Raymond Niaura, PhD

    Professor,
    Dept. of Psychiatry & Human Behavior
    Brown Medical School 

Raymond Niaura, PhD is professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown Medical School. His primary areas of responsibility lie in being an independently funded researcher and faculty mentor to predoctoral interns, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty (e.g., K-awardees). 

Niaura's research interests fall into two broad areas: 1) smoking cessation and tobacco dependence, with a focus on combined pharmacological and behavioral treatments for smoking cessation, and 2) investigating biobehavioral mechanisms related to tobacco dependence. He also has a long-standing interest in the role that cue reactivity plays in precipitating relapse to smoking.

Current research focuses on:

- examining the incremental efficacy of adding behavioral treatment to the nicotine patch among Medicare patients in inner city primary medical care clinics.
- evaluating the efficacy of the patch as treatment for HIV+ smokers.
- examining a family-based strategy for prevention of uptake of smoking among youth (nine - twelve years), seen in pediatric primary care clinics.
- determining whether subgroups of smokers are more or less responsive to bupropion based on their current and past profile of depressive symptoms and polymorphisms in certain candidate genes.
- determining how psychiatric comorbidities influence tobacco use uptake trajectories in youth.

Niaura has served as a member of the Behavioral Medicine Study Section at NIH, and as an ad hoc reviewer on several other study sections. He was part of the subcommittee on psychological factors affecting physical condition for DSM IV, as well as part of the NHLBI task forces on Smoking and Body Weight, and Biobehavioral Mechanisms in Atherosclerosis. Niaura is currently Associate Editor for Nicotine and Tobacco Research, and serves on the editorial board of Health Psychology. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Society for Behavioral Medicine, and the American Academy of Health Behavior.

Abrams, D. B., Niaura, R. S., Brown, R. A., Emmons, K. M., Goldstein, M. G., & Monti, P. M. (Eds.). (in press). Treating nicotine dependence: An evidence-based practice guide. New York: Guilford Press.

Brown, R., Kahler, C., Niaura, R. S., Abrams, D. B., Sales, S., Ramsey, S., Goldstein, M. G., Burgess, E., & Miller, I. (2001). Cognitive-behavioral treatment for depression in smoking cessation. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 69, 471-480.

Burgess, E. S., Brown, R. A., Kahler, C. W., Niaura, R. S., Abrams, D. B., Goldstein, M. G., & Miller, I. W. (2002). Patterns of change in depressive symptoms during smoking cessation: Who's at risk for relapse? Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 356-361.

Durcan, M. J., Deener, G., White, J., Johnston, J. A., Gonzales, D., Niaura, R. S., Rigotti, N., & Sachs, D. P. L. (2002). The effect of bupropion sustained-release on cigarette craving after smoking cessation. Clinical Therapeutics, 24, 540-551.

Goldstein, M. G., Niaura, R. S., Willey, C., Kazura, A., Rakowski, W., DePue, J. D., & Park, E. (in press). An academic detailing intervention to disseminate physician-delivered smoking outcomes in the Physicians Counseling Smokers project. Preventive Medicine.

Gonzales, D., Bjornson, W. M., Durcan, M. J., White, J. D., Johnston, J. A., Buist, A. S., Sachs, D. P., Rigotti, N. A., Niaura, R. S., Hays, J. T., & Hurt, R. D. (2002). Effects of gender on abstinence and relapse in smokers treated with bupropion SR. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 22, 234-239.

Guilmette, T., Motta, S., Shadel, W. G., Mukand, J., & Niaura, R. S. (2001). The prevalence of cigarette smoking in an acute inpatient physical medicine and rehabilitation population. Substance Abuse, 22, 187-192.

Guilmette, T., Motta, S., Shadel, W. G., Mukand, J., & Niaura, R. S. (2001). Promoting smoking cessation in the rehabilitation setting. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 80, 560-562.

Hall, S. M., Delucchi, K. L., Velicer, W. F., Kahler, C. W., Ranger-Moore, J., Hedeker, D., Tsoh, J. Y., & Niaura, R. S. (2001). Statistical analysis of randomized trials in tobacco treatment: Longitudinal with dichotomous outcome. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 3, 193-202.

Hays, J. T., Hurt, R. D., Rigotti, N. A., Niaura, R. S., Gonzales, D., Durcan, M. J., Sachs, D. P., Wolter, T. D., Buist, A. S., Johnston, J. A., & White, J. D. (2001). Sustained-release bupropion for pharmacologic relapse prevention after smoking cessation. A randomized controlled trial. Annals of Internal Medicine, 135, 423-433.

