About the Department of Psychiatry

Fazil Aliev, PhD
Associate Professor

Azima Ashraf, MD
Associate Professor
ashrafaz@ubhc.rutgers.edu

Gary Aston-Jones, MD
Distinguished Professor
Director, Brain Health Institute
732-235-6077
gsa35@ca.rutgers.edu
Brain Health Institute

Mary Beirne, MD
Assistant Professor
beirnema@ubhc.rutgers.edu

Mona Bijlani, MD
Associate Professor
Phone (732) 235-5927
bijlanmv@ubhc.rutgers.edu

Sarah Brislin, PhD
Research Instructor
Rutgers Addiction Research Center (RARC)
sarah.brislin@rutgers.edu

Vamsee Chaguturu, MD
Assistant Professor, Consultation Liaison
Phone: 732-235-7647
Fax: 732-235-7677
chagutvk@rwjms.rutgers.edu

John Calvin Chatlos, MD
Associate Professor
Phone (732) 235-6900
Fax (732) 235-3485
chatlojc@ubhc.rutgers.edu

Raymond Chong, MD
Assistant Professor

Tammy Chung, PhD
Professor

Nina Cooperman, PsyD
Associate Professor
Phone: (732) 235-4341
Fax: (732) 235-4277
cooperna@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Kristen Coppola, PhD
Assistant Professor

Andrew C. Coyne, PhD
Professor
Phone: (732) 235-4051
Fax:(732) 235-3478

Anthony Deo, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Consultation Liaison
Phone: 732-235-7647
Fax: 732-235-7677
ad1443@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Danielle Dick, PhD
Director, Rutgers Addiction Research Center, Brain Health Institute
Greg Brown Endowed Chair in Neuroscience
Professor
danielle.m.dick@rutgers.edu
https://www.danielledick.com/

Roseanne D. Dobkin, PhD
Professor
Phone: (732) 235-4051
Fax: (732) 235-3478
dobkinro@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Javier I. Escobar, MD, MSc
Professor
Associate Dean for Global Health
escobaja@rwjms.rutgers.edu
Global Health

Jack Fatica, MD
Assistant Professor
Phone: (732) -235-6800
Fax (732) 235-6187
jf1123@ubhc.rutgers.edu

Cheryl Graber, MD
Associate Professor, General Psychiatry
Phone: 732-235-7647
Fax: 732-235-4220
cherylg@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Nidagalle Gowda, MD
Assistant Professor
gowdani@ubhc.rutgers.edu

Sally I-Chun Kuo, PhD
Assistant Professor

Shawen Ilaria, MD
Assistant Professor
Phone: (732) 235-4870
Fax: (732) 235-3923
si175@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Dorothy Isecke, MD
Assistant Professor
dorothy.isecke@rutgers.edu

Morgan H. James, PhD
Assistant Professor
mhj32@ca.rutgers.edu
James Lab

Kenneth Kaufman, MD
Professor
Phone: (732) 235-7647
Fax: (732) 235-7677
kaufmakr@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Wun Jung Kim, MD, MPH
Professor
Phone: (732) 235-4059
Fax: (732) 235-3923
wk138@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Anna Kline, PhD
Associate Professor
klinean@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Anna Konova, PhD
Assistant Professor
ak1677@ca.rutgers.edu
Konova Lab

Robert Lebeau, EdD
Assistant Professor
Phone: (732) 235-4129
Fax: (732) 235-5280
robert.lebeau@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Alicia Lukachko, DrPH
Assistant Professor

Jeffrey Luci, PhD
Assistant Professor

Paul Manowitz, PhD
Professor
Phone: (732) 235-4347
Fax: (732) 235-4430
manowitz@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Humberto Marin, MD
Professor
Phone: (732) 235-3280
Fax: (732) 235-3478
marinhu@ubhc.rutgers.edu

Brett Millar, PhD
Assistant Professor

Jason Mintz, MD
Assistant Professor

Jennifer Mulle, PhD
Associate Professor

Zeba S. Nizam, MD
Assistant Professor
Phone: (732) 235-4909
Fax: (732) 235-5630
nizameze@ubhc.rutgers.edu

