Active Research Trials
PRECISE
Precision Approaches to Lung Cancer Screening and Smoking Cessation Treatment in Primary Care (PRECISE)
Annual lung cancer screening and tobacco treatment are pillars of cancer prevention and control yet are often not provided by physicians or received by patients in primary care settings. New evidence suggests that personalized risk feedback including a patient’s genetic and clinical information could highlight the benefits of these practices and engage physicians and patients in improved care. This study will test the impact of a genetically-informed intervention on physicians’ ordering and patients’ completion of lung cancer screening and tobacco treatment in primary care.
For more information about this study, please visit:
Clinical Trials.gov
NIH RePORTER (Grant R01CA268030)
PRECISE Study Flyer for Interested Patients
PRECISE Study Flyer for Interested Clinicians
MOTIVATE
A Multi-level Intervention to Personalize and Improve Tobacco Treatment in Primary Care (MOTIVATE)
Smoking is a leading cause of premature death, causing more than half of all cancer deaths. However, tobacco treatment is often not provided and not highly effective in primary care. New evidence suggests that a precision treatment approach to motivate and guide treatment based on personal genetic and metabolic markers could improve treatment uptake and quit success. This study will test the impact of a multilevel precision treatment intervention on improving tobacco treatment and health outcomes in primary care.
For more information about this study, please visit:
NIH RePORTER (Grant R01DA056050)
MOTIVATE Study Flyer for Interested Patients
MOTIVATE Study Flyer for Interested Clinicians
Our Team
Li-Shiun Chen, MD, MPH, ScD
Professor, Department of Psychiatry; Director, Tobacco Treatment Program, Siteman Cancer Center; Psychiatrist, BJC Behavioral Health
I am a physician scientist with research interest in improving clinical care of smoking cessation. My research areas include smoking cessation treatments, pharmacogenetics/personalized medicine, cross-populational studies of smoking, gene-environmental interactions, and longitudinal studies. Our goal is to allow physicians and patients to use most effective treatments with least side effects, and better predict health risks. I have received NIH funding to conduct different research projects on smoking cessation and treatments. Since 2015, I have been a member in the NIDA Genetics Consortium, a group of leading scientists spearheading this nation’s efforts to understand genetic causes of substance dependence. In addition, I am a board-certified psychiatrist and see patients at BJC Behavioral Health Clinics. I am a co-director for the course of cross-cultural psychiatry for Washington University Psychiatry Residency Program, teaching faculty for the MPHS program, and I serve as a reviewer for a number of journals and an ad-hoc reviewer for NIH study sections.
Alex Ramsey, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry
Laura Bierut, MD
Alumni Endowed Professor of Psychiatry
As a physician scientist, I lead several studies funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study environmental and genetic contributions to smoking behaviors, addiction and other psychiatric and medical illnesses. Recently my work has moved into the translation of scientific discoveries into clinical care. I am an active member in the National Institute on Drug Abuse Genetics Consortium, a national group of scientists who are leading efforts to understand the underlying genetic causes of substance use disorder. I was appointed to the National Advisory Council for the National Institute on Drug Abuse by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Xavier Becerra. I was also recently appointed to the National Advisory Council for the National Human Genome Research Institute to advise the NIH on genomics research. I am a member of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee, which advises the FDA on the scientific basis of regulating tobacco products, and I am Co-Chair of the Smoking Cessation Panel for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. In recognition of my research accomplishments, I was awarded the 2014 Alton Ochsner Award Relating Smoking and Disease and the 2018 Langley Award for Basic Research on Nicotine and Tobacco.
Nina Smock, BA
Clinical Research Specialist, Chen Lab Manager, Program Manager, Tobacco Treatment Program, Siteman Cancer Center
Ms. Smock has been at Washington University since 2007 contributing to various projects focused on occupational health, precision medicine, and improving clinical care of smoking cessation. Ms. Smock has a proven track record of leading teams to success by leveraging extensive experience to guide individuals towards achieving shared goals and objectives. She has expertise in study design, subject recruitment, and health informatics integrations for smoking cessation. She is also experienced in focus groups, data management, qualitative data coding, grant writing, and manuscript writing. Her dedication is to enhance worker and community health by comprehensively understanding and improving health communication strategies. Thue Rammaha, MS
Clinical Research Coordinator II
Mr. Rammaha holds a Master of Science degree in Applied Health Behavior Research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Sciences from Saint Louis University. He has vast knowledge and experience working in various healthcare, community, and research settings. As an aspiring physician, he is passionate about collaborating with healthcare workers and clinical scientists to advance medical research and knowledge to improve health outcomes, particularly in underserved communities. Currently, he is focused on coordinating research studies that involve returning personalized clinical and genetic results to research participants, with the aim of promoting health-preventative behaviors. Elizabeth Sekarski, BS
Professional Rater II
Lizzie received her B.S. in Psychology, along with minors in Biology, Criminology and Sociology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. During undergrad she established her passion for research and treating substance use disorders. She has worked with multiple psychologists as a Research Assistant at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Her research interests include substance abuse, co-morbidities in substance use and mental health disorders, and pharmacological and behavioral substance use treatments. She would like to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology in the future.
