Current staff

		John Umhau, MD, MPH Clinical Fellow  telephone: 301.496.7515 john.umhau@mail.nih.gov
		David Herion, MD Staff Cinician telephone: 301.402.5305 david.herion@mail.nih.gov Dr. Herion is an internist and hepatologist whose interests focus on co-morbidity of AUD, including cigarette smoking and lung disease, clinical problems of metabolism (thyroid dysfunction, weight changes, HPA axis changes), hypertension and heart disease, and liver disease, especially hepatitis C virus infection, particularly as they relate to heavy alcohol consumption and co-morbid substance use. To these ends, he assesses how biomarkers relate to global alcohol consumption measures and other patterns of drinking in these complex clinical populations. He is also involved in the testing of treatment targets for alcohol use disorders in the ambulatory care (i.e. outpatient) setting, particularly focusing on understanding the emergence of signs and symptoms, including protracted alcohol withdrawal (sleep, mood and anxiety problems) versus medication side effects. To support these efforts, he is interested in developing clinical data management solutions for integrating data by borrowing useful approaches from clinical medicine and the behavioral sciences.
		Linda Doty, RN, MSW Social Worker telephone: 301.496.1992 linda.doty@mail.nih.gov Linda Doty has been working in the clinical field of dual diagnosis (addictions and mental health) for over 30 years as a social worker and psychiatric nurse.  She has been with NIAAA since 1991 as a research social worker administering and more recently training personnel to administer research instruments that glean clinical diagnosis to patients and healthy volunteers.  She participates in the recruitment of subjects for protocols to NIAAA, collection of data and is involved in research protocols as an Associate Investigator.
		Debby Hill, MSW Social Worker telephone: 301.402.2721 debby.hill@mail.nih.gov Debby Hill provides information to the public about our alcoholism research and treatment program, and she recruits and interviews potential participants to determine their eligibility for the various protocols.
		Cheryl Jones Psychologist telephone: 301.496.0342 cheryl.jones@mail.nih.gov   Cheryl Jones administers research-based psychological assessments for protocol participants and manages the clinical assessment data for NIAAA, coordinating with the research and nursing staff.
		Monte Phillips Biologist telephone: 301.496.9765 monte.phillips@mail.nih.gov Monte Phillips collaborates with other clinical staff in research development, design, writing, and publication of research protocols, presentations, and manuscripts.  She executes the laboratory portion of the research protocols such as centrifuging, aliquoting, freezing, and processing of human spinal tapped fluids, blood, and urine for research purposes.  Monte maintains accurate records concerning experimental results, patient activities, sample inventories, and the shipping and distribution of samples.  She also prepares research data by scoring and compiling test results, inputting data into computers, and performing tabulations and data reductions in order to assist in the analysis and interpretation of the research results.
		Lishu Zhang, MD Post-Doc IRTA telephone: 301.451.6965 lishu.zhang@mail.nih.gov
		Sara Blaine Post-Bacc IRTA telephone: 301.451.9047 sara.blaine@nih.gov  Sara Blaine acts as both a lab technician and research assistant to Dr. George and has a special interest in group therapy and relapse prevention.
		Lauren Adams  Post-Bacc IRTA telephone: 301.451.3862 adamslj@mail.nih.gov
		Julie Usala Post-Bacc IRTA telephone: 301.451.3862

08-AA-0058   Modulation of Pharmacologically Induced Alcohol Craving in Recently Detoxified Alcoholics

07-AA-0026   OPRM1 A118G SNP, Alcohol Response, and Striatal Dopamine

05-AA-0121   Assessment and Treatment of People with Alcohol Drinking Problems 

05-AA-0120   Acamprosate for Central Nervous System Hyperexcitability and Neuroadaptation in Alcohol Withdrawal

04-AA-0058   Positron Emission Tomography Imaging of Incorporation of Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) from Plasma into Brain in Healthy Volunteers

NIAAA Clinical Protocols & link to all NIH Clinical Protocols


Selected Publications

George, DT, Gilman J, Hersh J, Thorsell A, Herion D, Geyer C, Peng X, Kielbasa W, Rawlings R, Brandt JE, Gehlert DR, Tauscher JT, Hunt SP, Hommer D, Heilig M.  Neurokinin 1 receptor antagonism as a possible therapy for alcoholism.  Science. In press.

