Program Directors and Representative Publications
Director: Sharon M. Hall, Ph.D.
Sharon Hall, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry. Her research is on the treatment of drug abuse, especially tobacco dependence, and better understanding the processes of change through randomized clinical trials and related studies. She is especially interested in the treatment of co-morbidities in special populations, and the complexities that co-morbidities introduce into treatment. Her current studies reflect these interests. Two recent studies focus on extended treatment of tobacco: (1) a study of extended behavioral relapse prevention and bupropion treatment for chronic smokers; (2) a study of extended, age-specific relapse prevention and nicotine replacement treatment (NRT) for older smokers that studies both efficacy and cost-effectiveness. Her group is also collaborating with others in the department to study smokers with co-morbid psychiatric and medical diorders, and other special populations.the pharmacogenetics in tobacco dependence treatment. In 2007, she was awarded the Ove Ferno Award for excellence in clinical research by The Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco.
She directs an NIH-funded Center Grant, “Treatment of Complex Patients: Emphasis on Nicotine.” The Center sponsors educational events, a pilot studies fund, and a competitive grant program for junior investigators. It also provides statistical support to a variety of investigators doing work in drug abuse. The Center has five scientific components: (1) a study of smoking treatment in HIV care clinics; (2) a study of smoking treatment in the context of alcohol treatment; (3) a study of changes in organizational knowledge, attitude and beliefs about smoking treatment in community organizations as a function of participation in smoking treatment research; (4) a statistical component that studies statistical techniques relevant to drug abuse treatment research; (5) a developmental component that supports a pilot studies program for postdoctoral trainees and junior faculty, and a competitive funding program for junior faculty.
She has strong interests in training. She is the Program Director of this NIDA-funded Postdoctoral Training Program in Drug Abuse Treatment and Services Research, and mentors psychiatric residents interested in behavioral and pharmacological treatment of drug dependence. She also has been active in mentoring faculty. In June 2003, she was awarded the George Sarlo Prize for Excellence in Teaching from the UCSF Department of Psychiatry.
Key words: nicotine dependence, cigarette smoking, clinical trials, psychopharmacology, behavioral interventions
Hall, S.M., Prochaska, J.J. (2009). Treatment of smokers with co-occurring disorders; emphasis on integration in mental health and addiction treatment settings. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, (5), 409-31.
Hall, S.M., Humfleet, G.L., Munoz, R.F., Reus, V.I., Robbins, J.A., Prochaska, J.J. (2009). Extended treatment of older cigarette smokers. Addiction, 104(6), 1043-52.
Hall, S.M., Humfleet, G.L., Gorecki, J.A., Munoz, R.F., Reus, V.I., Prochaska, J.J. (2008). Older versus younger treatment-seekding smokers: Differences in smoking behavior, drug and alcohol use, and psychosocial and physical functiong. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 10(3), 463-470.
Barnett, P.G., Wong, W., Hall, S.M. (2008). The cost-effectiveness of a smoking cessation program for outpaitents in treatment for depression. Addiction, 103(5), 834-840.
Hall, S.M., Tsoh, J.Y., Prochaska, J.J., Eisendrath, S., Rossi, J.S., Redding, C.A., Rosen, A.B., Meisner, M., Humfleet, G.L., Gorecki, J.A. (2006). Treatment for cigarette smoking amont depressed mental health outpatients: A randomized clinical trial. American Journal of Public Health, 96(10), 1808-1814.
Co-Director: Steven L. Batki, M.D.
