Translational Psychiatry 5, e580; doi:10.1038/tp.2015.65.
- Smerin S.E. and Li H. (2017) Neurophysiology of Anger in PTSD. Society for Neuroscience poster and abstract
Robert J Ursano, M.D.
Name: Robert J Ursano, M.D.
USU Department of Primary Appointment:
Psychiatry
Title:
Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Director Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress
Faculty Rank:
Professor
Location:
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
Research Interests:
PTSD
Disaster Psychiatry
Email:
Office Phone:
(301) 295-9797
Education
B.S., Magna Cum Laude, University of Notre Dame, 1969
M.D., Yale University, 1973
Psychiatry Resident, Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center, 1973-75
Postdoctoral Fellow (Psychiatry) Yale University & Yale
USAF Primary Course in Aerospace Medicine, Brooks Air Force Base Texas, 1977
Washington Psychoanalytic Institute, 1980-1986 (graduated)
M.D., Yale University, 1973
Psychiatry Resident, Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center, 1973-75
Postdoctoral Fellow (Psychiatry) Yale University & Yale
USAF Primary Course in Aerospace Medicine, Brooks Air Force Base Texas, 1977
Washington Psychoanalytic Institute, 1980-1986 (graduated)
Biography
Dr. Ursano is Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, Maryland. He is founding Director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress and served as the Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at USU for 25 years (1992-2017). In addition, Dr. Ursano is Editor of Psychiatry, the distinguished journal of interpersonal and biological processes, founded by Harry Stack Sullivan. Dr. Ursano completed twenty years of service in USAF medical corps and retired as Colonel in 1991. He was educated at the University of Notre Dame and Yale University School of Medicine and did his psychiatric training at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center and Yale University.
Dr. Ursano served as the Department of Defense representative to the National Advisory Mental Health Council of the National Institute of Mental Health and is a past member of the Veterans Affairs Mental Health Study Section and the National Institute of Mental Health Rapid Trauma and Disaster Grant Review Section. He is a Distinguished Life Fellow in the American Psychiatric Association. He is a Fellow of the American College of Psychiatrists.Dr. Ursano was the first Chairman of the American Psychiatric Association’s Committee on Psychiatric Dimensions of Disaster. This work greatly aided the integration of psychiatry and public health in times of disaster and terrorism. Dr. Ursano was an invited participant to the White House Mental Health Conference in 1999. He has received the Department of Defense Humanitarian Service Award and the highest award of the International Traumatic Stress Society, The Lifetime Achievement Award, for “outstanding and fundamental contributions to understanding traumatic stress.” He is the recipient of the William C. Porter Award from the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States, and a frequent advisor on issues surrounding psychological response to trauma to the highest levels of the US Government and specifically to the Department of Defense leadership.
Dr. Ursano has served as a member of the National Academies of Science, Institute of Medicine, Committee on Psychological Responses to Terrorism, Committee on PTSD and Compensation and the Committee on Nuclear Preparedness; and the National Institute of Mental Health Task Force on Mental Health Surveillance After Terrorist Attack. In addition he is a member of scientific advisory boards to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control. In 2012, Dr. Ursano was awarded the William C. Menninger Memorial Award for distinguished contributions to the Science of Mental Health by the American College of Physicians. In 2014, Dr. Ursano and Dr. Matthew Friedman of the VA National Center for PTSD co-founded The Leahy-Friedman National PTSD Brain Banksupported through Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT). It is the first human brain bank dedicated to PTSD. This joint effort of many people was a 12 year project developing concepts, pilot data and support. Dr. Ursano has more than 300 publications. He is co-author or editor of eight books.
Professional Honors and Recognition
2016 Joseph Tupin Visiting Professor and Invited Lectureship, University of California, Davis
2015 Pellegrino Lectureship, Eastern Virginia Medical University
2014 Uniformed Services University James J. Leonard Award for Excellence in Research
2012 American College of Physicians: William C Menninger Memorial Award for Distinguished Contributions to Mental Health
2008-11 Appointed Mental Health Advisory Subcommittee, National Bioterrorism Science Advisory Board, to Secretary of Health and Human Services
2008-11 Appointed Board of Scientific Counselors, Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response (name changed to Office of Public Health Readiness), CDC, Department of Health and Human Services
2009 AAP Presidential Citation for Contributions to Psychiatric Education, Association of Academic Psychiatry
Representative Biography of over 400 publications
1. Disaster Medicine. Since its inception in 1987, the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS) has developed research, training, and consultation programs to mitigate the impact of trauma from exposure to war, disasters, terrorism, community violence, and public health threats. The CSTS has helped to define and advance the integration of disaster psychiatry and military psychiatry. CSTS has been involved in nearly every major disaster our nation has experienced in the past nearly 30 years.
