CURRICULUM VITAE
CHRISTIANNE ESPOSITO-SMYTHERS, PH.D.
July 2017
George Mason University
Department of Psychology, MSN 3F5
4400 University Drive
Fairfax, VA 22030
E-mail:
Phone: 703-993-2039 / Fax: 703-993-1359
EDUCATION
Lafayette College
Dates:8/90-5/94
Majors: Psychology and English
Degree: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), May 1994
Honors: Summa Cum Laude, Honors in Psychology
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Dates:8/95-12/97
Major: Clinical Psychology
Degree:Masters of Science (M.S.), December 1997
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Dates:1/98-5/00
Major: Clinical Psychology
Degree:Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D.), May 2000
West Virginia University School of Medicine, Dept. of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry
Dates:7/99-6/00
Position:Pre-Doctoral Intern in Clinical Psychology, Child Track
POSTGRADUATE TRAINING
Brown Medical School, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Providence, RI
Postdoctoral Fellow in Clinical Child Psychology
7/00-6/01
Brown University, Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Providence, RI
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism T32 Postdoctoral Fellow / Research Associate
7/01–12/03
HONORS AND AWARDS
1992 Psi Chi National Honor Society in Psychology
1994 Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society
1994 President of Lafayette College Chapter of Psi Chi National Honor Society
1994 Annual Student Research Prize given jointly by Association for Women in Psychology & Division 35 of the American Psychological Association for Honors Thesis
1994 “Herbert W. Rogers Psychology Prize” given to the outstanding student majoring in psychology, Lafayette College
1994 “Gilbert Prize for Excellence in English”, Lafayette College
2000 Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society
7/03-6/05Student Loan Repayment Award from NIAAA
7/03Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow for the NIAAA T32 program at Brown University
6/04Sharon Chauncy Fellowship Award (humanitarian award), Brown University Center for
Alcohol & Addiction Studies
3/06American Foundation for Suicide Prevention annual Pfizer Travel Award recipient
7/05-6/10Student Loan Repayment Renewal from NIAAA
PROFESSIONAL LICENSES
Licensed as a Clinical Psychologist in Rhode Island (License # PS00822), 8/03–7/16
Licensed as a Clinical Psychologist in Virginia (License #0810004271), 6/10 - present
ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
Research Associate, Department of Community Health, Brown University, Providence, RI
1/1/04-1/31/04
Assistant Professor (Research), Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, Brown Medical School2/1/04 – 8/24/08
Training Faculty, Center for Alcohol & Addiction Studies Post-Doctoral Training Program, Brown University, 9/17/04–8/24/08
Training Faculty, Brown Psychology Training Consortium, Clinical Psychology Pre-Doctoral Internship and Clinical/Research Fellowship Programs, Brown Medical School, 7/1/05 – 8/24/08
Adjunct Faculty, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI
8/25/08 – present
Assistant Professor, Clinical Psychology Faculty, Department of Psychology, George Mason University, 8/25/08 – 8/24/12
Associate Professor, Clinical Psychology Faculty, Department of Psychology, George Mason University, 8/25/12 – present
Director of Clinical Training, Clinical Psychology Program, Department of Psychology, George Mason University, 7/1/17 – present
HOSPITAL APPOINTMENTS
Consultant Medical Staff, Clinical Psychology, Emma Pendleton Bradley Children’s Hospital/Brown Medical School, 10/26/04 – 8/24/08
Clinical Research Contactor, Inova Kellar Center/Inova Healthcare System, 6/10/16 - present
GRANT FUNDING
1. Young Investigator Award: Treatment of Youth Alcohol Abuse and Suicidality
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Aim: Develop and pilot a manualized cognitive behavioral treatment for adolescents with co-occurring alcohol use disorder and suicidality in an open trial.
Total Costs: $69,693
Dates of grant: 7/03 – 6/05
Role: Principal Investigator
2. Psychopathology, Cognition, and Suicide In Adolescents
R01 MH065885 (Esposito-Smythers, PI)
National Institute on Mental Health
Aim: Test a cognitive mediational model to explain the relation between psychopathology and adolescent suicidality.
Total Costs: $538,089
Dates of grant: 1/1/04-12/31/06 (No-cost extension 1/1/07-12/31/07)
Role: Principal Investigator
Co-Investigators: Anthony Spirito, Ph.D., Ronald Seifer, Ph.D.
3.Treatment of Youth Alcohol Abuse and Suicidality
R01 AA014191 (Esposito-Smythers, PI)
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Aim: Compare an integrated cognitive behavioral treatment to enhanced treatment-as-usual for adolescents with co-occurring alcohol use disorder and suicidality in a Stage I randomized clinical trial.
