TrAIL

 

Dr. Joseph Schacht is an Associate Professor, licensed clinical psychologist, and Co-Director of the Division of Addiction Science Prevention and Treatment in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, where he directs the Translational Addiction Imaging Laboratory (TrAIL). He received his AB in Psychology and Philosophy from the University of Michigan and his PhD in Clinical Psychology and Neuroscience from the University of Colorado, Boulder, after completing his predoctoral internship at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Dr. Schacht completed an NIAAA-funded post-doctoral fellowship at MUSC and joined the faculty there after receiving a K99/R00 award.

Dr. Schacht’s training and research experience encompass both basic and clinical neuroscience, and he has pushed to build a program of research that translates from basic neurobiological processes to behavioral and treatment outcomes. His work has been funded by NIAAA, NIDA, and industry. He is particularly known for using behavioral genetics, functional neuroimaging, and experimental pharmacology to understand alcohol and drug craving and cue reactivity. His current work, supported by grants from NIAAA and NIDA, focuses on evaluating novel medications for the treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder and Cannabis Use Disorder.

 

Joseph Sakai graduated from Pomona College (’93), Tulane Medical School (’97 with honors) and completed Psychiatry residency (’01) and Addiction Psychiatry fellowship (’03) training at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. Sakai has been an active clinician treating adolescents and adults with substance use disorder(s) for more than 15 years and has conducted research throughout his career serving as PI/Co-PI for multiple NIDA grants (K, R01, R25) and Co-I on a NIDA Center grant and the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) project. Dr. Sakai has also been active in medical education throughout his career, currently serving as the Director of Medical Student Education for the Department of Psychiatry and previously serving as the Associate Program Director of the Addiction Psychiatry fellowship.

Kristen Raymond is a Clinical Research Services Program Manager in the Department of Psychiatry TrAIL Lab at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Kristen received her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology with a minor in biology (summa cum laude) from the University of Colorado. She has also completed graduate-level coursework in assessment, biostatistics, epidemiology, bioethics, and research methods. Over the years Kristen has worked on over 30 different research studies with various investigators in Colorado and nationwide. Her expertise includes all phases of project management, post-award research administration, supervision, and the regulatory aspects of research. Kristen’s research interests have encompassed many aspects of addiction including diagnostic and neuropsychological assessment, personality, genetics, proteomics, neuroimaging, ethics, and pain management after surgery. She is a co-author on over 25 peer-reviewed publications in these areas.

Will be joining the lab in August 2024.

Hannah Gebhardt is a Research Services Professional in the Translational Addiction Imaging Laboratory and the Colorado Neuromodulation of Addiction Laboratory in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Hannah graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in May of 2023 with a major in psychology and a minor in speech, language, and hearing science. She performed previous research at CU Boulder in behavioral genetics and completed a thesis on phenotypic differences in individuals with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Her current research interests include substance use, trauma and resiliency, neuroimaging, and behavioral genetics.

Melina Kilen is a Research Services Professional in the Translational Addiction Imaging Laboratory in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Melina graduated from King’s College London in May 2022 with a BSc in Psychology, where she studied attitudes towards psychedelic-assisted therapy for her dissertation and wrote a thesis on the mental health trends of individuals who identify as multi-racial. Melina’s current research interest include substance use disorder, trauma, mental health marginalization among minority communities, and the interplay of psychedelic drugs in therapeutic settings.

Hope Nielsen is a Research Services Professional in Dr. Schacht’s Translational Addiction Imaging Laboratory in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. She graduated a year early from the University of Denver in 2023 with majors in psychology and biology and a concentration in cognitive neuroscience. While attending she worked on psychoneuroimmunology research that examined the impact of social experiences, immunity, and inflammation on depression. She hopes to eventually pursue a PhD in neuroscience, and her current research interests include substance use disorders, neurodegeneration, neuropharmacology, genetics/genotyping, and cognitive processes.

Emma Shaffer is a Research Services Entry Professional in the Translational Addiction Imaging Laboratory in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Emma graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in May 2024 with a double major in psychology and neuroscience and a minor in philosophy. She performed previous research at CU Boulder's Stereotyping and Prejudice Lab, studying causes of the gender gap in STEM. She also spent time as a student worker in the Public Health Ethics and Law Program at the Colorado School of Public Health. Her current research interests include substance use disorders, mental health, neuropharmacology, and social determinants of health.

Anne Williams is a PIKE-PREP Scholar in the Translational Addiction Imaging Laboratory in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Anne graduated summa cum laude from Regis University with a degree in neuroscience. She has done various research in cognitive psychology, behavioral neuroscience and genetics. Most recently she worked to assess the neural circuitry of saccadic eye movement in a mouse model. Her research interests include severe mental illness, drug addiction, and clinical neuroscience.

Rachel Hoffman, MS, LPCC, NCC is a Research Services Professional in Dr. Schacht's Translational Addiction Imaging Laboratory (TrAIL) at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Rachel received her bachelor's degree from Miami University in psychology and rhetoric writing and her master of science in clinical mental health counseling from Johns Hopkins University in May of 2019. She completed her practicum in a child and adolescent clinic providing group, individual, and family therapy and her internship in a day and intensive outpatient treatment setting for adolescents and women with eating disorders. Rachel's clinical interests are in eating disorders, substance use, and mental health on college campuses; she holds a provisional license as a Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate and is a National Certified Counselor. 

Kate Mitchell is a Research Services Professional in the Translational Addiction Imaging Laboratory in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Kate graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in August 2019 with a double major in psychology and neuroscience and a minor in philosophy. She performed previous research at CU Boulder in animal drug abuse, learning, and goal-directed behavior and worked at Actualise in Dublin, Ireland, a clinic that specializes in neurofeedback training. She is an incoming student in the MPH program at the Colorado School of Public Health, and her current research interests include drug abuse, mental health, neuropharmacology, and cognitive psychology.

Erin Moe is a Research Services Professional in the Translational Addiction Imaging Laboratory in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Erin graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2015 where she worked on several research projects investigating fetal alcohol syndrome in rodent models. Erin obtained a postgraduate certificate from Cardiff University where she studied neuroimaging at Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC). Her research interests include structural and diffusion imaging, neuroimaging processing pipeline optimization, alcohol use disorder, and cognition research.

Grace Blake is a Research Services Professional in the Translational Addiction Imaging Laboratory in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Grace graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2022, with a Bachelor of Science in psychology and minor in chemistry. She was involved in undergraduate research looking at TMS and tACS and its affect on depression, specifically anhedonia. Her current research interests include substance use disorders, adolescent mental health, and alternative treatments for treatment-resistant psychiatric disorders.