a) Ursano, R. J., Fullerton, C. S., Weisaeth, L., & Raphael, B. (Eds.). (2017). Textbook of Disaster Psychiatry (2nd Ed.). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/9781316481424
b) Fullerton, C. S., Mash, H. B. H., Benevides, K. N., Morganstein, J. C., & Ursano, R. J. (2015). Distress of routine activities and perceived safety associated with post-traumatic stress, depression, and alcohol use: 2002 Washington, D.C, Sniper Attacks. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 9(5), 509-515. doi: 10.1017/dmp.2015.67
c) Fullerton, C. S., McKibben, J. B. A., Reissman, D. B., Scharf, T., Kowalski-Trakofler, K. M., Shultz, J. M., & Ursano, R. J. (2013). Posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, alcohol and tobacco use in public health workers following the 2004 Florida hurricanes. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 7(1), 89-95. doi: 10.1017/dmp.2013.6
d) Grieger, T. A., Fullerton, C. S., & Ursano, R. J. (2003). Posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, alcohol use, and perceived safety thirteen months following the terrorist attack on the Pentagon. Psychiatric Services, 54(10), 1380-1383.
2. Risk and protective factors for psychological and behavioral outcomes following traumatic events. Studies examining military and civilian populations exposed to traumatic events has led to research that seeks to identify risk factors for adverse psychological and behavioral outcomes, including posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms, problematic alcohol use, and suicidal behaviors, as well as protective factors that promote resilience following trauma exposure.
a) Ursano, R. J., Kessler, R. C., Naifeh, J. A., Herberman Mash, H., Fullerton, C. S., Bliese, P. D., Zaslavsky, A. M., Ng, T. H. H., Aliaga, P. A., Wynn, G. H., Dinh, H. M., McCarroll, J. E., Sampson, N. A., Kao, T. C., Schoenbaum, M., Heeringa, S. G., & Stein, M. B. (2017). Risk of suicide attempt among Soldiers in Army units with a history of suicide attempts. JAMA Psychiatry. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.1925
b) Ursano, R. J., Kessler, R. C., Stein, M. B., Naifeh, J. A., Aliago P. A., Fullerton, C. S., Wynn, G. H., Vegella P. L., Ng, T., Zhang, B. G., Wryter, C. L., Sampson N. A., Kao, T. C., Colpe, L. J., Schoenbaum, M., McCarroll J. E., Cox, K. L., & Heeringa, S., & on behalf of the Army STARRS collaborators (2016). Deployment, mental health, and suicide attempts among U.S. Army soldiers: Risk factors, methods, and time, JAMA Psychiatry, 73(7), 741-749. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.0600
c) Fink, D. S., Lowe, S., Cohen, G. H., Sampson, L. A., Ursano, R. J., Gifford, R. K., Fullerton, C. S., & Galea, S. (2016). Trajectories of posttraumatic stress symptoms after civilian or deployment traumatic event experiences. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice and Policy, 9(2), 138-146. doi: 10.1037/tra0000147
d) Campbell-Sills, L, Ursano, R. J., Kessler, R. C., Sun, X., Heeringa, S. G., Nock, M. K., Sampson, N.A., Jain, S., and Stein, M.B. (in press). Prospective risk factors for post-deployment heavy drinking and alcohol or substance use disorder among U.S. Army soldiers. Psychological Medicine.
3. Identifying biomarkers for posttraumatic stress disorder. Our study of the neuroscience and neurobiology of stress and trauma has translated into health care applications for military and civilian populations, with a specific focus on posttraumatic stress disorder, mild traumatic brain injury, and suicide and suicide-related behaviors. Recent research has focused on genetic biomarkers, cortisol levels, and telomere length. Biomarker research has involved the purification of DNA from saliva samples and blood samples collected from Soldiers, and genotyping the DNA for several target genes including BDNF and FKBP5.
a) Stein, M. B., Chen, C.-Y., Ursano, R. J., Cai, T., Gelernter, J., Heeringa, S. G., Jain, S., Jensen, K. P., Maihofer, A. X., Mitchell, C., Nievergelt, C. M., Nock, M. K., Neale, B. M., Polimanti, R., Ripke, S., Sun, X., Thomas, M. L., Wang, Q., Ware, E. B., Borja, S., Kessler, R. C., & Smoller, J. W. (2016). Genome-wide Association Studies of posttraumatic stress disorder in 2 cohorts of U.S. Army Soldiers. JAMA Psychiatry, 73(7), 695-704. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.0350.
