I am a psychiatrist and cognitive neuroscientist focused on translational research on addiction. In 2007, I discovered that damage to the insula leads to a profound and abrupt disruption of addiction to cigarette smoking. Since then, I have been trying to understand the role of the insula and related neural systems in the maintenance and treatment of addictive disorders. My work combines clinical and functional neuroimaging methods in order to understand how treatments, especially behavioral treatments, work through their effects on the brain.

My work is funded by a K23 Mentored Career Development Award from NIAAA. I am a recipient of the Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., Award for translational research at Columbia University Medical Center. As a resident, I was awarded the Outstanding Resident Award from the NIMH, and the Laughlin Fellowship from the American College of Psychiatrists.

In addition to my research, I am subspecialty trained in addiction psychiatry, and my clinical interests are in the treatment of substance use disorders by combining behavioral and pharmacological approaches.