Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center

Alessandra Kazura, MD

Assistant Professor at theWarren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

Background Information

Alessandra Kazura, MD, received her medical degree in 1982 from Brown University and is board-certified in pediatrics, psychiatry, and child and adolescent psychiatry.

Research Interests

Kazura has a K award from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) and National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) to study family influences on child tobacco use. In addition, she is a co-investigator on several National Cancer Institute and NIDA grants investigating parent smoking cessation and adolescent smoking uptake.

Her other major area of interest is the ethics of research with children. She is a member of the AACAP Task Force on Ethical Dimensions of Research in Child Mental Health. She is a member of the executive board for the RI Chapter of the AAP, and in this role advocates for child mental health care access and quality.

Selected Research Projects

Immunizing Against Tobacco Use in Pediatric Health Care
Raymond Niaura, Ph.D. (PI) Alessandra Kazura, MD (Co-I)
Prevention of tobacco use is a national priority and is the focus of this proposal. Traditional tobacco prevention interventions fail to adequately reach low-income, high-risk youth from culturally diverse backgrounds. RISSE for Youth (RI Stop Smoking Education for Youth) targets children between the ages of 8 and 13 years. Children, with a parent/guardian, are recruited in a pediatric clinic that serves a multicultural population. Tailored counseling, delivered by a health educator, is being compared to brief health care provider advice.

Honors

Citation for Outstanding Service from the R.I. Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (2000)

Selected Publications

Brown, R. A., Ramsey, S. E., Strong, D. R., Myers, M.G., Lejuez, C.W., Niaura, R., Pallonen, U. E., Kazura, A. N., Abrams, D. B., & Goldstein, M.G. (in press). Effects of motivational interviewing on readiness and self-efficacy for smoking cessation in adolescents with psychiatric disorders.

DePue, J. D., Goldstein, M. G., Schilling, A., Reiss, P., Papandonatos, G. D., Sciamanna, C. N., & Kazura, A. (in press). Dissemination of the AHCPR clinical practice guideline in community health centers. Tobacco Control,11 (4):329-335

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 Physician Counseling Smokers project. Preventive Medicine.

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.

Find out more: Please contact us for more information about the center and our research.

Back | Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center