b) Zhang, L., Hu, X. Z., Benedek, D. M., Fullerton, C. S., Forsten, R. D., Naifeh, J. A., Li, X., Li, H., Benevides, K. N., Smerin, S., Le, T., Choi, K., & Ursano, R. J. (2014). The interaction between stressful life events and leukocyte telomere length is associated with PTSD. Molecular Psychiatry, 19(8), 855-856. doi: 10.1038/mp.2013.14
c) Choi, K., Le, T., Xing, G., Johnson, L. R., & Ursano, R. J. (2011). Analysis of kinase gene expression in the frontal cortex of suicide victims: Implications of fear and stress. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 5, 46. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2011.00046
d) Zhang, L., Su, T. P., Choi, K., Webster, M., Li, C. T., Chung, M. Y., Chen, Y. S., Bai, Y., Chou, Y., Barker, J., Barrett, J. E., Li, X., H., Benedek, D. M., & Ursano, R. J. (2011). P11 (S100A10) as a potential biomarker of psychiatric patients at risk of suicide. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 45(4), 435-441. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2010.08.01
4. Translating empirical findings to recommendations for intervention. CSTS laboratory and clinical research actively identifies effective interventions for trauma and stress-related disorders and suicidal behaviors.
a) Ursano, R. J., Goldenberg, M., Zhang, L., Carlton, J., Fullerton, C. S., Li, H., Johnson, L., & Benedek, D. M. (2010). Posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic stress: From bench to bedside, from war to disaster. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1208, 72-81. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05721.x
b) Forbes, D., Creamer, M., Bisson, J., Cohen, J., Crow, B., Foa, E., Friedman, M., Keane, T., Kudler, H., & Ursano, R. J. (2010). A guide to guidelines for the treatment of PTSD and related conditions. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 23(5), 537-562. doi: 10.1002/jts.20565
c) Benedek, D. M. & Ursano, R. J. (2009). Understanding PTSD: From phenomenology to clinical practice. Focus, 7(2), 160-175.
d) Ursano, R. J., Zhang, L., Li, H., Johnson, L., Carlton, J., Fullerton, C. S. & Benedek, D. M. (2009). PTSD and traumatic stress from gene to community and bench to bedside. Brain Research, 1293, 2-12.
5. Suicidal behaviors and predictive modeling. Army STARRS (2009-2015) and STARRS-LS (2014-2019) were designed to comprehensively examine the mental health and resilience of Soldiers, and is the largest research study ever conducted among military personnel. One of the studies was an historical cohort study of more than 1.6 million Soldiers on active duty from 2004-2009. The Army STARRS/STARRS-LS research includes questionnaires, neurocognitive tests, blood collection, state-of-the-art genetic and other biomarker assays, and linking these data to existing Army/DoD records, producing large and risk datasets to serve the goals of the study as well as broader goals involving other mental health outcomes.
a). Kessler, R. C., Stein, M. B., Petukhova, M. V., Bliese, P., Bossarte, R. M., Bromet, E. J., Fullerton, C. S., Gilman, S. E., Ivany, C., Lewandowski-Romps, L., Bell, A. M., Naifeh, J. A., Nock, M. K., Reis, B. Y., Rosellini, A. J., Sampson, N. A., Zaslavsky, A. M., Ursano, R. J., & Army STARRS Collaborators (2017). Predicting suicides after outpatient mental health visits in the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS). Molecular Psychiatry, 22(4), 544-551. doi: 10.1038/mp.2016.110
b) Ursano, R. J., Kessler, R. C., Stein, M. B., Naifeh, J. A., Nock, M. K., Aliaga, P. A., Fullerton, C. S., Wynn, G. H., Ng, T. H. H., Dinh, H. M., Sampson, N. A., Kao, T. C., Schoenbaum, M., McCarroll, J. E., Cox, K. L., & Heeringa, S. G., on behalf of the Army STARRS collaborators (2016). Medically documented suicide ideation among U.S. Army Soldiers. Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior. doi: 10.1111/stlb.12316
c) Ursano, R. J., Kessler, R. C., Herringa, S. G., Cox, K. L., Naifeh, J. A., Fullerton, C. S., Sampson, N. A., Kao, T., Aliaga, P. A., Vegella, P. A., Mash, H., Buckley, C., Colpe, L. J., Schoenbaum, M., & Stein, M. B. (2015). Non-fatal suicidal behaviors in U.S. Army administrative records, 2004-2009: Results from the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS). Psychiatry, 78(1), 1-21. doi: 10.1080/00332747.2015.1006512
d) Nock, M. K., Stein, M. B., Heeringa, S. G., Ursano, R. J., Colpe, L. J., Fullerton, C. S., Hwang, I., Naifeh, J. A., Sampson, N. A., Schoenbaum, M., Zaslavsky, A. M., & Kessler, R. C. (2014). Prevalence and correlates of suicidal behavior among soldiers: Results from the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS). JAMA Psychiatry, 71(5), 514-522.