Steven L. Batki, M.D. is Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine and Director of the Addiction Psychiatry Research Program at the san Francisco VA Medical Center. Dr. Batki is engaged in addiction research, training, and clinical services. His research focuses on the pharmacological treatment of addiction and co-occurring psychiatric and medical disorders. He has published extensively on clinical research in addiction and co-occurring disorders. He chaired the SAMSHA CSAT Treatment Improvement Protocol No. 37, Substance Abuse Treatment for Persons with HIV/AIDS, and Treatment Improvement Proctocol No. 43, Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence. Dr. Batki's current NIDA project is "Improving Hepatitis C Treatment in Injection Drug Users" - a randomized trial of Hepatitis C medical treatment delivered on-site in methadone treatment versus off-site in usual GI/Hepatology clinic care. The project also assesses the effect of psychiatric and substance use variables on treatment outcome, and measures the evolution of psychiatric symptoms and substance use in response to treatment with interferon and ribavirin. Dr. Batki's recently completed NIAAA-funded project addresses the pharmacological treatment of alcohol dependence in schizophrenia. The study, "Directly Observed Naltrexone Treatment of Alcohol Abuse in Schizophrenia" is a controlled trial to test the effectiveness of monitored Naltrexone in reducing alcohol use, and also test the effect of alcohol use reductions on the amelioration of schizophrenia symptoms. Dr. Batki has recently extended his work in addiction and psychiatric comorbidity to the co-occurrence of PTSD and alcohol dependence. His most recent project, "Pharmacotherapy of Alcohol Dependence in Veterans with PTSD," is funded by the Department of Defense, and will explore the efficacy of Topiramate in the treatment of alcohol dependence in veterans with PTSD.
Key words: alcohol and substane use disorders, psychopharmacology, clinical trials, dual diagnosis, HIV/HCV
Batki, S.L., Canfield, K.M., Smyth, E., Ploutz-Snyder, R. (2009). Health-related quality of life in methadone treatment patients with untreated Hepatitis C infection. Drug and Alcohol Dependece, 101(3), 176-82.
Batki, S.L., Meszaros, Z.S., Strutynski, K., Dimmock, J.A., Leontieva, L,. Ploutz-Snyder, R,. Canfield, K., Drayer, R. (2009). Medical comorbidity in patients with schizophrenia and alcohol dependence. Schizophrenia Research, 107(2-3), 139-146.
Batki, S.L., Leontieva, L,. Dimmock, J.A., Ploutz-Synder, R.D. (2008). Negative symptoms are associated with less alcohol use, craving, and "high" in alcohol dependent patients with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research, 105(1-3), 201-207.
Gruber, V.A., Delucchi, K., Kielstein A., Batki, S.L. (2008). A randomized trial os six-month methadone maintenance with standard or minimal counseling versus 21-day methadone detoxifiction. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 94(1-3), 199-206.
Batki, S.L., Dimmock, J.A., Wade, M., Gately, P.W., Cornell, M., Maisto, S.A., Carey, K.B., Ploutz-Snyder, R. (2007). Monitored Naltrexone without couseling for alcohol abuse/dependence in schizophrevia-spectrum disorders. American Journal on Addictions, 16(4), 253-259.
Co-Director: Kevin Delucchi, Ph.D.
Kevin Delucchi, Ph.D. is a Professor of Biostatistics in Psychiatry in the Departments of Psychiatry and Epidemiology & Biostatistics. He is the Director of the Quantitative Core of the NIDA-funded Treatment Research Center and also has a component study in the Center. Dr. Delucchi is also the prinicpal investigator on a longitudinal study of dependent and problem alcohol drinkers. His primary research focus is on the application of appropriate statistical methodology to the analysis of data types commonly found in psychiatric/psychological research, primarily clinical trials in drug abuse research. Such data is often characterized by relatively small samples measured at multiple times using many measures. Substantial attrition rates, dual-diagnosis of condition, reliance on self-reports, and multiple drug use are all common problems in such data. In addition to his research he is an active collaborator, consultant, and co-author with Center investigators, postdoctoral fellows, and other scholars and faculty in the Department. Trainees in Dr. Delucchi’s group would work on data-analytic projects and statistical methodology.
Key words: biostatistics, clinical trials, longitudinal research, quantitative methods, drug abuse, alcohol abuse.