Total Costs: $1,162,783
Dates of grant: 4/15/04-3/31/08 (No-cost extension 4/1/08-3/31/09)
Role: Principal Investigator
Co-Investigators: Anthony Spirito, Ph.D., Peter Monti, Ph.D., Christopher Kahler, Ph.D.
4. Course and Outcome For Bipolar Disorder in Youth
R01MH059929 (Keller, PI)
National Institute of Mental Health
Aim: This multi-site (Brown University, University of Pittsburgh, University of California Los Angeles) study investigated how the phenomenology, treatment responsiveness, and course of bipolar disorder is influenced by the developmental transitions from childhood to young adulthood.
Total Costs: $2,974,155 (Brown Site)
Dates of grant: 8/1/06-7/31/11 (*Completed participation on this grant 8/24/08 when moved to GMU)
Role: Co-Investigator
PI/Other Co-Investigators (Brown site): Martin Keller (PI), Jeffrey Hunt, M.D.
5. Integrated Treatment of Alcohol and/or Marijuana Abuse Among HIV Infected Youth
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development /Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS (ATN) (Brown, PI)
ATN 069
Aim: Develop an intervention that combines cognitive behavioral therapy and contingency management procedures to reduce substance use and sexual risk behavior, and increase medication compliance, among HIV infected young people and then test in an open pilot trial.
Dates of grant: 9/1/07-2/28/10
Total costs: $470,108
Role: Co-Investigator
PI (Brown site): Larry Brown, M.D.
6. Alcohol, Suicide, and HIV Prevention for Teens in Mental Health Treatment
R01AA016854 (Esposito-Smythers, PI)
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Aim: Develop a family-focused cognitive behavioral substance abuse, suicide, and HIV prevention program for adolescents receiving community mental health services and then test it in a Stage I randomized clinical trial.
Dates of grant: 9/1/08-8/30/12 (two no-cost extensions to 8/30/14)
Total costs: $1,154,188
Role: Principal Investigator
Co-Investigators: Larry Brown, M.D.Wendy Hadley, Ph.D.
7. Mental Health Intervention for Adolescents Coping With the Parental Military Deployment Cycle
R34MH082164 (Esposito-Smythers & Spirito, PIs*)
National Institute of Mental Health
Aim: Develop a cognitive behavioral outpatient intervention for adolescents of military personnel experiencing depression, anxiety, or behavior problems associated with the deployment cycle.
Dates of grant: 8/1/09-6/30/12
Total costs: $493,670
Role: Multiple PI with Anthony Spirito, Ph.D.
Co-Investigators: Caron Zlotnick, Ph.D. & Patrick McKnight, Ph.D.
* I was awarded this grant as PI while at Brown but transferred PI status to Tony Spirito when I moved to GMU to maintain the performance site. We functioned as Multiple PIs.
8. Integrated Mental HealthTreatment and HIV Prevention for Court Involved Youth
R01MH087520 (Brown, PI)
National Institute of Mental Health
Aim: Compare the relative efficacy of an integrated mental health treatment/substance abuse and HIV prevention program to enhanced treatment-as-usual in community based outpatient mental health services for court involved youth referred for treatment through the Rhode Island Family Court and Fairfax County Juvenile Court in a Stage II randomized clinical trial.
Dates of grant: 7/1/10-6/30/15
Total costs: $3,249,659
Role: Co-Investigator / GMU Site PI
PI/Co-Investigators: Larry Brown, M.D. (PI), Sarah Fischer, Ph.D., Marina Tolou-Shams, Ph.D., Wendy Hadley, Ph.D., & Ronald Seifer, PhD.
9. Intensive Outpatient Protocol for High Risk Suicidal Teens
1R01MH097703 (Esposito-Smythers/Spirito, Multiple PIs)
National Institute of Mental Health
Aim: Compare the relative efficacy of an intensive outpatient cognitive behavioral treatment protocol fordepressed adolescents hospitalized for a suicide crisis, with a suicide attempt, non-suicidal self-injury and/or a substance use disorder, to treatment-as-usual in community outpatient mental health services in a Stage II randomized clinical trial.
Dates of grant: 7/1/12-6/30/17
Total costs: $2,911,138
Role: Multiple PI with Anthony Spirito, Ph.D.
