Suzanne Colby
Associate Professor (Research):
Psychiatry and Human Behavior
Phone: +1 401 444 1856
Phone 2: +1 401 863 2881
Suzanne_Colby@Brown.EDU
Suzanne Colby's research interests include laboratory and clinical studies of adolescent nicotine dependence, treatment development, and instrumentation research. She is the principal investigator of a NIDA-funded grant "Smoking vs. Alternative Reinforcers in Adolescents", co-investigator on eight other NIH grants, and funded by the National Cancer Institute to develop a web-based measurement guide for conducting adolescent smoking research.
Biography
A nationally recognized expert in adolescent tobacco research, Dr. Colby participates in numerous collaborative efforts to enhance research and treatment development for adolescents. She is Co-Chair of the 2005 international meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco in Prague. She chaired a national panel on Biochemical Verification of Adolescent Smoking initiated by the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Her recent publications have focused on nicotine dependence among youth, adolescent substance use prevalence and diagnosis, and innovative brief interventions for substance misuse in adolescents and young adults. She recently co-edited a supplemental issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence on methodological and statistical innovations for tobacco researchers.
Interests
Suzanne Colby, Ph.D.is an associate professor (research) of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University. She is PI of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded grant "Smoking Versus Alternative Reinforcers in Adolescents". She is also funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to develop a measurement guide for researchers conducting clinical trials with adolescent smokers. In addition to these projects, Dr. Colby collaborates as a co-investigator on eight other research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) . These projects include laboratory studies of the mechanisms of drug addiction as well as alcohol and smoking treatment outcome trials for adolescents, college students, emergency room and trauma patients, and adults in residential treatment for alcohol or drug problems.
A nationally recognized expert in adolescent tobacco research, Suzanne Colby participates in numerous collaborative efforts to enhance research and development of treatment for adolescents. She served as Co-Chair of the 2005 international meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) in Prague and Chair of the 2006 SRNT meeting in Orlando, FL. She chaired a national panel on Biochemical Verification of Adolescent Smoking initiated by the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Her recent publications have focused on nicotine dependence among youth, adolescent substance use prevalence and diagnosis, and innovative brief interventions for substance misuse among adolescents and young adults. She recently co-edited a supplemental issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence on methodological and statistical innovations for tobacco researchers.
Degrees
PHD
Awards
Gimbel Child and Family Scholar Award, The Bernard and Alva Gimbel Foundation, the Journal of Primary Prevention, and the Child and Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut, 1996.
Peter Merenda Prize for Statistics and Research Methodology, Department of Psychology, University of Rhode Island, 1996.
Person of the Year, Recognized by the Cumberland Substance Abuse Prevention Task Force, June, 1998, for contribution to prevention efforts in that community for the period 1987 - 1998.
Distinguished Service Award, Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, 2005.
Distinguished Service Award, Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, 2006.
Affiliations
American Psychological Association
--Member, Division 28, Division 50.
College on Problems of Drug Dependence
Research Society on Alcoholism
Society for Behavioral Medicine
--Chair, Program Committee, Addiction Track, 2002.
--Abstract Reviewer, International Congress of Behavioral Medicine, 1995
--Abstract Reviewer, Annual Meeting, 1994, 2002.
Society for Prevention Research
Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco
--Abstract Reviewer, Annual Meeting, 2001, 2003.
--Member, Program Committee, Clinical Track, 2002 – 2004.
--Member, Nominations Committee, 2003 – 2005.
--Program Co-Chair, Annual Meeting, 2005.
--Program Chair, Annual Meeting, 2006.
Funded Research
Selected Active Support:
1) 1R01 DA16737 (Colby) 09/05/03-06/30/08 $1,931,258.
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Role: PI
Smoking Versus Alternative Reinforcers in Adolescents
This research studies smoking behavior as a reinforcer in adolescents and examines the impact of alternative reinforcers on smoking. There are three studies: (1) a five-session laboratory experiment comparing choices for smoking vs. varying amounts of money; (2) a four-session laboratory experiment comparing choices for smoking vs. certain monetary reward vs. probabilistic monetary reward; and (3) a comparison of smokers to non-smokers on availability of reinforcers in their natural environment.
2) 1 R21 DA019628-01A1 (Kahler) 3/5/06-2/29/2008 $428,972.
NIDA Role: Co-I
Mechanisms Linking Hostility and Smoking
To test a sociocognitive model of hostility and smoking by examining differences between low-hostile and high-hostile smokers on (a) social information processing, (b) responses to interpersonal provocation, and (c) smoking behavior after provocation both when smoking ad lib and when nicotine deprived.
3) 1R01 AA013970 (Barnett) 07/01/03-06/30/08 $3,044,348
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Role: Co-I
Naturalistic Influences on Alcohol Problems in College
The purpose of this study is to prospectively study alcohol problems among college students including naturalistic change factors, and multiple risk and protective factors including social network composition and race/ethnicity.