Delucchi, K.L., Tajima, B., & Guydish J. (In Press). Development of the smoking knowledge, attitudes and practicies (S-KAP) instrument. Journal of Drug Issues.
Delucchi, K.L., Matzger, H., & Weisner, C. (2008). Factors affecting 7-year alcohol consumption in young adults: Volume and binge frequency. Addictive Behaviors, 33, 134-142.
Wasserman, D.A., Sorensen, J.L., Delucchi, K.L., Masson, C.L., & Hall, S.M. (2006). Psychometric evaluation of the quality of life interview, brief version in a sample of opioid users. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 20(3), 316-321.
Prochaska, J.J., Velicer, W.F., Prochaska, J.O., Delucchi, K., & Hall, S.M. (2006). Comparing intervention outcomes in smokers treated for single versus multiple behavioral risks. Health Psychology, 25, 380-388.
Delucchi, K.L. (2004). Sample size estimation in research with dependent measures and dichotomous outcomes. American Journal of Public Health, 94, 372-377.
Delucchi, K.L. & Bostrom, A. (2004). Methods for analysis of skewed data distributions in psychiatric clinical studies: working with many zero values. American Journal of Psychiatry, 161(7), 1159-68.
Co-Director: Joseph Guydish, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Joseph Guydish, Ph.D., M.P.H. is a Professor of Medicine at University of California, San Francisco. His research is in the area of access, delivery, and organization of substance abuse treatment services, treatment effectiveness, and adoption of new treaments into practice settings. His most research concerns testing an organizational and system level interventions designed to help addiction treamtent programs better address tobacco dependence. Dr. Guydish is Co-Director of the California-Arizona node of the NIDA Clinical Trials Network, a national network of research centers and treatment programs where promising interventions are tested in multi-site clinical trials. His work reaches into the policy context through affiliation with the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, and he is Co-Director of the UCSF Department of Psychiatry NIDA Treatment Research Center.
Key words: substance abuse treatment, treatment systems, treatment outcomes, organizational change
Sorensen, J.L., Andrews, S., Delucchi, D.L., Greenberg, B., Guydish, J., Masson, C.L., Shopshire, M. (2009). Methadone patients in the therapeutic community; A test of equivalency. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 100(1) 100-109. PMID: 19013724
Chun, J., Guydish, J., Silber, E., & Gleghorn, A. (2008). Drug treatment outcomes for persons on waiting lists. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 34(5), 526-533. PMID: 18618338.
Guydish, J., Chan M., Bostrom, A., Davis, T., Marsh, C. & Jessup, M. (prepublished online July 3, 2008). A randomized trial of probation case management for drug-ivolved women offenders. Crime & Delinquency. DOI: 10.1177/0011128708318944.
Guydish, J., Passalacqua, E., Tajima, J. & Manser, S.T. (2007). Staff smoking and other barriers to nicotine dependence intervention in addiction treatment settings; A review. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 39(4), 423-433. PMID: 18303699.
Guydish, J., Tajima, B., Turcotte Manser, S. & Jessup, M., (2007). Strategies to encourage adoption in multi-site clinical trials. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 32(2), 177-188. PMID: 17306726.
Co-Director: Carmen Masson, Ph.D.
Carmen Masson, Ph.D. is an Associate Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Masson’s research program focuses on further understanding and addressing health promotion and health disparities among drug users through developmental and intervention research. For the past 10 years, her work has focuses on developing innovative interventions to improve access to and effectiveness of HIV prevention and health care services for illicit drug users, and those with co-occurring substance use and psychiatric disorders. Specifically, her goal is to develop a comprehensive program of research using well-designed studies aimed at: 1) identifying individual and organizational factors related to access to prevention and health care services among illicit drug users; 2) incorporating an understanding of these indidividual and organization factors into intervention design; 3) testing the efficacy of interventions to reduce health disparities; and 4) developing and testing effective strategies for disseminating evidence-based interventions. Currently, she has three NIH-funded projects including a randomized collaborative clinical trial that examines the effectiveness of a strategy of HIV and Hepatitis care coordination compared with standard HIV/Hepatitis testing, education, and counseling in a methadone treatment setting; a study that seeks to identify barriers and facilitators to HIV and HCV screening and treatment services among in and out-of-treatment racial/ethnic minority drug users; and a study designed to gain a better understanding of the factors that may influence the under-utilization of substance abuse treatment services by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) and the readiness of substance abuse treatment program serving AAPIs to participate in clinical trials and adopt evidence based practices.