Sherie Novotny, MD
Assistant Professor
Phone: (732) 235-4119
Fax: (732) 235-3923
novotnsl@ubhc.rutgers.edu

Gargi Patel, MD
Assistant Professor
Phone: (732) 235-4433
gpatel1@ubhc.rutgers.edu

Carlos N. Pato, MD
Professor
Executive Chair of Psychiatry
Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
Phone: (732) 235-4440
Fax: (732) 235-5158
carlos.pato@rutgers.edu

Michele Pato, MD
Professor - Awaiting Fac Appt
Inaugural Director, Rutgers Center for Genomics of Psychiatric Health and Addiction
mp1768@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Christopher Pierce, PhD
Professor

Rachel Power, MD
Assistant Professor

Robert Randolph, MD
Assistant Professor

Hanin Rashid, PhD
Assistant Professor

Donald (Rusty) Reeves, MD
Professor
Phone: (973) 632-3194
Fax (973) 690-5179
rusty.reeves@rutgers.edu

Mark Rossi, PhD
Assistant Professor

Jessica Salvatore, PhD
Associate Professor
Director, Genes, Environment, and Neurodevelopment in Addictions Program
Center for Psychiatric Health and Genomics
jessica.salvatore@rutgers.edu
Faculty website: https://sites.rutgers.edu/jessica-salvatore/
ORCiD Record: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5504-5087

Carolyn E. Sartor, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research

Madhulika Sharma, MD
Assistant Professor

Marie Sizemore, PhD
Assistant Professor

Marc L. Steinberg, PhD
Professor
Phone: (732) 235-4341 | Fax: (732) 235-4277
steinbml@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Keith Stowell, MD, MSPH, MPA
Associate Professor
Chief Medical Officer
Phone:(732) 235-4076
krs235@ubhc.rutgers.edu

Anthony Tobia, MD
Professor
Senior Vice Chair
Phone: (732) 235-4440
Fax: (732) 235-5158
tobiaat@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Adam Trenton, DO
Associate Professor
Phone: (732) 235-7647
Fax: (732) 235-7677
trentoaj@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Leticia Velivis, MD
Assistant Professor, Consultation Liaison
Phone: 732-235-7647
Fax: 732-235-7677
leticia.velivis@rwjbh.org

Jill M. Williams, MD
Professor, Program Director
(732) 235-4341
Fax: (732) 235-4277
williajm@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Sarah Young, MD
Associate Professor
Phone: (732) 235-8400
Fax: (732) 235-8395
youngsm@ubhc.rutgers.edu

David Zald, PhD
Professor
Director, Center for Advanced Human Brain Imaging Research
dz268@rbhs.rutgers.edu
Center For Advanced Human Brain Imaging Research

Mitchell Abrams, PsyD
Clinical Assistant Professor

Leslie A. Allen, Ph.D.    
Adjunct Associate Professor

Eric Arauz, M.L.E.R.
Adjunct Instructor

Michael Asher, Ph.D.
Adjunct Assistant Professor

Peter Aupperle, M.D., M.P.H.
Clinical Professor

Sherry Barron-Seabrook, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Marsha Bates, Ph.D.
Adjunct Associate Professor

Theodore Batlas, Psy.D.
Clinical Instructor

Jeffrey Berman, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Edward Bilotti, M.D.
Clinical Instructor

John Blake, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Leonard Blank, Ph.D.
Clinical Professor

Allen Blasucci, Psy.D.
Clinical Instructor

Isiaka Bolarinwa, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Robert Bransfield, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Ellen Brooks, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Gary Brown, D.O.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Francis Cancellieri, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Patricia Carrington, Ph.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Arthur Cederbaum, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor

Richard Cevasco, Ed.D.
Clinical Instructor

Margaret Chan, Ph.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Kevin Chen, PhD, MPH
Adjunct Associate Professor

Raymond Chong, M.D.
Clinical Instructor

M. Salim Chowdhrey, M.B.B.S.
Clinical Associate Professor

Brian Chu, Ph.D.
Adjunct Assistant Professor

Marcia Clever, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Hayley Cohen, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Julie Coleman, B.S.N.
Clinical Instructor