Co-Investigators: Jennifer Wolff, Ph.D., Daniel Dickstein, M.D., Shirley Yen, Ph.D., Bob Stout, Ph.D.,
GRANTS UNDER REVISION
Brief Family-Based Suicide Prevention Program for Juvenile Justice Involved Youth
1 R34 MH113904-01 (Esposito-Smythers PI)
National Institute of Mental Health
Aim: Develop and test a culturally sensitive family-based brief suicide intervention protocol designed to improve linkage to mental health care among juvenile justice involved youth who report recent suicidal ideation, suicidal behavior, and/or non-suicidal self-injury. Our primary aim is to examine whether our family-based brief intervention, relative to enhanced standard care, is associated with greater clinical service use, which in turn, may help reduce adolescent suicidal ideation and self-harm.
Total Costs: $676,485
Role: PI
Co-Is: Timothy Curby, Ph.D. & Leah Adams, Ph.D.
* Was submitted in response to a PAR with funding for up to 4 applications. This grant was not selected. Plan to redesign as a technology-based intervention.
Brief Alcohol and Dating Violence Preventive Intervention for Court-involved Youth
1F31AA026158-01 NRSA (Williams, Student PI / Esposito-Smythers, Mentor PI)
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Aim: Develop and conduct an open pilot trial to test a culturally sensitive alcohol and dating violence prevention program for court-involved adolescents.
Total costs: $31,520.00
Role: Mentor PI / Caitlin Williams Student PI
Co-Mentors and Consultants: Timothy Curby, Ph.D., Christie Rizzo, Ph.D., Gregory Stuart, Ph.D., Courtney Porter, M.S.
* Was not funded on the first round - was resubmitted to NIAAA on 8-8-17
GRANT CONSULTANT WORK
1. An Affect-Management Intervention for Juvenile Offenders
R21 DA019245 (Brown, PI)
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Aim: Adapt an existing affect management intervention used in a NIMH-funded project for adolescents with psychiatric disordersto juvenile drug court offenders and collect pilot data to evaluate its efficacy.
Dates of grant: 10/1/04-8/31/06
Role: Consultant
2. Relapse Prevention for Suicidal Dually Diagnosed Youths
R34MH067904 (Goldston, PI)
National Institute on Mental Health
Aim: Develop, refine, and pilot test a cognitive behavioral relapse prevention intervention for suicidal adolescents with co-occurring mood and substance use disorders.
Dates of grant: 7/19/05-5/31/08
Role: Consultant
3. Integrated Treatment for Comorbid Depression and Obesity in Adolescents
R34MH083092
National Institute of Mental Health (Spirito & Jelalian, Multiple PIs)
Aim: Develop, refine, and pilot test an integrated cognitive behavioral and weight management protocol for adolescents with depression who are overweight or obese.
Dates of grant: 12/1/09-11/30/12
Role: Consultant
4. Concurrent Treatment for Parents and Adolescents Who Attempt Suicide
R34 MH082211 (Spirito, PI)
National Institute on Mental Health
Aim: To develop a treatment protocol that simultaneously treats adolescent suicidal behavior and parental depression and test it in a Stage I clinical trial.
Dates of grant: 7/1/09-6/30/12
Role: Consultant
5. Treatment of Youth Comorbid Conduct Problems and Depression
R34MH086606 (Wolff, PI)
National Institute of Mental Health
Aim: Develop, refine, and pilot test a family based cognitive behavioral treatment protocolfor pre-adolescents with comorbid depression and conduct disorder.
Dates of grant: 8/1/10-5/31/13
Role: Consultant
6. Adolescents with Major Depression and Alcohol Use Disorders: Community-Based Integrated Treatment
R01AA020705 (Spirito, PI)
Aim: In a hybrid efficacy/effectiveness randomized clinical trial, compare the relative efficacy of a cognitive behavioral treatment protocol for adolescents with depression and alcohol use to treatment-as-usual, in the context of community-based agency that delivers intensive in-home services.
Dates of grant: 4/20/12–3/31/17
Total Costs: $3,335,487
Role: Consultant (Note - I was included as a Co-I on this submission but due to a reviewer’s concern about being off-site, I agreed to serve as a consultant but functionedlike a Co-I)
CONTRACTS
Inova Kellar Center Clinical Research Service Contract
Aim: The purpose of this contract is to help the Inova Kellar Center (part of the Inova Healthcare System) develop and implement web-based routine outcomes monitoring, also known as measurement-based care (MBC), in collaboration with OWL Insights, LLC. The Kellar Center provides behavioral health treatment to children, adolescents, and their families, and offers a full continuum of services including partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, intensive home-based services, outpatient, medication management, psychiatric evaluations, psychological testing, and a therapeutic school. Use of MBC will allow the Kellar Center to use client self-report data, collected via empirically validated assessments, to guide treatment and discharge planning, monitor client progress, evaluate the efficacy of all services, and address accreditation requirements. These data will also be used to prepare research papers and provide pilot data for grant applications.