Key words: HIV/AIDS and HCV prevention, drug users, syringe exchange, health services, co-occurring disorders, psychiatric disorders, methadone patients, health disparities, racial/ethnic minorities, intervention design
Masson, C.L., Sorensen, J.L., Grossman, N., Sporer, K., Des Jarlais, D., & Perlman, D.C. (In Press). Organizational issues in the implementation of a hospital-based syringe exchange program. Substance Use and Misuse.
Chiao, C., Morisky, D.E., Dsobiech, K., Masson, C.L., & Malow, R.M. (2007). Clinic appointment attendance for sexually transmitted infection examinations among Filipia sex workers: A multilevel analysis. AIDS Care, 19(9), 1166-1170.
Masson, C.L,. Sorensen, J.L., Perlman, D.C., Shopshire, M.S., Delucchi, K.L., Chen, T., Sporer, K,. Des Jarlais, D., & Hall, S.M. (2007). Hospital versus community-based syringe exchange: A randomized controlled trial. AIDS Education and Prevention, 19(2), 97-110.
Barnett P.G., Masson C.L., Sorensen J.L., Wong W., Delucchi K., & Hall S. (2006). Linking opioid dependent emergency patients to drug treatment: Health care use and costs 6 months after randomization. Addiction, 101(12), 1797-1804.
Masson, C.L., Barnett, P.G., Sees, K.L., Delucchi, K.L., Rosen, A., Wong, W., & Hall, S.M. (2004). Cost and cost-effectiveness of standard methadone maintencance treatment compared to enriched 180-day methadone detoxification. Addiction, 99(6), 718-726.
Co-Director: James Sorensen, Ph.D.
James Sorensen, Ph.D. is a Professor of Psychiatry at UCSF and is located at San Francisco General Hospital. His work in the substance abuse treatment research area began 25+ years ago, directing a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded double-blind investigation of detoxification from heroin. With NIDA research support, he has developed and evaluated a community network approach to drug abuse treatment, assessed family therapy's efficacy with methadone maintenance patients, tested the efficacy of small-group HIV education with drug users in three treatment modalities, and evaluated the impact of case management for substance abusers with HIV/AIDS. Currently, he is investigating the utility of treating methadone maintenance patients in a therapeutic community. Dr. Sorensen directs the California-Arizona Research Node of the NIDA Clinical Trials Network program. His node participates in clinical trials of family therapy for adolescents, AIDS prevention with heroin users, job training for drug users, buprenorphine hepatotoxicity, and prescription opioid use.
Dr. Sorensen has over 190 publications. In recent years he has focused increasingly on linking research and practice in the addictions. Dr. Sorensen is senior editor in a book on this topic, published by APA Press in 2003, and he leads an effort to conduct clinical trials of addiction treatments in a network of treatment programs in his region. Dr. Sorensen is also Co-Principal Investigator of the NIDA-funded P50 Treatment Research Center, as well as an experienced mentor of professionals in training. He is a Core faculty member for the locally funded Clinical Psychology Pre- and Postdoctoral training program, supervising 12 fellows in the program in the past 20 years. He is also a Co-Director of this NIDA-funded Postdoctoral Training Program In Treatment And Services Research, serving in that role since its inception. Trainees in Dr. Sorensen’s laboratory would participate in developing research-practice integration.