Lauren Helfrey, BS
Professional Rater II
Lauren received her B.S. in Psychology from Clemson University, where she completed a minor in Life Sciences. While studying at Clemson, she worked as a research assistant in the Office of Research and Organizational Design where she spent two years focused on the research and implementation of best practices in a social work environment, more specifically in state-sponsored healthcare programs. At this position, Lauren’s emphasis was on working with dementia and HIV/AIDS populations in the state of South Carolina to assess and modify statewide protocols for care. She is most interested in the optimization of public healthcare programs for treatment of vulnerable populations in low-income communities and in advocating for women’s mental health resources and care.
Aaron Villamayor, BS
Professional Rater II
Aaron received his B.S. in Psychology and minors in Biology and Cognitive Science from Truman State University. While in undergrad, he found a calling to pursue scientific research and his passion to further understand human behaviors, emotions, and decision making, particularly from the lens of cognitive and personality psychology. His previous research experience includes an investigation on how college students with anxiety or depression succeed on academic tasks, cross-cultural differences in romantic attitudes, and differences in personality and attachment between individuals in and out of romantic relationships. He wants to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology.
Reeya Joseph
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Reeya Joseph is a Senior at Washington University in St. Louis, where she is pursuing a B.S. in Genomics & Computational Biology with a Minor in Computer Science. Her academic interests are centered around precision medicine and exploring how advancements in genomics can enhance medicinal applications. Throughout her studies, she has gained experience in computational biology and computer science in hopes to blend her passions into transferrable changes to contribute to personalized healthcare practices. Post-graduation, Reeya plans to pursue an M.D. with the goal of becoming a physician, dedicated to integrating genomics into clinical practice for improved patient care.
Jingling Chen, BS
Statistical Data Analyst
Ms. Chen is an experienced programmer and statistical data analyst who has been with Washington University for over 20 years. She has extensive experience in programming computerized interviews and managing data for large, complex studies.
Tricia Salyer, MEd
Clinical Research Supervisor
Ms. Salyer has over 15 years of experience working in biomedical research at Washington University School of Medicine. During her career, she has managed studies investigating the genetics of alcohol use disorder and smoking behaviors, and she has been involved with several research studies focused on returning genetic results to research participants. Ms. Salyer’s expertise includes project management, study design, clinical phenotyping, and research compliance.
Audrey Aton, BA
Clinical Research Coordinator I
Audrey is a Certified Clinical Research Professional with over five years of experience overseeing phase I-III clinical trials, including both industry-sponsored and investigator-initiated studies. She has expertise in patient recruitment and enrollment, data quality management, and both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. Audrey graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Missouri with a bachelor’s degree in public health, complemented by a minor in philosophy, as well as women’s and gender studies.
Kristen Sextro, BA
Professional Rater II
Kristen received her B.A. in Biology from University of Missouri in St. Louis. Her previous research experience focused on the safety and effectiveness of novel pharmaceuticals to treat psychiatric disorders in adult and pediatric populations. Her research interests include mental health and substance use.
Rachel Middleton, MS
Professional Rater II
Ms. Middleton received her M.S. in Applied Health Behavior Research from Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis. She received her B.S. in Psychology and Minor in Business from the University of Missouri-Columbia. While earning her B.S., she gained research experience serving as an assistant in the Department of Psychology Personality Dynamics Laboratory for two years. In this role, she evaluated participant’s sense of coherence, significance, and purpose as they relate to overall meaning of life. She also has several years of experience working as a psychometrist for both pediatric and older-adult populations. In the future, Rachel is interested in pursuing an M.D. in Neuropsychiatry.
Anastasia Hanonick, BA
Professional Rater II
Stasia Hanonick received her B.A. in Psychology from Saint Louis University in St. Louis. She has previous experience assisting with cognitive behavioral research and working in environmental consulting. Her research interests lie in studying populations who have experienced severe trauma in their childhoods and how this subsequently impacts the development of executive functioning, social skills, emotional regulation, and moral reasoning. She wants to pursue a PhD in the future.
Karyn Lisker, BA
Professional Rater II
Karyn Lisker graduated from Emory University with a B.A. in Psychology and Music (Vocal Performance) with Highest Honors. During her time at Emory, she collaborated with university administration to advocate for the mental health needs of the student body, focusing on optimizing wellness services. Karyn also served as a research assistant at the Marcus Autism Center, where she worked on implementation science projects aimed at enhancing culturally informed services and research for Spanish-speaking Latinx children and families. Her research interests center on understanding diverse coping mechanisms and mental resilience. In the future, Karyn plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology or a Psy.D.
Louis Fox, BS
Research Statistician
Recent Findings
CONTACT US
PRECISE: behaviorandgenetics@email.wustl.edu 314-747-7849
MOTIVATE:
motivate@email.wustl.edu
314-273-3826
For In-Person Appointments: Washington University School of Medicine – Public Health Building
600 S. Taylor Avenue, Suite 122
Saint Louis, Missouri 63110
Mailing Address:
660 S. Euclid Ave
Saint Louis, Missouri 63110