About Our Team.

A group of established researchers working together to shape the field of comorbid PTSD/AOD treatments.

Over 20 years of work.

This team of researchers have been working together for two decades, and are passionate about bringing this project to fruition. The team believes strongly in the possibility of this study to provide powerful answers for a variety of vulnerable populations

Our Institutions.

Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies at Rutgers University
The City College of New York ​
Medical University of South Carolina 
RTI International 

Scientific Advisory Board

Debra Kaysen, Ph.D.
Scientific Advisory Board

Dr. Kaysen’s area of specialty both in research and clinical work is in treatment for those who have experienced traumatic events including treatment of PTSD and related disorders. She has conducted critical studies on treatment of PTSD and/or substance use across a variety of populations (sexual minority women, Native Americans, sexual assault survivors, torture survivors, active duty military) and in a variety of settings (the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, primary care, rural settings). Other research conducted by Dr. Kaysen have focused on increasing our understanding of how PTSD and substance use may influence each other. Dr. Kaysen is currently the Immediate Past-President of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (www.istss.org). Her research has been funded by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, the Department of Defense, PCORI, and USAID.

Katherine Mills, Ph.D.
Scientific Advisory Board

​Katherine Mills is an Associate Professor, NHMRC Senior Research Fellow, and Director of Early Intervention and Treatment Research for The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney, Australia. Her research focuses on the epidemiology and treatment of co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, in particular, post traumatic stress disorder. A/Prof Mills has published widely in the area and has been an investigator on numerous grants. She has received a number of awards for excellence in science and research, and in recognition of the impact of her work on the community.

Ismene Petrakis, Ph.D.
Scientific Advisory Board

Dr. Ismene Petrakis is Professor of Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine and the Chief of Psychiatry and Mental Health Services at VA Connecticut Healthcare System. She is also the Director of the Addiction Psychiatry Residency at Yale University School of Medicine and the principal investigator of a National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA-T32) training grant. She is involved in the education of medical students and residents at many stages of their training, particularly around clinical issues of addictive disorders. She is also a grant-funded investigator (funding sources over the years have included NIH, VA, Department of Defense, NARSAD and the Stanley Foundation) whose research interests include developing an understanding of the neurobiology of alcohol dependence and in testing potentially effective treatments for individuals with alcohol dependence and comorbid Axis I psychiatric disorders, particularly PTSD. Since completing her training, Dr. Petrakis has over 20 years of experience in the clinical treatment of addictive disorders, research in this field, and also in the education of residents, medical students, post-doctoral fellows and other mental health trainees in the assessment, accurate diagnosis and treatment of individuals with addictive disorders, particularly those with comorbidity.

Tracy Simpson, Ph.D.
Scientific Advisory Board

Tracy Simpson, PhD obtained her degree in clinical psychology from the University of New Mexico. She is a senior investigator in the Center of Excellence in Substance Addiction Treatment and Education at the VA Puget Sound in Seattle, WA and a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington. Her research, teaching, and clinical care all focus on the needs of people who have co-occurring substance use disorders and mental health disorders, with particular emphasis on women veterans.