Key words: dissemination of interventions, research-practice linkage, diffusion of interventions, behavior therapy, methadone maintenance, buprenorphine, opiates, cocaine, methamphetamine, homeless, science policy, drug policy, theory of change, humor, hospital, residential treatment, outpatient, case management
Sorensen, J.L., Hettema, J.E., Larios, S. (In Press). What is evidence-based treatment? In P. Miller (Eds.) Evidenced-based Treatment. Sandiego: Elsevier.
Sorensen, J.L., Andrews, S., Delucchi, K.L., Greenberg, B., Guydish, J. Masson, C.L. Shopshire, M. (2009). Methadone patients in the therapeurtice community: A test of equivalency. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 100(1), 100-109.
Haas, A.L., Sorensen, J.L., Hall, S.M., Lin, C., Delucchi, K., Sporere, K., & Chen, T. (2008). Cigarette smoking in opioid-using patients presenting for hospital-based medical services. American Journal on Addictions, 17(1), 65-69.
Sorense, J.L., Haug, N.A., Delucchi, K.L., Gruber, V., Dletter, E., Batki, S.L., Tulsky, J.P., Barnett, P.G. & Hall, S. (2007). Voucher reinforcement improves medication adherence in HIV-positive methadone patients: A randomized treial. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 88(1), 54-63.
Haug, N.A., & Sorensen, J.L. (2006). Contingency management interventions for HIV related behaviors. Current HIV/AIDS Reports, 30(6), 154-159.
Co-Director: Constance M. Weisner, Dr.P.H., M.S.W
Constance Weisner, Dr.P.H., M.S.W. is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry. She is jointly appointed and funded by UCSF and the Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program (where she is a senior research scientist and directs the Drug and Alcohol Research Team, a large program of substance abuse research in Kaiser clinics and with Kaiser databases). Dr. Weisner is a health services researcher. She is a member of the World Health Organization's International Expert Advisory Council on Drug Dependence and Alcohol Problems, a member of the National Advisory Council of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and a former member of the National Advisory Council of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration. Her research is funded by NIAAA, NIDA, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and includes alcohol and drug problem epidemiology, substance abuse treatment access, outcome and cost impact. A focus of her work is on gender issues. Prior to coming to UCSF in 1999, she was the PI and Program Director for a NIAAA-funded traineeship "Graduate Research Training on Alcohol Problems" at the University of California at Berkeley. She has mentored over twenty predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows.
Key words: treatment outcome and cost, health economics, methodology
Weisner, C., Campbell, C.I., Ray, G.T., Saunders, K,. Merrill, J.O., Banta-Green, C., Sullivan, M.D., Silverberg, M.J., Mertens, J.R., Boudrequ, D. (In Press). Trends in prescribed opioid therapy for non-cancer pain for individuals with prior substance ause disorders. Pain.
Weisner, C., Lu, Y., Hinman, A., Monaha, J., Bonnie, R.J., Moore, C.D., Chi F.W., Appelbaum, P.S. (2009). Substance use, symptom, and empoyment outcomes of persons with a workplace mandate for chemical dependency treatment. Psychiatric Services, 60(5), 546-54.
Campbell, C.I., Chi, F.W., Sterling, S., Kohn, C.S., Weisner, C. (2008). Self-initiated tobacco cessation and substance use outcomes among adolescent entering substance use treatment in a managed care organization. Addictive Behaviors, 34(2), 171-9.
Mertens, J.M., Flisher, A.J., Satre, D.D., Weisner, C., Ray G.T. (2008). The role of medical conditions and primary care services in 5-year substance use outcomes among chemical dependency treatment patients. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 98(1-2), 45-53.
Ray, G.Y., Mertens, J.R., Weisner, C. (2007). The excess medical cost and health problems of family members of persons diagnosed with alcohol or drug problems. Medical Care, 45(2), 116-22.
Parthasarathy, S., Weisner, C. (2005). Five-year trajectories of health care utilization and cost in a drug and alcohol treatment sample. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 80(2), 231-240.