Dr. Ursano served as the Department of Defense representative to the National Advisory Mental Health Council of the National Institute of Mental Health and is a past member of the Veterans Affairs Mental Health Study Section and the National Institute of Mental Health Rapid Trauma and Disaster Grant Review Section. He is a Distinguished Life Fellow in the American Psychiatric Association. He is a Fellow of the American College of Psychiatrists.Dr. Ursano was the first Chairman of the American Psychiatric Association’s Committee on Psychiatric Dimensions of Disaster. This work greatly aided the integration of psychiatry and public health in times of disaster and terrorism. Dr. Ursano was an invited participant to the White House Mental Health Conference in 1999. He has received the Department of Defense Humanitarian Service Award and the highest award of the International Traumatic Stress Society, The Lifetime Achievement Award, for “outstanding and fundamental contributions to understanding traumatic stress.” He is the recipient of the William C. Porter Award from the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States, and a frequent advisor on issues surrounding psychological response to trauma to the highest levels of the US Government and specifically to the Department of Defense leadership.
Dr. Ursano has served as a member of the National Academies of Science, Institute of Medicine, Committee on Psychological Responses to Terrorism, Committee on PTSD and Compensation and the Committee on Nuclear Preparedness; and the National Institute of Mental Health Task Force on Mental Health Surveillance After Terrorist Attack. In addition he is a member of scientific advisory boards to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control. In 2012, Dr. Ursano was awarded the William C. Menninger Memorial Award for distinguished contributions to the Science of Mental Health by the American College of Physicians. In 2014, Dr. Ursano and Dr. Matthew Friedman of the VA National Center for PTSD co-founded The Leahy-Friedman National PTSD Brain Banksupported through Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT). It is the first human brain bank dedicated to PTSD. This joint effort of many people was a 12 year project developing concepts, pilot data and support. Dr. Ursano has more than 300 publications. He is co-author or editor of eight books.
Professional Honors and Recognition
2016 Joseph Tupin Visiting Professor and Invited Lectureship, University of California, Davis
2015 Pellegrino Lectureship, Eastern Virginia Medical University
2014 Uniformed Services University James J. Leonard Award for Excellence in Research
2012 American College of Physicians: William C Menninger Memorial Award for Distinguished Contributions to Mental Health
2008-11 Appointed Mental Health Advisory Subcommittee, National Bioterrorism Science Advisory Board, to Secretary of Health and Human Services
2008-11 Appointed Board of Scientific Counselors, Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response (name changed to Office of Public Health Readiness), CDC, Department of Health and Human Services
2009 AAP Presidential Citation for Contributions to Psychiatric Education, Association of Academic Psychiatry
Representative Biography of over 400 publications
1. Disaster Medicine. Since its inception in 1987, the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS) has developed research, training, and consultation programs to mitigate the impact of trauma from exposure to war, disasters, terrorism, community violence, and public health threats. The CSTS has helped to define and advance the integration of disaster psychiatry and military psychiatry. CSTS has been involved in nearly every major disaster our nation has experienced in the past nearly 30 years.
a) Ursano, R. J., Fullerton, C. S., Weisaeth, L., & Raphael, B. (Eds.). (2017). Textbook of Disaster Psychiatry (2nd Ed.). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/9781316481424
b) Fullerton, C. S., Mash, H. B. H., Benevides, K. N., Morganstein, J. C., & Ursano, R. J. (2015). Distress of routine activities and perceived safety associated with post-traumatic stress, depression, and alcohol use: 2002 Washington, D.C, Sniper Attacks. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 9(5), 509-515. doi: 10.1017/dmp.2015.67
c) Fullerton, C. S., McKibben, J. B. A., Reissman, D. B., Scharf, T., Kowalski-Trakofler, K. M., Shultz, J. M., & Ursano, R. J. (2013). Posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, alcohol and tobacco use in public health workers following the 2004 Florida hurricanes. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 7(1), 89-95. doi: 10.1017/dmp.2013.6
d) Grieger, T. A., Fullerton, C. S., & Ursano, R. J. (2003). Posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, alcohol use, and perceived safety thirteen months following the terrorist attack on the Pentagon. Psychiatric Services, 54(10), 1380-1383.
