Psychiatry

B.S., California Polytechnic - San Luis Obispo, CA
M.D., Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

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.

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

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.

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

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.

M.D. 2001 University of Michigan Medical School
B.S.E. 1989 United States Naval Academy

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Ph.D. Neuropsychology Stanford
B.A. Biology Stanford

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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)

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
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Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, 1996
B.S., Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, 1989