Hitsman, B., Abrams, D. B., Shadel, W. G., Niaura, R. S., Borrelli, B., Emmons, K. M., Brown, R. A., Swift, R. M., Monti, P. M., Rohsenow, D. J., & Colby, S. M. (2002). Depressive symptoms and readiness to quit smoking among cigarette smokers in outpatient alcohol treatment. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 16, 264-268.

Hughes, J., Keeley, J. P., Niaura, R. S., Ossip-Klein, D. J., Richmond, R. L., & Swan, G. E. (in press). Measures of abstinence from tobacco in clinical trials: Issues and recommendations. Nicotine and Tobacco Research.

Hurt, R. D., Wolter, T. D., Rigotti, N., Hays, J. T., Niaura, R. S., Durcan, M. J., Gonzales, D., Sachs, D. P., Johnston, J. A., & Offord, K. P. (2002). Bupropion for pharmacologic relapse prevention to smoking: Predictors of outcome. Addictive Behaviors, 27, 493-507.

Hutchison, K. E., LaChance, H., Niaura, R. S., Bryan, A. D., & Smolen, A. (2002). The DRD4 VNTR polymorphism influences reactivity to smoking cues. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 111, 134-143.

Kahler, C. W., Brown, R. A., Ramsey, S. E., Niaura, R. S., Abrams, D. B., Goldstein, M. G., Mueller, T. I., & Miller, I. W. (2002). Negative mood, depressive symptoms, and major depression after smoking cessation treatment in smokers with a history of major depressive disorder. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 111, 670-675.

Kahler, C. W., Brown, R. A., Strong, D. R., Lloyd-Richardson, E. E., & Niaura, R. S. (in press). History of major depressive disorder among smokers in cessation treatment: Associations with dysfunctional attitudes and coping. Addictive Behaviors.

Lerman, C., Audrain, J., Tercyak, K., Hawk, L. W., Bush, A., Crystal- Mansour, S., Rose, C., Niaura, R. S., & Epstein, L. H. (2001). Attention- Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Symptoms and smoking patterns among participants in a smoking cessation program. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 3, 353-359.

Lerman, C., & Niaura, R. S. (2002). Applying genetic approaches to treating nicotine addiction. Oncogene, 21, 7412-7420.

Lerman, C., Roth, D., Kaufmann, V., Audrain, J., Hawk, L., Liu, A., Niaura, R. S., & Epstein, L. (2002). Mediating mechanisms for the impact of bupropion in smoking cessation treatment. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 67, 219-223.

Lloyd-Richardson, E. E., Papandonatos, G. D., Kazura, A., Stanton, C., & Niaura, R. S. (2002). Differentiating stages of smoking intensity among adolescents: Stage-specific psychological, social, and contextual influences. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 998-1009.

McCaffery, J. M., Niaura, R. S., Swan, G., & Carmelli, D. (in press). A study of depressive symptoms and smoking behavior in adult male twins from the NHLBI twin study. Nicotine and Tobacco Research.

McCaffery, J. M., Niaura, R. S., Todaro, J. F., Swan, G., & Carmelli, D. (in press). Depressive symptoms and metabolic risk in adult male twins enrolled in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Twin Study. Psychosomatic Medicine.

Monti, P. M., Niaura, R. S., & Abrams, D. B. (in press). Ongoing research and future directions. In D. B. Abrams, R. Niaura, R. S., Brown, K. Emmons, M. G. Goldstein, & P. M. Monti (Eds.), Treating nicotine addiction: An evidence based practice guide. New York: Guilford Press.

Monti, P. M., Rohsenow, D. J., Swift, R. M., Gulliver, S. B., Colby, S. M., Mueller, T. I., Brown, R. A., Gordon, A., Abrams, D. B., Niaura, R. S., & Asher, M. K. (2001). Naltrexone and cue exposure with coping and communication skills training for alcoholics: Treatment process and one-year outcomes. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 25, 1634-1647.

Niaura, R. S., & Abrams, D. B. (2001). Stopping smoking: A hazard for people with a history of major depression. The Lancet, 357, 1900-1901.

Niaura, R. S., & Abrams, D. B. (2002). Smoking cessation: Progress, priorities, & prospectus. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 494-509.

Niaura, R. S., Bock, B. C., Lloyd, E. E., Brown, R., Lipsitt, L. P., & Buka, S. (2001). Maternal transmission of nicotine dependence: Psychiatric, neurocognitive, and prenatal factors. American Journal on Addictions, 10, 16-29.