2. Risk and protective factors for psychological and behavioral outcomes following traumatic events. Studies examining military and civilian populations exposed to traumatic events has led to research that seeks to identify risk factors for adverse psychological and behavioral outcomes, including posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms, problematic alcohol use, and suicidal behaviors, as well as protective factors that promote resilience following trauma exposure.
a) Ursano, R. J., Kessler, R. C., Naifeh, J. A., Herberman Mash, H., Fullerton, C. S., Bliese, P. D., Zaslavsky, A. M., Ng, T. H. H., Aliaga, P. A., Wynn, G. H., Dinh, H. M., McCarroll, J. E., Sampson, N. A., Kao, T. C., Schoenbaum, M., Heeringa, S. G., & Stein, M. B. (2017). Risk of suicide attempt among Soldiers in Army units with a history of suicide attempts. JAMA Psychiatry. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.1925
b) Ursano, R. J., Kessler, R. C., Stein, M. B., Naifeh, J. A., Aliago P. A., Fullerton, C. S., Wynn, G. H., Vegella P. L., Ng, T., Zhang, B. G., Wryter, C. L., Sampson N. A., Kao, T. C., Colpe, L. J., Schoenbaum, M., McCarroll J. E., Cox, K. L., & Heeringa, S., & on behalf of the Army STARRS collaborators (2016). Deployment, mental health, and suicide attempts among U.S. Army soldiers: Risk factors, methods, and time, JAMA Psychiatry, 73(7), 741-749. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.0600
c) Fink, D. S., Lowe, S., Cohen, G. H., Sampson, L. A., Ursano, R. J., Gifford, R. K., Fullerton, C. S., & Galea, S. (2016). Trajectories of posttraumatic stress symptoms after civilian or deployment traumatic event experiences. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice and Policy, 9(2), 138-146. doi: 10.1037/tra0000147
d) Campbell-Sills, L, Ursano, R. J., Kessler, R. C., Sun, X., Heeringa, S. G., Nock, M. K., Sampson, N.A., Jain, S., and Stein, M.B. (in press). Prospective risk factors for post-deployment heavy drinking and alcohol or substance use disorder among U.S. Army soldiers. Psychological Medicine.
3. Identifying biomarkers for posttraumatic stress disorder. Our study of the neuroscience and neurobiology of stress and trauma has translated into health care applications for military and civilian populations, with a specific focus on posttraumatic stress disorder, mild traumatic brain injury, and suicide and suicide-related behaviors. Recent research has focused on genetic biomarkers, cortisol levels, and telomere length. Biomarker research has involved the purification of DNA from saliva samples and blood samples collected from Soldiers, and genotyping the DNA for several target genes including BDNF and FKBP5.
a) Stein, M. B., Chen, C.-Y., Ursano, R. J., Cai, T., Gelernter, J., Heeringa, S. G., Jain, S., Jensen, K. P., Maihofer, A. X., Mitchell, C., Nievergelt, C. M., Nock, M. K., Neale, B. M., Polimanti, R., Ripke, S., Sun, X., Thomas, M. L., Wang, Q., Ware, E. B., Borja, S., Kessler, R. C., & Smoller, J. W. (2016). Genome-wide Association Studies of posttraumatic stress disorder in 2 cohorts of U.S. Army Soldiers. JAMA Psychiatry, 73(7), 695-704. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.0350.
b) Zhang, L., Hu, X. Z., Benedek, D. M., Fullerton, C. S., Forsten, R. D., Naifeh, J. A., Li, X., Li, H., Benevides, K. N., Smerin, S., Le, T., Choi, K., & Ursano, R. J. (2014). The interaction between stressful life events and leukocyte telomere length is associated with PTSD. Molecular Psychiatry, 19(8), 855-856. doi: 10.1038/mp.2013.14
c) Choi, K., Le, T., Xing, G., Johnson, L. R., & Ursano, R. J. (2011). Analysis of kinase gene expression in the frontal cortex of suicide victims: Implications of fear and stress. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 5, 46. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2011.00046
d) Zhang, L., Su, T. P., Choi, K., Webster, M., Li, C. T., Chung, M. Y., Chen, Y. S., Bai, Y., Chou, Y., Barker, J., Barrett, J. E., Li, X., H., Benedek, D. M., & Ursano, R. J. (2011). P11 (S100A10) as a potential biomarker of psychiatric patients at risk of suicide. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 45(4), 435-441. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2010.08.01
4. Translating empirical findings to recommendations for intervention. CSTS laboratory and clinical research actively identifies effective interventions for trauma and stress-related disorders and suicidal behaviors.
a) Ursano, R. J., Goldenberg, M., Zhang, L., Carlton, J., Fullerton, C. S., Li, H., Johnson, L., & Benedek, D. M. (2010). Posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic stress: From bench to bedside, from war to disaster. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1208, 72-81. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05721.x
b) Forbes, D., Creamer, M., Bisson, J., Cohen, J., Crow, B., Foa, E., Friedman, M., Keane, T., Kudler, H., & Ursano, R. J. (2010). A guide to guidelines for the treatment of PTSD and related conditions. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 23(5), 537-562. doi: 10.1002/jts.20565
c) Benedek, D. M. & Ursano, R. J. (2009). Understanding PTSD: From phenomenology to clinical practice. Focus, 7(2), 160-175.
d) Ursano, R. J., Zhang, L., Li, H., Johnson, L., Carlton, J., Fullerton, C. S. & Benedek, D. M. (2009). PTSD and traumatic stress from gene to community and bench to bedside. Brain Research, 1293, 2-12.
