Research

Research Interests

Since its establishment, the Division of Addiction Psychiatry has grown rapidly and continues to lead the way into several specific areas of research.

Research teams consisting of Division faculty along with experienced clinicians from the disciplines of public and behavioral health are currently engaged in research programs. We take great pride in our research accomplishments in the following areas:

• Tobacco Research Program
• Medication Clinical Trials
• Behavior Therapy Development Research Program
• Co-occurring Mental Illness and Addiction
• Genetics and Addiction

The Division of Addiction Psychiatry conducts research studies and clinical trials that examines behaviors associated with tobacco use, develops and evaluates new smoking cessation treatments, assess the effects of nicotine, and to explores new applications and combinations of Nicotine Replacement Therapy and non-Nicotine Replacement Therapy treatments.

Jill Williams, M.D. Associate Professor & Division Director conducts research on smokers with serious mental illnesses including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and was the recipient of a NIDA Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award. Her research examines differences in nicotine intake, cigarette puffing and nicotine craving in individuals with schizophrenia in hopes that these discoveries will lead to better treatments in the future.

Marc L. Steinberg, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, conducts research on smokers with serious mental illness, substance abuse disorders and intellectual/ developmental disabilities. Dr. Steinberg was the recipient of a Career Development Award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to study motivational interviewing for smokers with serious mental illness and to examine distress tolerance as a predictor of tobacco dependence treatment outcome.

Kunal K. Gandhi, M.B.B.S., M.P.H., Instructor, is co-investigator on several of Dr Williams’s grants researching smokers with serious mental illnesses, including schizophrenia. In addition, his research interests involve smokers of mentholated cigarettes, as well as secondary data analysis projects using national datasets. Dr Gandhi is also currently involved in teaching and supervising of Rutgers University and UMDNJ-School of Public Health (MPH) students working in the Division of Addiction Psychiatry.

As a result of our research activities the division actively publishes articles and presents research findings at national conferences.