Richard Contrada, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor

Mark Cooperberg, Ph.D.
Clinical Instructor

Adriana Cordal, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Daniel Cowen, M.D., Ph.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Peter DeNigris, Psy.D.
Clinical Instructor

Ankur Desai, M.D.
Clinical Instructor

Kalyani Deshpande, M.D.
Clinical Instructor

Angelica Diaz-Martinez, Psy.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Jeffery Dickert, Ph.D., M.S.W.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Joseph Donnellan, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Suzanne Doubrava, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Stacy Doumas, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Jeffrey Dunn, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Nancy Durant, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Robert Edelberg, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor

Irina Efremova, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Natarajan Elangovan, M.D.,M.P.H.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Shana Elga, M.D.
Clinical Instructor

Elizabeth Epstein, Ph.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Janet Faust, Ph.D.
Clinical Instructor

Evan Feibusch, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Ricardo Fernandez, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Adriana Fitzsimmons, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Kunal Gandhi, M.B.B.S., M.P.H.
Adjunct Instructor

Daniela Ganescu, M.D.
Clinical Instructor

Peter Ganime, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Myron Gessner, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Linda Gochfeld, M.D.
Clinical Professor

Arnold Goldman, M.D.
Clinical Professor

Alberto Goldwaser, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Paul Goodnick, M.D.
Clinical Professor

Vinobha Gooriah, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Steven Gordon, Ph.D.
Adjunct Associate Professor

Kenneth Gould, M.D.
Clinical Professor

Jeffrey Green, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Daniel Greenwald, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Peter Guarnaccia, Ph.D.
Adjunct Associate Professor

Lily Gutterman, M.D.
Clinical Instructor

Karen Haboush, Psy.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Ruth Hamori, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Peter Harris, M.D., Ph.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Steven Hartman, Ph.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Marie Hasson, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Elaine Herzog, Ed.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Paulette Hines, Ph.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Elizabeth Hogan, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Harriet Hollander, Ph.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Constanza Hoyos Nervi, Psy.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Emmanuel Hriso, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

James Hutchins, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Lee Hyer, Ed.D.
Adjunct Professor

Michael Jackson, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Albert Jekelis. Ph.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Frank Jones Jr, M.D.
Clinical Professor

Jeffrey Kargman, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

David Kassoff, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Daniel Kelleher, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Jennifer Kelly, Ph.D.
Clinical Instructor

Mujahid Khan, M.B.B.C.
Clinical Instructor

Madhurani Khare, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Neeta Kher, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Philippe Khouri, M.D.
Clinical Professor

Edward Kim, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Debra Koss, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Jonathan Krejci, Ph.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Jay Kuris, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Mary Laney, Ph.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Frances Levine, M.S.W., B.C.D.-P.
Adjunct Instructor

Steven Levine, M.D.
Clinical Instructor

Jordan Lieberman, M.D.
Clinical Instructor

Eric London, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Gene Lui, D.O.
Clinical Instructor

Hanny Mabrouk, M.D.
Clinical Instructor

Meroujan Maljian, M.D.
Clinical Instructor

Bonnie Markham, Ph.D.
Adjunct Assistant Professor

Peter Martindale, M.D.
Clinical Instructor

Charles Martinson, M.D., J.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Razia Matin, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

David Mayer, M.D.
Clinical Professor

Monica McGoldrick, M.S.W.
Clinical Associate Professor

David Mechanic, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor

Barbara Jean Menzel, Psy.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Stanley Messer, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor

Charles Meusburger, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Joseph Miller, Ph.D.
Clinical Instructor

Shula Minsky, Ed.D.
Adjunct Associate Professor

Arunesh Mishra, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Yuki Mukai, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

David Nathan, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Arnaldo Negron, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Ricardo Oasin, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

James O'Neill, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Patrick Pace, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Jayanta Pal, M.D.
Clinical Instructor

Gahan Pandina, Ph.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Robert Pandina, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor

David Panzer, Psy.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Howard Paul, Ph.D.
Clinical Professor

Ayman Ramzy, M.B.B.C.
Clinical Associate Professor

Robert Randolph, M.D.
Clinical Instructor

Steven Resnick, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Michael Ricketts, Ph.D.
Adjunct Assistant Professor