5. Suicidal behaviors and predictive modeling. Army STARRS (2009-2015) and STARRS-LS (2014-2019) were designed to comprehensively examine the mental health and resilience of Soldiers, and is the largest research study ever conducted among military personnel. One of the studies was an historical cohort study of more than 1.6 million Soldiers on active duty from 2004-2009. The Army STARRS/STARRS-LS research includes questionnaires, neurocognitive tests, blood collection, state-of-the-art genetic and other biomarker assays, and linking these data to existing Army/DoD records, producing large and risk datasets to serve the goals of the study as well as broader goals involving other mental health outcomes.
a). Kessler, R. C., Stein, M. B., Petukhova, M. V., Bliese, P., Bossarte, R. M., Bromet, E. J., Fullerton, C. S., Gilman, S. E., Ivany, C., Lewandowski-Romps, L., Bell, A. M., Naifeh, J. A., Nock, M. K., Reis, B. Y., Rosellini, A. J., Sampson, N. A., Zaslavsky, A. M., Ursano, R. J., & Army STARRS Collaborators (2017). Predicting suicides after outpatient mental health visits in the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS). Molecular Psychiatry, 22(4), 544-551. doi: 10.1038/mp.2016.110
b) Ursano, R. J., Kessler, R. C., Stein, M. B., Naifeh, J. A., Nock, M. K., Aliaga, P. A., Fullerton, C. S., Wynn, G. H., Ng, T. H. H., Dinh, H. M., Sampson, N. A., Kao, T. C., Schoenbaum, M., McCarroll, J. E., Cox, K. L., & Heeringa, S. G., on behalf of the Army STARRS collaborators (2016). Medically documented suicide ideation among U.S. Army Soldiers. Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior. doi: 10.1111/stlb.12316
c) Ursano, R. J., Kessler, R. C., Herringa, S. G., Cox, K. L., Naifeh, J. A., Fullerton, C. S., Sampson, N. A., Kao, T., Aliaga, P. A., Vegella, P. A., Mash, H., Buckley, C., Colpe, L. J., Schoenbaum, M., & Stein, M. B. (2015). Non-fatal suicidal behaviors in U.S. Army administrative records, 2004-2009: Results from the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS). Psychiatry, 78(1), 1-21. doi: 10.1080/00332747.2015.1006512
d) Nock, M. K., Stein, M. B., Heeringa, S. G., Ursano, R. J., Colpe, L. J., Fullerton, C. S., Hwang, I., Naifeh, J. A., Sampson, N. A., Schoenbaum, M., Zaslavsky, A. M., & Kessler, R. C. (2014). Prevalence and correlates of suicidal behavior among soldiers: Results from the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS). JAMA Psychiatry, 71(5), 514-522.
Representative publications, projects, and/or deployments
- see biography below
James C West Jr., M.D., Captain, Navy
Name: James C West Jr., M.D., Captain, Navy
USU Department of Primary Appointment:
Psychiatry
Title:
Vice Chair
Faculty Rank:
Associate Professor
Location:
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
Research Interests:
Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders
Medical Education
Email:
Office Phone:
(301) 319-4281
Education
M.D. 2001 University of Michigan Medical School
B.S.E. 1989 United States Naval Academy
B.S.E. 1989 United States Naval Academy
Biography
Dr. West brings a wealth of operational experience to USUHS. He served as a submarine officer prior to entering medicine. As a psychiatrist, he served as Operational Stress Control and Readiness (OSCAR) psychiatrist with 1st Marine Division, including a tour in Fallujah, Iraq in 2006 providing embedded mental health support to Regimental Combat Team Five. He leverages his operational experience in leading the combat and operational stress control curriculum at USU, culminating in the annual medical field exercise, Operation Bushmaster.
His research interests include clinical trials of medications and psychotherapy for PTSD, assessment methods in psychiatry education, and understanding risk assessment and communication about personal firearms and military service members. Dr. West is a fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and currently serves as assembly representative for the Society of Uniformed Services Psychiatrists.
His research interests include clinical trials of medications and psychotherapy for PTSD, assessment methods in psychiatry education, and understanding risk assessment and communication about personal firearms and military service members. Dr. West is a fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and currently serves as assembly representative for the Society of Uniformed Services Psychiatrists.
