People
Find information about our current and former laboratory members, below, or click here to see information about joining our research team.
Principal Investigator
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Andrea C. King, Ph.D.
Ph.D. in Biological Psychology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Professor Director of Clinical Addictions Research Laboratory Tel: 773-702-6181 Email: [email protected] Dr. King is a tenured professor at U Chicago Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience and has been on faculty since 1997. She is also co-leader of Cancer Prevention and Control at the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center, director of the tobacco treatment program at the University of Chicago, and developer of the Courage to Quit® tobacco cessation program delivered by the Respiratory Health Association across the Chicagoland area. Dr. King is a licensed clinical psychologist and treats patients with tobacco, alcohol, and substance use disorders and other co-morbid mental health conditions. She is currently Principal Investigator of several grants from the NIH, including tobacco cessation in underserved smokers and cancer patients, examination of e-cigarette use as a smoking cue, neurobiological substrates of alcohol and aggression, and laboratory and longitudinal assessment of binge drinkers. She has served on numerous study section panels at the NIH and received several awards for her academic excellence at the University of Chicago. In her spare time, Dr. King provides educational lectures in schools to youth about cigarette smoking, vaping, and addiction. |
Current Laboratory Members
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Dan Fridberg, Ph.D.
Ph.D, Indiana University Bloomington Associate Professor; Co-investigator Tel: 773-834-3598 Email: [email protected] Dr. Daniel Fridberg has served on the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Chicago since 2014. He is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in the assessment and treatment of addictive behaviors and comorbid mental health conditions. Dr. Fridberg is also the co-director of the Tobacco Cessation Program at the University of Chicago where he helps patients quit smoking using the Courage to Quit® program. Dr. Fridberg has an active research program focused on how individuals differ in their responses to alcohol, and how those differences may contribute to risk for alcohol misuse and dependence. He is especially interested in using technology, such as smartphones and alcohol biosensors, to measure real-world alcohol use, responses, and related outcomes. Dr. Fridberg’s work has been funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and he has presented his findings in multiple peer-reviewed papers and at invited talks and presentations around the country. |
Emma Brett, Ph.D.
Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Oklahoma State University Assistant Professor Director of BREATHE Lab She earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology with a Health Psychology subspecialty from Oklahoma State University in 2019. Broadly, Dr. Brett is interested in factors that influence addictive behaviors with a focus on cancer prevention and nicotine/tobacco products. She is particularly interested in enhancing the accessibility and effectiveness of behavioral and pharmacological interventions in priority populations, including those with lower income, co-morbid psychiatric diagnoses, and minoritized groups. She has received a NIDA K99/R00 award to develop a mHealth vaping and dual vaping+smoking cessation intervention young adults. As a provider, Dr. Brett works with individuals with substance use disorders, behavioral health concerns, and difficulties with anxiety, mood, and emotion regulation. |
Drew Fischer, M.A.
M.A. in Social Sciences, University of Chicago Laboratory Director Drew graduated from Amherst College in 2019 with a B.S. in Psychology and English and later received his M.A. in 2021 from the University of Chicago. He is interested in the relationship between contextual factors and addiction, as well as treatment interventions. |
Emily Atkinson, Ph.D.
Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Atkinson joined the Clinical Addictions Research Lab as a postdoctoral fellow in in 2024 after completing her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Kentucky. Broadly, Dr. Atkinson's research aims to identify modifiable risk factors for the onset and maintenance of substance use disorders to aid in the development of effective interventions. She is specifically interested in using intensive longitudinal methods, such as ecological momentary assessment, to study the relationship between heightened emotional states, trait-level emotion-based risk factors, and hazardous drinking behavior. |
Sarah Noone
Project Coordinator Sarah graduated from Creighton University in 2023 with a B.S. in Psychology. Her research interests include individual and social factors that lead to substance misuse and treatment methods for addiction. |
Keya Chinnam
Research Extern Keya graduated from the University of Michigan in 2023 with a B.S. in Neuroscience and a minor in Computer Science. She is currently completing a M.A. in the Social Sciences with a concentration in Psychology at the University of Chicago. Her research interests include chronic pain, addiction, and the development of treatment interventions for comorbid chronic and psychiatric conditions. |
Claire Wellendorf
Research Assistant Claire graduated from Creighton University in 2024 with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience. She is interested in a multifaceted approach to exploring substance use and addiction in society, with a focus on developing more effective interventions. |
Former Laboratory Members Since 2013
| Name | CARL Tenure | Current Position |
|---|---|---|
| Nathan Didier | Data Analyst, 2020 – 2024 | PhD candidate, Brown University, Providence, RI |
| Layne Robinson | Project Coordinator, 2022 – 2024 | PhD candidate, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY |
| Riya Thomas | Project Coordinator, 2022 – 2024 | CARL affiliate |
| Zoe Lee | Project Coordinator, 2020-2023 | PhD candidate, Fordham University, New York |
| Katie O'Donnell | Undergraduate Research Assistant, 2020-2022 | PhD candidate, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN |
| Ashley Vena, PhD | Scientific Director, 2017-2022 | Associate Project Leader-Scientist for Emmes, LLC, Austin, TX |
| Abbey Feather | Project Coordinator, 2019-2022 | PhD candidate, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY |
| Meghan Howe | Project Coordinator, 2017-2020 | PhD candidate, Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, IL |
| Krista Miloslavich | Project Coordinator, 2017-2020 | PhD candidate, University of Illinois at Chicago |
| Melissa Liu | Project Coordinator, 2016-2018 | PhD candidate, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis |
| Patrick McNamara | Assistant Director of CARL, 2004-2019 | Clinical Operations Manager, Northwestern University, Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center |
| Patrick Smith, MD | Research Assistant, 2014-2017, 2018-2019 | Medical Resident, Lewis McChord Army Base, Tacoma, WA |
| Jesus Chavarria, PhD | Postdoctoral Scholar, 2017-2019 | Assistant Professor, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada |
| Lia Smith | Research Assistant, 2013-2016 | Psychology Intern, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA |
