Brian Borsari
Assistant Professor (Research):
Community Health
Phone: +1 401 863-6659
Phone 2: 1 617 680 1235
Brian_Borsari@brown.edu
Dr. Borsari's research interests include the development and implementation of brief interventions with college student drinkers, the assessment and practical application of social norms on college campuses, drinking games in the college environment, social influences on alcohol (e.g., modeling), and the course of substance abuse in the third decade of life. He is also investigating client and therapist utterances that occur during a motivational interviewing session that are associated with subsequent changes in alcohol use and consequences
Through his work at the Providence VAMC, Dr. Borsari also conducts research on the assessment and treatment of PTSD and substance abuse in veterans.
Biography
Brian Borsari received his PhD in clinical psychology from Syracuse University in 2003. He also completed an internship at The Boston Consortium in Clinical Psychology in 2003. From 2003 to 2005 he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies. Brian joined the faculty in June 2005. When not in the office, he likes to travel with his wife, Marina, and his daughter, Laila, as well as golf, go biking, landscape his yard, watch the Boston Red Sox, and play with his two cats.
Interests
Over the past ten years, Dr. Borsari has worked to develop a research program in implementing and evaluating secondary interventions with college student drinkers. Specifically, he has implemented brief motivational interventions with students who have begun to experience problems as a result of their alcohol use. Specifically, colleges and universities have seen a large increase in the number of students referred to the administration for violation of alcohol policies. However, the wide range in the severity of offenses indicates that the majority of mandated students may not require extensive treatment. He believes that stepped care, which assigns individuals to different levels of care according to treatment response, would maximize treatment efficiency and greatly reduce the demands on campus alcohol programs. Regarding intervention-level analyses, Dr. Borsari is also investigating the in-session components of individual interventions that may be linked to subsequent behavior change (e.g., the working alliance).
In addition to his work with college students, Dr. Borsari's appointment at the Providence VAMC allows him to conduct clinical work and research in a wide range of areas. He current is working in research projects evaluating monitoring with returning veterans to encourage treatment engagement, enhancing sleep in veterans with PTSD, and the use of virtual reality environments in the assessment and treatment of PTSD.
Awards
Masters Prize, College of Arts and Sciences, May 1999.
Dissertation Award, College of Arts and Sciences, May 2003.
Young Researcher Award, Addictive Behaviors SIG, ABCT, November 2007
Affiliations
American Psychological Association
Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy
Society of Behavioral Medicine
Research Society on Alcoholism
Teaching
I am primarily a researcher, but I have taught courses before in Research Methods (at Syracuse University), and have guest lectured in a number of courses including social psychology, psychological assessment, and psychopathology.
I also mentor postdoctoral fellows at the Center for Alcohol And Addiction Studies, as well as MPH masters students. I also provide group psychotherapy and PTSD assessment supervision to the Brown Interns at the PTSDD Clinic at the Providence VAMC.
Funded Research
GRANTS - CURRENT
1. "Stepped Care with Mandated College Students." (6/1/05-5/31/2010). Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA R01 AA015518)
Direct Costs: $1,000,000
2. "Establishing the Parameters of Virtual Reality Environments in the Treatment of
PTSD" (9/1/2009-8/31/2011)
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding Source: Department of Defense W81XWH-07-1-0689
Direct Costs: $301,3666
3. "Within-session Mechanisms of Behavior Change in At-Risk College Students"(8/1/2009-6/202013)
Role: Principle Investigator
Funding Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA R01 AA017427)
Direct Costs: $995,189
4. "Sequential and Component Analysis of MI Mechanisms with College Drinkers" (09/30/09 – 08/31/12)
Funding Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA R01 AA017874-01A1)
Direct Costs: $498,750
GRANTS - COMPLETED
1. "Two Brief Alcohol Interventions for College Student Drinkers." (2000-2002).
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Source: Individual National Research Service Award (NIAAA F31 AA057-01)
Direct Costs: $46,733
2. "Stepped Care for Mandated College Students – A Pilot" (2004). Research Excellence Award, Brown University, Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies.
Role: Principal Investigator
Direct Costs: $10,000.
3. "Identifying Mechanisms of Motivational Interviewing" (1/2009-11/2009)
Role: Site Principal Investigator
Funding Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
(7K23AA015595-05)
GRANTS – UNDER REVIEW
1. "Health Monitoring for OIF/OEF Veterans with Trauma History "
Role: Co-Principal Investigator
Funding Source: National Institute of Mental Health (R21)
Status: Submitted 7/16/2008
2. "Supervision Effects on Peer Counselors' MI Skills and College Drinking Behaviors"
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (R34)
Status: Submitted 6/21/2009
3. "Web-Based Alcohol Prevention for Incoming College Students"
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (R34)
Status: Submitted 7/6/2009
4. "Cognitive-Behavioral Sleep Interventions for Veterans with PTSD "
Role: Co-Principal Investigator
Funding Source: National Institute of Mental Health (R34)
Status: Submitted 10/5/2008
Curriculum Vitae
