Faculty and Staff
The Center for Addiction Medicine maintains a highly collaborative team with backgrounds in behavioral interventions, neuroimaging, and cognitive neuroscience. Faculty, post-docs, and staff all provide the complementary skills and expertise needed to study the underlying causes and risk factors of addictive behavior and to test new treatments for addictive disorders. The faculty and fellows have appointments at both Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital.
Bios and contact information
Founding Director Center for Addiction Medicine, Principal Investigator, Cox Family Professor of Psychiatry in the field of Addiction Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Evins is The Cox Family Professor of Psychiatry in the field of Addiction Medicine, Harvard Medical School and the founder and Director of the Center For Addiction Medicine at MGH. Dr. Evins completed her residency in adult psychiatry at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center and Longwood Psychiatry Residency Training Program. In addition, she completed…more
Associate Director of the Center for Addiction Medicine, Program Director of the Addiction Recovery Management Service, Principal Investigator, Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Kelly is the Elizabeth R. Spallin Associate Professor of Psychiatry in Addiction Medicine at Harvard Medical School, the founder and Director of the Recovery Research Institute at MGH. The American Psychological Association (APA) Society of Addiction Psychology, and is also a Fellow of APA. He has served as a consultant to U.S. federal agencies…more
Program Director Center for Addiction Medicine, Assistant in Research Psychiatry, Instructor of Psychiatry Harvard Medical School
Dr. Pachas received her medical degree from the San Martin de Porres University and health services management and public health training from the National University Mayor de San Marcos in Lima, Peru, and she completed an Addictions Fellowship at Harvard Medical School. Her research interests are the development of behavioral treatments and new evidence-based novel treatment for smoking cessation and relapse prevention in people with…more
Director Psychology Services MGH Schizophrenia Program, Assistant in Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Corinne Cather earned her undergraduate degree in biopsychology at Hamilton College in Clinton, NY and her doctorate in clinical psychology from Rutgers University where she received specialized training in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and behavioral medicine. She completed an internship at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (formerly Rutgers) and joined…more
Director of Neuroscience, Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School
Dr. Gilman received her BS from Tufts University in 2004, and her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Brown University in 2008, where she used neuroimaging techniques to study the acute and long-term functional and structural effects of alcohol on brain regions involved in motivation and emotion. She came to CAM in January 2013 to study the…more
Director of Neuropsychology, Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School
Dr. Schuster is a licensed clinical psychologist. She received her BA from University of Maryland, College Park and her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from University of Illinois at Chicago in 2014. In graduate school, she was funded by a NIDA National Research Service Award to study the cognitive effects of cannabis and tobacco use among…more
Melissa Maravic, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Project Director Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) study, Instructor of Psychiatry Harvard Medical School
Dr Maravic received her BA from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and her M.P.H. with a concentration in epidemiology and biostatistics from Boston University School of Public Health. She joined CAM as a research fellow in 2005 where she focused on identifying predictors of smoking cessation among those with schizophrenia. She received her Ph.D.…more
Director of Biostatistics, Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Hoeppner is a health psychologist with expertise in fine-grained longitudinal methodology, which she uses to explicate the mechanisms underlying behavioral change. During her graduate training (Univ. of RI, MA in psychology in 2003, M.S. in statistics in 2005, Ph.D. in psychology in 2007), Dr Hoeppner collaborated on numerous health behavior change projects, which used…more
Director of Dual Diagnoses Studies at the Depression Clinical Research Program, Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor in Psychology, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Pedrelli is a clinical psychologist with expertise in comorbid disorders. She received her Ph.D in Clinical Psychology from the Joint Doctoral Program at University of California San Diego and San Diego State University and completed her post-doctoral work at MGH. Her program of research focuses on explicating the etiology of co-occurring Mood Disorders and…more
Associate Director Research Recovery Institute, Instructor Harvard Medical School
Dr. Bergman is a research scientist in the Recovery Research Institute (RRI) within CAM, and a licensed staff psychologist in the hospital’s Addiction Recovery Management Service (ARMS), where he treats adolescents and young adults with substance use disorders (SUD). He also serves nationally as the secretary for Division 50 of the American Psychological Association (Addiction…more
Co-Investigator, Study Physician, Resident in the MGH/McLean Adult Psychiatry Residency Program
Dr. Kristina Cieslak graduated from NYU School of Medicine in 2015, and is a current resident in the MGH/McLean Adult Psychiatry Residency Program. Her research interests center on improving quality of life and health outcomes for individuals with serious mental illness in the community setting. In conjunction with the MGH Schizophrenia Program, Freedom Trail Clinic,…more