Representative publications, projects, and/or deployments
- Riluzole for PTSD: Trial of a Glutamatergic Modulator as Augmentation Pharmacotherapy
- Enhancing Fear Extinction via Angiotensin Type 1 Receptor Inhibition: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Losartan for PTSD
- Combat and Operational Stress Control Officer, Combat Logistics Regiment 15, Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, Feb 2010 - Sep 2010
- Operational Stress Control and Readiness Psychiatrist, Regimental Combat Team 5, Camp Fallujah, Iraq, Aug 2006 - Jan 2007
- Assistant Director/Acting Director of Behavioral Health, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Dec 2009 - Jan 2013
- Psychiatry Clerkship Director, USUHS, Jan 2013 - Mar 2016
Bibliography
- West, J. C., Morganstein, J. C., Meyer, E.G., & Wynn, G. H. (2017). Real Stress Reactions in Simulation: Vignettes from Extended Mass-Casualty Simulations. Academic Psychiatry. Online ahead of print.
- West, J. C., Woodson, J. T., & Benedek, D. M. (2015). Large-Scale Simulation for Teaching Combat and Operational Stress Control: Operation Bushmaster. Academic Psychiatry, 39(4), 398-401.
- West, J.C., Morganstein, J., & Ursano, R.J. (2017). Work-Associated Trauma. In Brower, K., Riba, M., (Eds.) Physican Mental Health and Well-Being: Research and Practice. New York: Springer.
- West, J., Morganstein, J. (2016). Psychological Effects on Military Personnel Assigned to Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response Missions. In Christadoulou G. (ed.) Crises and Disasters: Psychosocial Consequences. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
- West J., Schreiber M. D., Benedek, D., & Reissman D. B. (2016). Disaster Behavioral Health. In K. Koenig & C. Schultz (Eds.) Disaster Medicine (pp124-136). New York: Cambridge University Press.
- Morganstein, J., West, J., Huff, A., Flynn, B., Fullerton, C., Benedek, D. M., & Ursano, R. J. (2016). Psychosocial Responses to Disaster and Exposures: Distress Reactions, Health Risk Behaviors, and Mental Disorders. In Shigemura J (Ed.) Mental Health and Social Issues Following a Nuclear Accident (pp. 99-117), Tokyo: Springer Japan.
- West, J., Benedek, D., Hamaoka, D., & Ursano, R. (2015). Managing Psychological Consequences in Disaster Populations. In Tasman, A. (Ed.), Psychiatry (pp. 2521-2532). West Sussex: Wiley Blackwell.
- West J. (2015) Personal Firearm Safety Counseling for Primary Care Providers: a Fact Sheet. http://www.cstsonline.org/resources/resource-master-list/firearm-safety.
- West, J. (2015). Therapeutic Alliance in Treatment of Combat PTSD. In E. C. Ritchie (Ed.), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Related Diseases in Combat Veterans (pp. 27-34). New York: Springer.
- Spangler, P.T., West, J.C., Andrews-Shigaki, B., Possemato, K., McKenzie, S., Paxton, M., Tu, T., Engle, K., & Benedek, D.M. (Nov 2015) Riluzole for PTSD: Efficacy of a Glutamatergic Modulator as Augmentation Treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Poster session at the meeting of the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies, New Orleans, LA.
Lei Zhang, M.D.
Name: Lei Zhang, M.D.
USU Department of Primary Appointment:
Psychiatry
Faculty Rank:
Assistant Professor
Location:
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
Research Interests:
Psychiatry
PTSD and biomarkers
Email:
Office Phone:
(301) 295-0921
Education
He graduated for Shanghai Medical University in 1976 and was a psychiatry resident at Department of Psychiatry of Shanghai Medical University from 1977-1980, and a senior staff fellow at Behavioral and Endocrinology Branch of NIMH, NIH between 1992-2001.
Biography
The ultimate goal of Dr. Zhang’s research is to acquire and provide the knowledge that is necessary for the development of novel and effective molecular tools for stress-related diseases such as PTSD. His laboratory is dedicated to elucidating the molecular and cellular mechanisms of the actions of genes such as p11 (S100A10), FKBP5, BDNF, and mitochondria focused-genes in stress, PTSD, The long-term goal is to establish a molecular basis from which the lab can search for a therapeutic target or biomarker for PTSD and suicide risk. Previously, they found that P11 is associated with PTSD. Its mRNA levels are increased in the post-mortem prefrontal cortex (area 46) of PTSD patients. Stress-induced p11 over expression in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) accompanied by elevation of corticosterone concentration in the blood was also observed in rats subjected to three days of inescapable shock. Their mechanism study demonstrated that through glucocorticoid response elements (GREs) within the p11 promoter, dexamethasone (Dex), a synthetic glucocorticoid, up-regulates p11 expression, which can be attenuated by either a glucocorticoid receptor antagonist, RU486, or mutating two of the three GREs. Later in their translational study, they found that levels of p11 as a potential biomarker in peripheral blood distinguish patients with PTSD from those with other major psychiatric disorders including bipolar depression, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia. His research program has undertaken the following specific objectives:
1. To identify gene networks or pathways of PTSD.
2. To investigate the novel molecular regulatory mechanism of stress and PTSD in vivo and in vitro. His research will provide useful information, which might help translational research, from bench to bed.