Marc Ritsema, D.O.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Doreen Robertson-Hoffmann, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Carla Rodgers, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Raymond Rosen, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor

Gary Rosenberg, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Leon Rosenberg, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Marc Rothman, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Susan Rowley, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Anasuya Salem, M.B.B.S., M.P.H.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Laura Schafer, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Matthew Schiff, M.D.
Clinical Professor

Esther Schlesinger, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Neal Schofield, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Moustafa Shafey, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Shailaja Shah, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Najmussahar Shaikh, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Vivian Shnaidman, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Michael Shore, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

David Siegman, Psy.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

David Sikowitz, M.D.
Clinical Instructor

Christine Skotzko, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Jennifer Smith, Ph.D.
Clinical Instructor

Ramon Solhkhah, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Olga Soto-Moise, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Galina Staroselsky, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Edward Steinberg, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Robert Stern, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Stephanie Stern, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Lisa Sussman, Psy.D.
Clinical Instructor

Bradley Sussman, Ph.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Marshall Swartzburg, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Edward Szteinbaum, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Anthony Tamburello, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Alan Tipermas, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Edward Tobe, D.O.
Clinical Associate Professor

Evgeny Vaschillo, Ph.D.
Adjunct Associate Professor

Marilouise Venditti, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

John Verdon, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Joseph Vetrano, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Naomi Vilko, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Elizabeth Vreeland, M.S.N.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Melissa Warman, Ph.D.
Clinical Instructor

Gerald Weinstein, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Kenneth Weiss, M.D.
Clinical Professor

Frank Wetzel, III, Ph.D.
Clinical Instructor

John Williams, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Jeffrey Wilson, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Philip Witt, Ph.D.
Clinical Associate Professor

Jeanne Wurmser, Ph.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Xueming Ye, M.D.
Clinical Instructor

Catherine Yeager, Ph.D.
Clinical Instructor

David Zykorie, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor

Sherry McCoy

Secretary

Administrative Offices

Phone: (732) 235-4440

Fax: (732) 235-5158

Email: mccoysr@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Cecily Barrington, PhD
Senior Director of Administration
Phone: (732) 235-4440
Fax: (732) 235-5158
Email: barrincc@rutgers.edu

Jose Cruz
Mental Health Clinician
Addiction Psychiatry 
Phone: (732) 235-4497
Fax: (732) 235-4277
Email: cruzj3@rutgers.edu
 
Patricia Dooley

Program Manager 

Addiction Psychiatry

Phone: (732) 235-3361

Fax: (732) 235-4277

Email: dooleypc@rutgers.edu

Cynthia Duncan-Robinson

Program Assistant

Administrative Offices

Phone: (732) 235-4440

Fax: (732) 235-5158

Email: cynthia.d.robinson@rutgers.edu

Christine Hogan

Mental Health Clinician

Huntington's Disease Clinic

Phone: (732) 235-5993

Fax: (732) 235-4220

Email: hoganch1@rutgers.edu

Dawn Dunn

Program Coordinator
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Phone: (732) 235-4295

Fax: (732) 235-3923

Email: dmd472@rwjms.rutgers.edu

David J. Gerak

Program Coordinator 

General Psychiatry Residency
Phone: (732) 235-4433

Fax: (732) 235-4649

Email: dg723@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Katherine Knoll