Salloum JB, Ramchandani VA, Bodurka J, Rawlings R, Momenan R, George D, Hommer DW. Blunted rostral anterior cingulate response during a simplified decoding task of negative emotional facial expressions in alcoholic patients. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. 31:1-15, 2007 Sep. PDF

Brown AK, George DT, Fujita M, Liow J-S, Ichise M, Hibbeln J, Ghose S, Sangare J, Hommer D, Innis RB. PET [11C] DASB imaging of serotonin transporters in patients with alcoholism.  Alcoholism: Clinical and Exp Research. 31:28-32, 2007 Jan. PDF

George DT, Phillips MJ, Doty L, Umhau JC, Rawlings RR. A model linking biology, behavior and psychiatric diagnoses in perpetrators of domestic violence.  Medical Hypotheses. 67:345-353, 2006. PDF

Umhau JC, Dauphinais KM, Patel SH, Nahrwold DA, Hibbeln JR, Rawlings RR, George DT. The relationship between folate and docosahexaenoic acid in men.  Eur J Clin Nutrition. 60: 352-357, 2006 Mar. PDF

Hibbeln JR, Bissette G, Umhau JC, George DT. Omega-3 status and cerebrospinal fluid corticotropin releasing hormone in perpetrators of domestic violence. Biol Psychiatry. 56:895-897, 2004 Dec 1.  PDF

George DT, Rawlings RR, Williams WA, Phillips MJ, Fong G, Kerich M, Momenan R, Umhau JC, Hommer D. A select group of perpetrators of domestic violence: evidence of decreased metabolism in the right hypothalamus and reduced relationships between cortical/subcortical brain structures in positron emission tomography. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging. 130:11-25, 2004 Jan 15. PDF

Umhau JC, Petrulis SG, Diaz R, Rawlings R, George DT. Blood glucose is correlated with  cerebrospinal fluid neurotransmitter metabolites.  Neuroendocrinology. 78:339-343, 2003 Dec. PDF

Umhau JC, Petrulis SG, Diaz R, Riggs PA, Biddison JR, George DT. Long-term abstinent alcoholics have a blunted blood glucose response to 2-Deoxy-d-glucose. Alcohol Alcoholism. 37:586-590, 2002 Nov. PDF

Umhau JC, George DT, Reed S, Petrulis SG, Rawlings R, Porges SW.  Atypical autonomic regulation in perpetrators of violent domestic abuse.  Psychophysiology. 39:117-123, 2002 Mar. PDF

George DT, Umhau JC, Phillips MJ, Emmela D, Ragan PW, Shoaf SE, Rawlings RR. Serotonin, testosterone and alcohol in the etiology of domestic violence. Psychiatry Res. 104:27-37, 2001 Oct 10. PDF

Karimullah K, George DT, DePetrillo PB. The time-course of electrocardiographic interbeat interval dynamics in alcoholic subjects after short-term abstinence. Eur J Pharmacol. 427:227-233, 2001 Sept 21. PDF

Umhau JC, Petrulis SG, Diaz R, Biddison JR, George DT.  Hypothalamic function in response to 2-deoxy-d-glucose in long-term abstinent alcoholics.  Alc Clin Exp Res. 25:781-786, 2001 May. PDF

George DT, Hibbeln JR, Ragan PW, Umhau JC, Phillips MJ, Doty L, Hommer D, Rawlings RR. Lactate-induced rage and panic in a select group of subjects who perpetrate acts of domestic violence. Biol Psychiatry. 47: 804-812, 2000 May. PDF

Hibbeln JR, Linnoila M, Umhau JC, Rawlings R, George DT, and Salem N Jr.  Essential fatty acids predict metabolites of serotonin and dopamine in cerebrospinal fluid among healthy control subjects, and early- and late-onset alcoholics.  Biol Psychiatry. 44:235-242, 1998 Aug 15. PDF

George DT, Lindquist T, Ragan PW, Alim T, Eckardt MJ, Linnoila M.  Effect of alcoholism on the incidence of lactate-induced panic attacks.  Biol Psychiatry. 42:992-999, 1997 Dec 1. PDF

George DT, Benkelfat C, Rawlings RR, Eckardt MJ, Phillips MJ, Nutt DJ, Wynne D, Murphy DL, and Linnoila M. Behavioral and neuroendocrine responses to m-chlorophenylpiperazine in subtypes of alcoholics and in healthy comparison subjects. Am J Psychiatry. 154:81-87, 1997 Jan. PDF

Fils-Aime ML, Eckardt  MJ, George DT, Brown GL, Mefford I, Linnoila M.  Early-onset alcoholics have lower cerebrospinal fluid 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid levels than late-onset alcoholics.  Arch Gen Psychiatry. 53:211-216, 1996 Mar. PDF

Bitler  DA, Linnoila M, George DT. Psychosocial and diagnostic characteristics of individuals initiating domestic violence.  J Nerv Ment Dis. 182:583-585, 1994 Oct. PDF

Benkelfat C, Murphy DL, Hill JL, George DT, Nutt D, Linnoila M.  Ethanol-like properties of the serotonergic partial agonist m-chlorophenylpiperazine (m-CPP) in chronic alcoholic patients.  Arch Gen Psychiatry. 48:383, 1991 Apr. PDF

Alcohol publications can also be found using the ETOH Database

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