1. To identify gene networks or pathways of PTSD.
2. To investigate the novel molecular regulatory mechanism of stress and PTSD in vivo and in vitro. His research will provide useful information, which might help translational research, from bench to bed.
Bibliography
- Zhang L., Li H., Su T.P., Barker J.L., Maric D., Fullerton C.S., Webster M.J., Hough C.J., Li X., Traumatic Stress Brain Study Group and Ursano R.J. Post-traumatic stress disorder-associated p11 is up-regulated in the forebrain by glucocorticoid acting via two specific glucocorticoid response elements in the promoter, Neurosci., 2008,153:1126–1134
- Zhang L., Su T.ung-Ping Su, Choi K., Webster M.J., Li C.T., Chung M.Y. Chen Y.S., Bai Y.M., Chou Y. H., Barker J.L., Barrett J.E., Li X.X., Li H., Benedek D. M. and Ursano R. P11 (S100A10) as a potential biomarker of psychiatric patients at risk of suicide. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 2011, 45, 435-441
- Su T., Zhang L., Chung M., Chen Y., Bi Y., Chou Y., Barker J., Barrett J.E., Maric D., Li X., Li H., Webster M., Benedek D., Carlton J. and Ursano R.J. Levels of the potential biomarker p11 in peripheral blood cells distinguish patients with PTSD from those with other major psychiatric disorders. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 2009. 43:1078-1085 (Corresponding author)
- Zhang, L., Tung-Ping Su, Kwang Choi, Webster Maree, Cheng-Ta Li, Ming-Yi Chung, Ying-Sheue Chen, Ya-Mei Bai, Yuan-Hwa Chou, Jeffery L. Barker, James E. Barrett, Xiao Xia Li, He Li, David M. Benedek, Robert Ursano. P11 expression and PET in bipolar disorders. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 2011, 1-6
- Zhang L., Xian-Zhang Hu, David M. Benedek, Carol S. Fullerton, Robert D. Forsten, James A. Naifeh, Xiaoxia Li, He Li, K. Nikki Benevides, Stanley Smerin, Thien Le, Kwang Choi & Robert J. Ursano. The interaction between stressful life events and leukocyte telomere length is associated with PTSD. Molecular Psychiatry, 2014,1-2
- Lei Zhang, He Li, Xianzhang Hu, David M. Benedek, Carol S. Fullerton, Robert D. Forsten, James A. Naifeh, Xiaoxia Li, Hongyan Wu, Kirster Benevides, Thien Le, Stanley Smerin, Dale W. Russell & Robert J. Ursano. Mitochondria-focused gene expression profile reveals common pathways and CPT1B dysregulation in both rodent stress model and human subjects with PTSD. Translational Psychiatry. (2015) 5, e580, 1-8, 2015
- Zhang L., DM Benedek, CS Fullerton, RD Forsten1, JA Naifeh, XX Li, XZ Hu, H Li, M Jia , GQ Xing, KN Benevides, & RJ Ursano. PTSD risk is associated with BDNF Val66Met and BDNF over-expression. Molecular Psychiatry 2014, 19, 8–10
- Lei Zhang, Xiaoxia Li, Xian-Zhang Hu. Post-traumatic stress disorder risk and brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met. World J Psychiatr. 2016, 6(1): 1-6.
PSY - Administrative Staff
Nidia Y Alvarez
Name: Nidia Y Alvarez
USU Department of Primary Appointment:
Psychiatry
Title:
Program Support Sppecialist
Location:
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
Lia Collen
Name: Lia Collen
USU Department of Primary Appointment:
Psychiatry
Title:
Education Administration Coordinator
Location:
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
Email:
Office Phone:
(301) 295-0826
Education
2017 B.A., University of Maryland College Park
KEIATTA J TURNER, Technical Sergeant, Air Force
Name: KEIATTA J TURNER, Technical Sergeant, Air Force
USU Department of Primary Appointment:
Psychiatry
Title:
NCOIC Psychiatry Education
Location:
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
Email:
Office Phone:
(301) 295-9563