Niaura, R. S., Britt, D., Shadel, W. G., Goldstein, M. G., Abrams, D. B., & Brown, R. (2001). Symptoms of depression and survival experience among three samples of smokers trying to quit. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 15, 13-17.

Niaura, R. S., Shadel, W., Britt, D., & Abrams, D. B. (2002). Response to social stress, urge to smoke, and smoking cessation. Addictive Behaviors, 27, 241-250.

Niaura, R. S., Shadel, W. G., Goldstein, M. G., Hutchison, K., & Abrams, D. B. (2001). Individual differences in responses to the first cigarette following overnight abstinence in regular smokers. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 3, 37-44.

Niaura, R. S., Spring, B., Borrelli, B., Hedeker, D., Goldstein, M. G., Keuthen, N., DePue, J. D., Kristeller, J., Ockene, J., Prochazka, A., Chiles, J. A., & Abrams, D. B. (2002). Multicenter trial of fluoxetine as an adjunct to behavioral treatment for smoking cessation. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 887-896.

Niaura, R. S., Todaro, J. F., Stroud, L. R., Spiro, A., III, Ward, K. D., & Weiss, S. (2002). Hostility, the metabolic syndrome, and incident coronary heart disease. Health Psychology, 21, 588-593.

Park, E., DePue, J., Goldstein, M. G., Niaura, R. S., Harlow, L., Willey, C., Rakowski, W., & Prokhorov, A. (in press). Application of the transtheoretical model of change to physicians counseling smokers. Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

Park, E., Eaton, C., Goldstein, M. G., DePue, J. D., Niaura, R. S., Guadagnoli, E., MacDonald Gross, N., & Dub, C. (2001). The development of a decisional balance measure of physician smoking cessation interventions. Preventive Medicine, 33, 261-267.

Park, E. R., MacDonald Gross, N. A., Goldstein, M. G., DePue, J. D., Hecht, J., Eaton, C. A., Niaura, R. S., & Dub, C. E. (2002). Physician recruitment for a community based smoking cessation intervention. Journal of Family Practice, 51, 70.

Rohsenow, D. J., Abrams, D. B., Monti, P. M., Colby, S. M., & Niaura, R. S. (in press). The smoking effects questionnaire for adult populations: Development and psychometric properties. Addictive Behaviors.

Shadel, W. G., Niaura, R. S., & Abrams, D. B. (2001). Does completing a craving questionnaire promote increased smoking craving? An experimental investigation. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 15, 265-267.

Shadel, W. G., Niaura, R. S., & Abrams, D. B. (2001). Effect of different cue stimulus delivery channels on craving reactivity: Comparing in vivo and video cues in regular cigarette smokers. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 32, 203-209.

Shadel, W. G., Niaura, R. S., & Abrams, D. B. (2001). How do adolescents process smoking and anti-smoking advertisements? A social cognitive analysis with implications for understanding smoking initiation. Review of General Psychology, 5, 429-444.

Shadel, W. G., Niaura, R. S., & Abrams, D. B. (2002). Adolescents reactions to the imagery displayed in smoking and anti-smoking advertisements. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 16, 173-176.

Shadel, W. G., Niaura, R. S., Brown, R., Hutchison, K. E., & Abrams, D. B. (2001). A content analyses of smoking craving. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 57, 145-150.

Shadel, W. G., Niaura, R. S., Goldstein, M. G., & Abrams, D. B. (2001). Cognitive avoidance as a method of coping with a provocative smoking cue: The moderating effect of nicotine dependence. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 24, 169-182.

Shiffman, S., Shadel, W. G., Niaura, R. S., Khayrallah, M., Jorenby, D., Ryan, C., & Ferguson, C. (in press). Efficacy of acute administration of nicotine gum in relief of cue-provoked cigarette craving. Psychopharmacology.

Stroud, L. R., & Niaura, R. S. (2001). Sex differences in cardiovascular reactivity to physical appearance and performance challenges. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 8, 240-250.

Stroud, L. R., Niaura, R. S., & Stoney, C. M. (2001). Sex differences in cardiovascular reactivity to physical appearance and performance challenges. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 8, 240-250.

Honors

• Fellow, American Psychological Association, 2003.
• Invited Presentation: What can the cue exposure paradigm tell you about drug craving: The example of tobacco. Presented at the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Sixth Annual Research Symposium on Mental Health Sciences, Brown Medical School, Providence, RI. March, 2002.
• Secretary/Treasurer, Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, 2002.
• Fellow, Society of Behavioral Medicine, 2001 - present.