Program Support Specialist 

Medical Student Education

Phone: (732) 235-4403

Fax: (732) 235-4430

Email: knollkm@rutgers.edu

Dina Mattern

Research Coordinator 

Addiction Psychiatry 

Phone: (732) 235-4053

Fax: (732) 235-4277

Email: dina.mattern@rutgers.edu

Lucia Colon

Principal Management Assistant

Psychiatry

Phone: (732) 235-5786

Fax: (732) 235-4430

Email: lc830@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Michelle Smith

Program Assistant

General Psychiatry Residency

Phone: (732) 235-4433

Fax: (732) 235-4649

Email: ms3943@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Judy Rokeach

Nurse Clinician 

Huntington's Disease Clinic

Phone: (732) 235-5993

Fax: (732) 235-4220

Email: jar464@rutgers.edu

Naomi Tate-Riddick

Clinical Services Representative

Phone: (732) 235-7647

Fax: (732) 235-4220

Email: tatenr@rutgers.edu

Viwek Bisen, DO

Interests:  psychosomatic medicine, suicide, economics of healthcare

Dr. Bisen is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and is interested in the interface of medicine and psychiatry.  Some of his interests are addiction, suicide, and neuropsychiatric disorders, specifically focusing on evidence-based psychiatric care in a general hospital.  He is also interested in economics of healthcare, specifically sustainable healthcare innovation and entrepreneurship.

E-mail: bisenvs@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Nina Cooperman, PhD

Interests:  smoking cessation, drug use, and HIV

Dr. Cooperman is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS). Her recent work has focused on developing smoking cessation interventions for smokers in drug treatment, smokers with psychiatric and personality disorders, and smokers with HIV. She frequently presents at trainings conducted by faculty at the RWJMS Division of Psychiatry on Treating Tobacco Dependence in Behavioral Health Settings. She is the recipient of a National Institute on Drug Abuse Career Development Award to develop a smoking cessation intervention for opiate dependent smokers. Dr. Cooperman has been Principal or Co-investigator on several NIH funded studies, including projects investigating adherence to antiretroviral medication among people with HIV, smoking cessation interventions for smokers seeking treatment in the emergency department, and risky sexual behavior among women in Mumbai, India. She is a Motivational Interviewing Trainer; she has published many peer-reviewed research papers; and, she is a frequent presenter at national and international conferences.

E-mail:  cooperna@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Roseanne Dobkin, PhD

Interests:  Parkinson’s disease, depression, telemedicine

Dr. Roseanne Dobkin is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, in Piscataway, NJ. She is also a practicing psychologist in New Jersey and Delaware. The majority of her research and clinical work over the past 13 years has focused on the treatment of the psychiatric complications (i.e., depression, anxiety, insomnia, cognition) in Parkinson’s disease (PD). She has also begun to systematically examine barriers to mental health care utilization in PD, as well as the use of telemedicine to leverage patient access to specialized mental health care. Dr. Dobkin's research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Patterson Trust Awards Program in Clinical Research, the Michael J.Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, and the Health Services and Research Development Division (HSR&D) of the Veteran Affairs Administration.

E-mail:  dobkinro@rwjms.rutgers.edu  

Molly Erickson, PhD

Interests: schizophrenia, EEG, cognition

Dr. Erickson’s program of research is focused on understanding the neural mechanisms that give rise to sensory and early cognitive impairment in schizophrenia, with a larger aim to understand how early abnormalities impact cognitive domains that are important for functional outcome and overall quality of life. 

In pursuit of these aims, Dr. Erickson’s research includes the use of electroencephalography (EEG) and behavioral paradigms to understand basic neural and psychological processes associated with visual attention and working memory impairment among this patient population.  Additional areas of interest include the use of EEG to measure abnormalities in network organization during rest, as well as to understand the role of the glutamate signaling system in disrupted prediction formation and cognition more broadly.

E-mail: me401@ubhc.rutgers.edu

Javier Escobar, MD

Interests: Global Health, Psychiatric Diagnosis, Cross-Cultural Research.

Dr. Javier Escobar is a Professor of Psychiatry and the Associate Dean for Global Health.  His has done research on integration of mental health into primary care and interventions for medically unexplained physical symptoms,   He is currently co-investigator, mentor and advisor for international research projects on bipolar disorder and severe psychoses (schizophrenia) on population isolates that have been published in JAMA, Brain and other leading journals.   His research has been funded by NIH and many Foundations.  Also, he is involved in research mentoring for new investigators.

Visit the Office of Global Health

E-mail: escobaja@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Michael Gara, PhD

Interests:  Social cognition in psychopathpology, medically unexplained physical symptoms, ethnic disparities in psychiatric diagnosis; statistics: data mining,  psychometrics; clinical trials

Dr. Gara is a Professor of Psychiatry and his ongoing research includes Ethnic Disparities in Psychiatric Diagnosis, particularly schizophrenia; Telepsychiatry for depression in Parkinson’s disease, and Treatment of Medically Unexplained Symptoms in Primary Care.  He serves as a consultant for NJ  State Trauma Informed Care Project, and as a statistician for a variety of other clinical trials.