Research Fellow
Dr. Vilsaint is a community psychologist. She is a research fellow at Harvard Medical School and a Principal Investigator at the Recovery Research Institute and Center for Addiction Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. Her research has focused on racial health equality and recovery from addiction…more
Research Scientist
Dr. David Eddie is a research scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Center for Addiction Medicine and Recovery Research Institute, a clinical psychologist in Massachusetts General Hospital’s Department of Psychiatry, and an instructor at Harvard Medical School. His current research, supported by NIAAA and internal awards from Massachusetts General Hospital…more
Clinical and Research Fellow
Dr. Kate Bentley received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in 2017 from Boston University and completed her pre-doctoral internship in the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy track at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Her research is largely focused on the development, evaluation, and implementation of transdiagnostic interventions for suicidal and non-suicidal self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. Her postdoctoral…more
Research Fellow
Dr. Kevin Potter graduated from Grinnell College with a B.A. in Psychology and received his Ph.D. in Quantitative Psychology from the Ohio State University. He began working for the Center for Addiction Medicine in August of 2018 as a statistician. His research involves applying modern statistical…more
Research Fellow
Dr. Caroline Yeh received her Ph.D. in Medical Physics from Purdue University in 2018. She began working at the Center for Addiction Medicine in September of 2018, where she is currently researching how white matter integrity is affected by prenatal expose of tobacco and marijuana and how white matter…more
Dr. Meena M. Makary is an Assistant Professor in the Biomedical Engineering Department at Cairo University. Currently, he holds a joint appointment as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a Research Fellow in the Center of Addiction Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. He joined the neuroimaging team to…more
Biostatistician
Christine Ulysse received her B.S. in Biometry & Statistics at Cornell University in 2014 and completed her Master’s in Biostatistics at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health in 2017. Throughout her academic career, she has worked on various projects relating to sedation management strategy in children with severe lung disease, prenatal exposure to maternal…more
Research Assistant
Nilo Fallah-Sohy graduated from the University of Maryland in 2013, where she majored in psychology. She currently coordinates a study which aims to characterize and evaluate Recovery Commuinity Centers in New England and New York. Her research interests include screening and prevention in schools, as well as substance use and co-occuring disorders.
Research Assistant
Nate Kelly graduated from the University of Massachusetts Boston in 2015 where he pursued a double major of psychology and sociology. He currently works as a coordinator for two studies, as well as the Recovery Research Institute. Apart from substance use treatment, Nate’s other research interests are communication and forensic psychology.
Research Assistant
Alexandra Plante is the Marketing Communications Coordinator of the Recovery Research Institute. She manages written and visual content across social media accounts, the recoveryanswers.org website, the Recovery Research Review monthly newsletter, and coordinates all media inquiries to the institute. Alexandra received her B.A in Communication at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and her M.A in Quantitative Research in Communication from the University at Buffalo …more
Research Assistant
Maya Hareli graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she completed her B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Education. She currently coordinates a study examining the efficacy of a contingency management plan on abstinence from cannabis, as well as the effects of cannabis abstinence on cognition, in high school-aged adolescents. Her research interests include…more
Research Assistant
Alyson Dechert graduated with her BA in Psychology from Whittier College. At CAM, she works primarily with Dr. Gilman on a study which examines the effects of medical marijuana on neurocognition and escalation of use. She also works with Drs. Cather and Cieslak on a study which uses a behavioral intervention to help people with serious mental illness manage their type 2 diabetes. Her research interests include clinical…more
Research Assistant
Kelsey Lowman graduated from Princeton University in 2017 with a B.A. in Psychology. At CAM, she works on a study funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), investigating the impact of integrated smoking cessation treatment on care provided to smokers with severe mental illness. She is primarily interested in community-based research aimed to improve…more
Research Assistant
Rachel Plummer graduated from William and Mary with a bachelors degree in psychology. At CAM she is primarily working with Dr. Gilman on the medical marijuana research study, which looks at the effects of medical marijuana on neurocognition and escalation of use. Her research interests include the development of substance abuse prevention programs…more
Research Assistant
Nate Phillips graduated from the University of Florida with bachelor’s degrees in journalism and political science. At CAM, he works with Dr. Gilman on the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) study to assess the cognitive effects of marijuana and alcohol, along with Dr. Maravic on the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) study to investigate the impact of integrated smoking cessation treatment on care provided to smokers with serious mental illness…more
William Schmitt, A.B.
