Frances Levin, MD

Substance Use Disorders

Overview

The mission of this research area is to develop innovative treatment interventions to ameliorate the personal suffering and negative public health consequences of substance use disorders. Our faculty are dedicated to conducting a broad range of translational research, disseminating and implementing evidence-based interventions within the Columbia community and throughout the country, and providing state-of-the-art training to the next generation of addiction investigators. As one of the leading addiction psychiatry programs in the nation (and routinely in the top five university drug and alcohol abuse programs as ranked by U.S. World and News Report), we are at the forefront of addressing the critical addiction challenges facing New York City, New York state, and the nation.

Led by Frances Levin, MD, Substance Use Disorders has an administrative structure consisting of an executive committee (Drs. Foltin, Evans, Nunes, Comer, Haney, Martinez, and Bisaga), and a senior administrator (Mr. David Hurst). The division has had continuous NIH and industry funding for nearly 30 years, including 37 active federal grants and subawards, training awards, and industry contracts. The area is comprised of 30 faculty members.

The main areas of research and research training include: the university-wide CHOSEN Center, Preclinical and Laboratory Research Programs, National Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network, Substance Treatment and Research Service and Education, and Training. Developing areas include: 1) Device-Based Diagnostics and Interventions, 2) Enhanced Clinical Services, 3) Substance Use Data Science, 4) the Neuromodulation Intervention Core, and 5) Implementation Science and Quality of Care. 

Goals

  • To pursue novel pharmacologic interventions for substance use disorders. Novel medications can be evaluated across the translational spectrum from preclinical work in non-human primates to human laboratory proof of concept and safety studies to clinical trials and, finally, implementation.
  • To develop partnerships with pharmaceutical companies and basic scientists to develop novel compounds that may have promise for substance use disorders
  • To expand understanding of the neurobiological correlates of substance use disorders and treatment mechanisms via neuroimaging and other novel approaches
  • To explore device-based treatments of substance use disorders and other digital therapeutics, including opportunities available via SBIR funding mechanisms or industry-supported funding
  • To expand and improve substance use disorder treatment and training within the Department of Psychiatry and Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC)
  • To increase national training initiatives to encourage implementation of evidence-based treatments
  • To promote research in social determinants of health associated with addiction, addressing health and racial inequities
  • To grow new collaborative research within the Department of Psychiatry and CUIMC
  • To expand our national influence on policy initiatives critical to the treatment of substance use disorders

Current Research

Of the area’s 48 funded grants, over 80% are funded by NIH. Included in this are 7 K awards (both junior and senior) and 2 UG3/UH3 mechanisms. Our research encompasses a wide spectrum of study methods and designs including preclinical research, human laboratory research, genetics, neuroimaging, and randomized clinical trials. In most of these areas, we have ongoing research with the major drugs of abuse including opioids, cannabis, cocaine, and alcohol. In addition to traditional research studies, an important aspect of our area is training and implementation science. With respect to training, Dr. Levin has a NIDA-funded T32 Fellowship primarily to train physicians to conduct clinical addiction research and Drs. Campbell and Hien have an R25 to train racial/ethnic minorities in translational addiction research. Lastly, our group is currently collaborating on several high-profile, national SAMHSA-funded initiatives to provide training and technical assistance to medical and allied health professionals throughout the United States, with an emphasis on medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorders, and, in particular, opioid use disorders.

Programs, Centers, Laboratories