Dates of Contract: 6/7/16-6/6/18
Total Costs: $165,298
Role: PI
Training Consortium in Evidence-Based Assessment and Treatment
Aim: To establish a GMU training consortium, in partnership with Healthy Minds Fairfax (Fairfax-Falls Church Behavioral Health System of Care for Children, Youth and Families Office) and the Inova Kellar Center (Inova Healthcare System) for ongoing training for behavioral health providers and staff from Fairfax County Health and Human Service Agencies, Fairfax County Public Schools, and Private Provider Networks. Grounded in dissemination and implementation science, theprimary research aims of this consortium are to: refineour existing evidence-based trans-diagnostic treatment protocols (for suicidal behavior and other mental health conditions), with heavy stakeholder involvement, to improve acceptability to clinicians, feasibility ofdelivery, and associated improvement in client outcomes; develop supplemental web-based materials (e.g., podcasts of role-plays for each skill) to facilitate clinician learning and uptake; develop an outcome evaluation system that monitors consortium effectiveness, training effectiveness, clinical staff effectiveness, and client outcomes; develop competency-based assessments of therapist skill to measure skill acquisition; and develop a clinician recruitment and retention protocol.
Dates of Contract: 10/1/17-9/30/20
Total Costs: $428,664
Role: PI
Co-Investigator: Keith Renshaw, Ph.D.
* Received preliminary approval for funding, awaiting final approval
PUBLICATIONS IN PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS
* = student author (undergraduate, masters, doctoral, and/or postdoctoral level)
1. Esposito, C. & Basow, S. (1995). College students’ attitudes toward abortion: The role of knowledge and demographic variables. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 25, 1996-2017.doi: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1995.tb01828.x
2. Esposito, C. & Clum, G.A. (1999). Specificity of depressive symptoms and suicidality in a juvenile delinquent population. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 21, 171-182.doi: 10.1023/A:1022112606978
3. Clum, G.A., Esposito, C., Hirai, M., & Nelson, W. (2000). The relative contribution of diagnostic and psychosocial variables to severity of suicidal ideation. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 22, 79-90.doi: 10.1023/A:1007528632026
4. Esposito, C. & Clum, G.A. (2002). Social support and problem-solving as moderators of the relationship between childhood abuse and suicidality: Applications to a delinquent population. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 15, 137-146.doi: 10.1023/A:1014860024980
5. Esposito, C. & Clum, G.A. (2002). Psychiatric symptoms and their relation to suicidal ideation in a high risk adolescent community sample. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 41, 44-51.doi: 10.1097/00004583-200201000-00010
6. Esposito, C. & Clum, G. (2003). The relative importance of diagnostic and psychosocial factors in the prediction of adolescent suicidal ideation. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 32, 386-395.doi: 10.1207/S15374424JCCP3203_07
7. Penn, J., Esposito, C., Shaeffer, L., Fritz, G., & Spirito, A. (2003). Suicide attempts and self-mutilative behavior in a juvenile correctional facility. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 42, 762-769. doi: 10.1097/01.CHI.0000046869.56865.46
8. Esposito, C., Spirito, A., Boergers, J., & Donaldson, D. (2003). Affective, cognitive, and behavioral functioning in adolescents with multiple suicide attempts. Suicide and Life Threatening Behavior, 33, 389-399.doi: 10.1521/suli.33.4.389.25231
9. Esposito-Smythers, C., Jobes, D.A., Lester, D., & Spirito, A. (2004). A case study on adolescent suicide: Tim. Archives of Suicide Research, 8, 187-197.doi: 10.1080/13811110490271380
10. Esposito-Smythers, C. & Spirito, A. (2004). Adolescent suicidal behavior and substance use: A review with implications for treatment research. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 28 (supplement), 77S-88S.