E-mail: garami@ubhc.rutgers.edu 

Gary Aston-Jones, PhD

Interests:  brain neuromodulatory systems, cognitive performance, drug abuse, sleep and waking, and affective disorders

Dr. Aston-Jones is a Professor of Psychiatry and the Director of the Rutgers Brain Health Institute.  He is interested in the role of locus coeruleus-noradrenergic system in behavior and cognitive processes.  He has conducted studies of the roles of brain modulatory systems in cognitive function throughout his career. He pioneered unit recordings from locus coeruleus (LC) noradrenergic neurons in behaving rats and monkeys, and currently use tetrodes and multi-electrode arrays to record from LC and cortical neurons in rats performing cognitive tasks. He developed prominent theories of LC function, culminating in the Adaptive Gain Theory.

Visit the Brain Health Institute Lab

E-mail: gsa35@ca.rutgers.edu

Kenneth Kaufman, MD

Interests: Psychopharmacology, Epilepsy, Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, Sports psychiatry, Ethics

Dr. Kaufman is a Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology and Anesthesiology with broad interests and associated eclectic publications.  He is a general psychiatrist specializing in affective (bipolar) disorders, psychiatric aspects of epilepsy, and the use of AEDs in the treatment of psychiatric disorders.  His focus on psychopharmacology has led to a better understanding of both unique efficacy of AEDs in psychiatry (“Antiepileptic drugs in the treatment of psychiatric disorders”).  His interests in ethics and sports and the World Anti-doping Code (WADC) have led to publications addressing the ethical use of pharmaceuticals in sports.  His interests in ethics and research design have led to publications on “Comparative bioethics in bipolar and epilepsy research” and “Ethical considerations in placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials.”  His interests in sports, epilepsy, sports psychiatry and psychiatric aspects of epilepsy have led to his co-authoring “Epilepsy, seizures, physical exercise and sports: A report from the ILAE Task Force on Sports and Epilepsy.”  He is on the editorial boards of British Journal of Psychiatry, Epilepsy & Behavior, and Annals of Clinical Psychiatry and is the Deputy Editor of BJPsych Open.

E-mail: kaufmakr@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Brian Keane, PhD

Interests: schizophrenia, visual perception, behavioral psychophysics, vision, schizophrenia, fMRI, psychophysics

Dr. Keane is an Assistant Professor of psychiatry.  His overarching aim is to understand the mechanisms underlying normal object perception and how these mechanisms become compromised during serious mental illness.  He approaches the topic by conducting behavioral and neuroimaging investigations on healthy individuals, persons with schizophrenia, and related clinical populations.  A major finding from his research is that abnormal visual perception flags the presence, stage, or symptoms of schizophrenia, yielding insight into how the illness emerges and how it changes the brain over time.

Visit Website

E-mail: keanebp@ubhc.rutgers.edu

Anna Kline, PhD

Interests:  trauma, substance abuse, co-occurring disorders

Dr. Kline is an Associate Professor of psychiatry and her research interests focus on the intersection of trauma, mental illness and substance abuse, especially in military veterans.   Her research has included large-scale, epidemiological studies as well as clinical trials and demonstration projects exploring novel treatment interventions.  Studies have included an investigation of the mental health effects of military deployment among 3,000 New Jersey National Guard soldiers deployed to Iraq, an RCT testing a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for veterans at risk of suicide, and a demonstration project testing a case management intervention for homeless veterans with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders.  She has published papers on post-traumatic stress disorder, military suicide, co-occurring disorders and factors affecting treatment utilization and retention in at-risk populations.