4) 1R01 AA13385 (Spirito) 01/01/02-12/31/06 $3,384,320.
NIAAA Role: Co-I
Family Motivational Interviews for ETOH+ Teens in the ER
The purpose of this study is to compare a brief integrated individual and family intervention designed to reduce alcohol use and related problems to an enhanced standard care condition (standard care plus family assessment). The target population is underage drinkers (13-17 years old) who have been treated in an Emergency Department following an alcohol-related event.
5) 2R01 DA11204-06 (Monti) 07/01/02-06/30/07 $3,538,230.
NIDA Role: Co-I
Contingency Management and MET for Adolescent Smoking
The purpose of this study is to improve smoking cessation rates among adolescent smokers by testing the efficacy of contingency management plus motivational enhancement therapy to increase intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to change smoking behaviors.
6) 1R01 DA13616-01 (Rohsenow) 01/01/01-12/31/06 $3,508,076.
NIDA Role: Co-I
Motivating Substance Abusers to Quit Smoking
The aim of this project is to evaluate the efficacy of motivational interviewing vs. standard care, and contingent reinforcement for smoking abstinence vs. noncontingent payments, on smoking in substance abusers during the year following residential treatment.
7) P5O CA 84719 (Niaura) 9/30/04 – 9/29/09 $ 9,290,987.
NCI Role: Co-I
Nicotine Dependence: Phenotype, Endophenotype and Contexts
This study involves: a) a two-generation family study of genetic/familial influences on lifetime patterns of tobacco use phenotypes and comorbid psychiatric disorders; b) an endophenotypic study of sibling pairs discordant for these tobacco use phenotypes using fMRI with nicotine challenge; and c) analysis of the mediation and moderation effects of neighborhood factors on the progression of tobacco use, alcohol and other drug use in adolescents.
8) 2 R01 AA009892 (Monti) 05/10/2005 - 04/30/10 $2,133,733.
NIAAA Role: Co-I
Enhanced MI with Alcohol Positive Trauma Patients
The aim of this study is to compare an individual, brief motivational intervention for alcohol (BMI), vs. a BMI enhanced by participation of a significant other, vs. an assessment-only control condition with respect to their influence on subsequent alcohol use and related consequences in an adult trauma patient population.
9) 1R03 CA115306 (Sindelar) 11/1/05-11/30/07 $77,500.
National Cancer Institute (NCI) Role: Co-I
Developing an Expectancy Challenge for Diverse Teens
The aim of this research is to adapt a standard smoking expectancy challenge for teens of diverse ethnic backgrounds. Qualitative and quantitative methods are used to develop this tailored preventive intervention.
Selected Research Support Completed in the Past 3 Years:
1) 1 R01 CA80255 (Colby) 10/01/98-09/30/04 $935,840.
NCI Role: PI
Measuring Dependence and Withdrawal in Teen Smokers
The aim of this project is to measure the physiological and psychological characteristics of nicotine withdrawal among adolescent smokers and to assess the relevance of these measures in predicting subsequent difficulty quitting smoking.
2) 1P50 CA84719 (Abrams) 09/30/99-09/29/04 $11,582,454.
NCI Role: PI of Measures and Methodology Core
Nicotine Dependence: Risk and Recovery over Generations
The purpose of this Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center (TTURC)
grant is to develop a comprehensive transdisciplinary research and training center and implement several interrelated research projects to identify familial, early childhood and lifetime psychiatric factors that determine: trajectories of progression from smoking initiation to dependence; lifetime smoking patterns; the natural course of cessation; and response to treatment.
3) 1R01AA12319-01 (O'Leary) 4/1/01-2/28/05 $899,576.
NIAAA Role: Co-PI
Peer-enhanced Motivational Interviewing for ETOH Misuse
The purpose of this grant is to compare a brief, peer-enhanced motivational interview to an individual Motivational Interview and to a contrast condition in college students who are mandated to alcohol education for alcohol-related infractions.
4) 1R01 DA13375 (Stein) 8/16/00-2/28/05 $1,255,390.
NIDA Role: Co-I
Motivational Interviews for Incarcerated Teens
The purpose of this study is to test the efficacy of an individual motivational interview for reducing alcohol and marijuana-related harm as well as alcohol and marijuana use in incarcerated teens.
5) 1R01 AA12158-01 (Barnett) 4/1/00-2/28/05 $862,104.
NIAAA Role: Co-I
Motivational Interviews for Mandated ETOH Education
The purpose of this study is to test the efficacy of an individual motivational interview and a booster session for reducing alcohol-related harm and alcohol use in college students who are mandated to attend alcohol education following an alcohol-related disciplinary infraction.
Web Links
- Motivating teenagers to avoid alcohol abuse
- ER counseling on alcohol helps teens stop drinking/reckless behavior