11. Colby, S.M., Lee, C.S., Lewis-Esquerre, J., Esposito-Smythers, C., & Monti, P. (2004). Adolescent alcohol misuse: Methodological issues for enhancing treatment research. Addiction, 99 (suppl. 2), 47-62.doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2004.00854.x
12. Donaldson, D., Spirito, A., & Esposito-Smythers, C.(2005). Treatment for adolescents following a suicide attempt: Results of a pilot trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 44, 113-120. doi: 10.1097/00004583-200502000-00003
13. Penn, J., Esposito-Smythers, C., Stein, L., *Latcher-Katz, M., & Spirito, A. (2005). Juvenile correctional workers perceptions of suicide risk factors and mental health issues of incarcerated juveniles. Journal of Correctional Health Care, 11, 333-346.doi: 10.1177/107834580401100403
14. Esposito-Smythers, C., McClung, T., & *Fairlie, A. (2006). Adolescent perceptions of a suicide preventiongroup on an inpatient Unit.Archives of Suicide Research, 10, 265-275.doi: 10.1080/13811110600582554
15. Esposito-Smythers, C., Birmaher, B., Valeri, S., Chiappetta, L., Hunt, J., Ryan, N., Axelson, D., Strober, M., Leonard, H., Sindelar, H., & Keller, M. (2006). Child comorbidity, maternal mood disorder, and perceptions of family functioning among Bipolar youth. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,45, 955-964. doi: 10.1097/01.chi.0000222785.11359.04
16. Spirito, A. & Esposito-Smythers, C. (2006). Attempted and completed suicide in adolescence. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 2, 237-266.doi: 10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.2.022305.095323
17. Esposito-Smythers, C., Spirito, A., Uth, R., & *Lachance, H. (2006). Cognitive behavioral treatment for suicidal alcohol abusing adolescents: Development and pilot testing. American Journal on Addictions, 15(suppl), 126-130. doi: 10.1080/10550490601003631 PMC1821071
18. *Rizzo, C., Esposito-Smythers, C., *Swenson, L., Birmaher, B., Ryan, N., Strober, M., Chiappetta, L., Valeri, S., Hunt, J., Axelson, D., Leonard, H., & Keller, M. (2007). Factors associated with mentalhealth service utilization among bipolar youth. Bipolar Disorders, 9, 839-850.doi: 10.1111/j.1399-5618.2007.00439.xPMC3600857
19. McGeary, J., Esposito-Smythers, C., Spirito, A., & Monti, P. (2007). Associations of the dopamine D4 receptor gene VNTR polymorphism with drug use in adolescent psychiatric inpatients. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior, 86, 401-406.doi: 10.1016/j.pbb.2006.11.001
PMC1864953
20. *Swenson, L., Esposito-Smythers, C., Hunt, J., Hollander, E., Dyl, J., *Rizzo, C., Steinley, D., & Spirito, A. (2007). Validation of the children’s interview for psychiatric syndromes (ChIPS) with psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 46, 1482-1490. doi: 10.1097/chi.0b013e31814cef0e
21. Goldstein, B.I., Strober, M.A., Birmaher, B ., Axelson, D.A., Esposito-Smythers, C., Leonard, H., Hunt, J., Gill, M.K., Iyengar, S. Grimm, C., Yang, M., Ryan, N.D., Keller, M.B. (2008).Substance use disorders among adolescents with bipolar spectrum disorders. Bipolar Disorders, 10, 469-478. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-5618.2008.00584.x PMC2768482
22. Esposito-Smythers, C. & Goldston, D. (2008). Challenges and opportunities in the treatment of adolescents with substance use disorders and suicidal behavior. Substance Abuse, 29, 5-18. PMC2846603
23. Esposito-Smythers, C., Penn, J.V., Stein, L., *Latcher-Katz, M., & Spirito, A. (2008). A test of problem behavior and self-medication theories in incarcerated adolescent males.Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse, 17, 41-56. doi: 10.1080/15470650802292731PMC2818064
24. Goldstein, B.I., Birmaher, B., Axelson, D.A., Goldstein, T.R., Esposito-Smythers, C., Strober, M.A., Hunt, J., Leonard, H. (deceased), Gill, M.K., Iyengar, S., Grimm, C., Yang, M., Ryan, N.D., Keller, M. (2008). Preliminary findings regarding overweight and obesity in pediatric bipolar disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 69, 1953-1959.PMC2911030
25. Goldstein, B.I., Birmaher, B., Axelson, D.A., Goldstein, T., Esposito-Smythers, C., Strober, M.A., Hunt, J., Leonard, H. (deceased), Gill, M.K., Iyengar, S. Grimm, C., Yang, M., Ryan, N.D., Keller, M.B. (2008).Significance of cigarette smoking among youth with bipolar disorder. American Journalon Addictions, 17, 364-371. doi: 10.1080/10550490802266151PMC2905883