E-mail:  kline.anna@gmail.com

Paul Lehrer, PhD

Interests: Biofeedback, Psychophysiology, Psychosomatics, Anxiety, Panic

Dr. Lehrer is a Professor of Psychiatry.  His research emphasis has been on process involved in cognitive behavior therapy and psychophysiological therapies, more than on specific disorders. His recent research has involved psychophysiological and cognitive behavioral interventions for treating asthma, somatization, and panic.  He also has studied the psychophysiological dynamics of heart rate variability and heart rate variability biofeedback in various disorders, and has evaluated cognitive behavior therapy for patients with multiple somatic symptom (somatization) disorder and comorbid asthma and panic disorder. Over the years he also has evaluated psychophysiological and behavioral approaches to a variety of other disorders, including major depression, general anxiety and stress, performance anxiety, headaches, and fibromyalgia.  He has a particular interest in looking at heart rate variability as a sign of resilience in these and other disorders, and the use of heart rate variability biofeedback to improve resilience.

E-mail: lehrer@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Paul Manowitz, PhD

Interests:  Biological Basis of Mental Illness

Dr. Paul Manowitz is a Professor of Psychiatry and is interested in the biochemistry and genetics of mental illness.  One of his main goals is the identification of genes that influence executive functioning in humans.  His research has identified a polymorphism of arylsulfatase A that occurs much more frequently in alcoholics than in normal control.  Tissue culture experiments have shown that this variant enzyme is mislocalized and much less metabolically stable compared with the normal, wild type enzyme.  In addition, he is studying cognitive endophenotypes related to schizophrenia that can be genetically analyzed.

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E-mail: manowitz@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Humberto Marin, MD

Interests:  clinical psychopharmacology, Huntington’s disease, mental aspects of neuropsychiatric disorders, culture and mental health, psychiatry in primary care.

Dr. Marin is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and has been involved in clinical psychopharmacology research and research in mental aspects of Parkinson’s disease with Dr. Matthew Menza; in cultural psychiatry research and research in somatization disorders with Dr. Javier Escobar; in research in Huntington’s disease, currently with the HD Society; and in research on psychiatric treatment in primary care settings, currently with the Camden Coalition.

E-mail: marinhu@ubhc.rutgers.edu

Sherrie Novotny, MD

Interests:  Autism

Dr. Novotny is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry.  Her research has focused on various aspects of autism and has included a variety of interventional trials.   These studies have been supported by the Department of Defense, NCCAM and NARSAD and the pharmaceutical industry.

E-mail: novotnsl@ubhc.rutgers.edu

Ted Petti, MD, MPH

Interests: Adolescence; Language disorders, non-suicidal self-injury; and communication disorders

Dr. Petti is a Professor of Psychiatry whose current research interests involve self-perceived communication ability in children and teens who are receiving psychiatric services. He is analyzing a large data set of inpatient and therapeutic day school older children and teens concerning their perceptions of communication skills and deficits. Non-suicidal self injury is another major area of concern, most specifically around the deliberate ingestion of foreign objects.  Coping mechanisms in children and adolescents is another of his interests.  He has a large data set of youth receiving services in either an adolescent medicine clinic or an acute child and adolescent in patient unit as well as a group of teens receiving services for sickle cell disease.

E-mail: pettita@ubhc.rutgers.edu

Rusty Reeves, MD

Interests:  forensics issues

Dr. Reeves is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and the Training Director of the Department of Psychiatry's forensic psychiatry fellowship.  He is also the Director of Psychiatry of Rutgers - University Correctional Health Care which provides the medical and mental health care to New Jersey's state prisoners.  Dr. Reeves' research focuses on the management and treatment of mental disorders in prisoners.  Dr. Reeves has published in textbooks and in peer-reviewed journals on, for example, involuntary medication in prisoners, and management of suicide risk among prisoners.

E-mail: reevesdo@ubhc.rutgers.edu

Jessica E. Salvatore, Ph.D.

Research Interests: alcohol and drug abuse, close relationships, gene-environment correlation, gene-environment interaction, familial transmission

Dr. Salvatore is a developmental psychologist with training in psychiatric and behavioral genetics. Her primary area of focus is on how substance misuse affects and is affected by social factors and close relationships across the lifespan. Within this broad theme, she takes a genetically informed perspective, with the dual goals of delineating gene-environment interplay among substance use and relationship factors, and strengthening inferences in observational data.