Research Assistant/Programmer
William Schmitt graduated from Harvard College with a bachelor’s degree in neurobiology with a focus in computational neurobiology. At CAM, he is primarily working with Dr. Gilman on the medical marijuana research study, which looks at the effects of medical marijuana on neurocognition and escalation of use. His research interests include how clinical neuroscience and neuroimaging techniques can be used to understand self-destructive behaviors. He plans to pursue these interests through a medical degree in the next few years.
Olivia Downer, B.S.
Research Assistant
Olivia Downer graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in biology. At CAM, she works primarily with Dr. Gilman on the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) study, which assesses the cognitive effects of marijuana and alcohol consumption on the brain. Her research areas of interest include clinical, cognitive, and neuropsychology, with a specific interest in understanding the neurological effects of drug use on decision-making processes. She plans to pursue a medical degree in neurology.
Rachel Marcus, B.A.
Research Assistant
Rachel Marcus graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and minors in anthropology and Hispanic studies from Brandeis University. At CAM, she works primarily with Dr. Gilman on the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) study, which assesses the cognitive effects of marijuana and alcohol consumption on the brain. Her research areas of interest include clinical psychology and neuropsychology, with a particular interest in understanding the neurological effects of drug use on executive functioning. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology within the next few years.
Jessica Richman, B.S.
Research Assistant
Jessica Richman graduated from Cornell University in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in human development and a minor in gerontology. At CAM, she works on a study funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), seeking to investigate the impact of integrated smoking cessation treatment on care provided to smokers with serious mental illness. She is primarily interested in population health research aimed at decreasing health care disparities experienced by marginalized groups.
Natali Rychik, B.S.
Research Assistant
Natali Rychik graduated with bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Health: Science, Society, and Policy from Brandeis University. At CAM, she works primarily with Dr. Schuster on a study examining the effects of cannabis abstinence on cognition in adolescents. Her research interests include risk factors for psychopathology in adolescents and the intersection between substance use and psychopathology.
Erin Lamberth, B.A.
Research Assistant
Erin Lamberth graduated from Williams College with bachelor’s degrees in psychology and English. At CAM, she works primarily with Dr. Schuster on a study examining the effects of abstinence from cannabis on cognitive functioning in adolescents. Her research interests include the prevention and treatment of psychopathology, especially mood disorders, along with the role of co-morbid presentations on functioning and treatment.
Sophia Allen, B.A.
Research Assistant
Sophia Allen graduated from Middlebury College with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience. At CAM, she currently works on a study funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute aiming to understand the effects of integrated smoking cessation treatment on smokers with serious mental illness. Her research interests include the intersection of mental health and substance-use disorders, as well as the social and emotional impacts of psychological trauma.
Grace Wheeler, B.A.
Research Assistant
Grace Wheeler graduated from Bowdoin College with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. At CAM, she is working primarily on the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) funded study looking at smoking cessation treatments for smokers with serious mental illnesses. Her research interests include investigating effectiveness of treatment combinations among different populations.
Audrey Steely, B.A.
Research Assistant
Audrey Steely graduated from Boston College with a bachelor’s degree in biology. At CAM, she is working primarily with Dr. Gilman on the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) study to assess the cognitive effects of marijuana and alcohol. Her research interests focus on improving health care treatments for individuals with mental illnesses.