Faculty website: https://sites.rutgers.edu/jessica-salvatore/

Email: jessica.salvatore@rutgers.edu

Dan Schneider, MD

Interests:  Conversion disorder (Functional Neurological Syndrome), Dementia, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease

Dr. Schneider is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology.  He is both a movement disorders specialist and a behavioral neurologist, and is interested in the research questions involving the psychiatric and cognitive manifestations of neurological disease.  He has run clinical trials involving Huntington’s disease and treatments of MCI in Parkinson's disease.  He also is engaging in a collaboration with one of the neuroscience labs at the Rutgers Newark campus to look at individual differences in learning deficits in Parkinson's disease, both before and after deep brain stimulation. Finally, he is interested in so-called functional or dissociative motor disorders and is currently working with our department of Physical and Occupational Therapy to create a program for treatment of these disorders.

E-mail: schneidp@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Steve Silverstein, PhD

Interests: schizophrenia, perception, cognition, retina

Dr. Steven Silverstein is Director of Research, and Director of the Division of Schizophrenia Research at Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care (UBHC), and Professor of Psychiatry at Rutgers - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He is the former Chair of the American Psychological Association’s Task Force on Serious Mental Illness, and an Executive Board member and President-Elect of the Society for Research in Psychopathology.  He has over 25 years of experience in treating people with schizophrenia, and has directed inpatient units and outpatient programs for this population.  This includes work with both chronic and first episode patients. Dr. Silverstein’s research interests are in the development of schizophrenia, perceptual and cognitive changes found in schizophrenia, and prediction of treatment response and relapse. He has over 185 publications related to schizophrenia, and is currently Principal Investigator (PI) on multiple NIMH and foundation grants involving assessment and treatment.

E-mail: silvers1@ubhc.rutgers.edu

Marc Steinberg, PhD

Interests:  tobacco, motivational interviewing, task persistence

Dr. Steinberg conducts research on tobacco use and dependence, particularly in vulnerable populations such as those with mental illness and low socioeconomic status.  Dr. Steinberg is interested in psychosocial treatment development, proposed mediators of tobacco dependence treatment such as task persistence/ distress tolerance, and using motivational interviewing to encourage smokers to quit.  Dr. Steinberg is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers and is active in the Society for Research on Nicotine & Tobacco (SRNT).  He is currently Deputy Editor for the international peer reviewed journal, Nicotine & Tobacco Research.  Additional information on Dr. Steinberg's work can be found at the Tobacco Research & Intervention Lab website.

Email: marc.steinberg@rutgers.edu

Anthony Tobia, MD

Interests: innovative curriculum, popular culture, Psyfeld, REDRUM, FIDLER, psychosomatic medicine

Dr. Anthony Tobia is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry.  He is involved in quality improvement and scholarly projects with the psychiatry residents at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School as well as independent projects and independently designed electives for medical students; Capstone projects for Masters students at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; and Capstone projects for undergraduate students in the College of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rutgers University.  His interests include innovative curriculum development, use of popular culture to teach, and psychosomatic medicine.

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TWITTER: @ATobiaMD and @Psyfeld

E-mail: tobiaat@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Adam Trenton, MD

Interests:  Psychosomatic medicine, sports psychiatry, medical education

Dr. Trenton is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry.  Dr. Trenton’s primary clinical and research interests are in Psychosomatic Medicine.  Some of his interests within the field include: physical manifestations of psychiatric illness, HIV psychiatry, and the provision of psychiatric care in the general medical hospital.  Dr. Trenton also has a strong interest in Sports Psychiatry and works in collaboration with the Rutgers Athletic Department to provide care to student athletes.  He is also interested in medical education, and enjoys teaching medical students and residents in didactic sessions and on hospital rounds.

E-mail: trentoaj@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Jill Williams, MD

Interests:   smoking, addiction, tobacco

Dr. Williams is a Professor of Psychiatry and conducts research on co-occurring mental illness and addictions, particularly studies of medication assisted treatments (MAT).  This includes clinical studies of smoking in people with mental illness or other addictions as well as studies of system change interventions that increase tobacco treatment in the behavioral health setting.  

E-mail: williajm@rwjms.rutgers.edu