Overview
The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health is committed to investigating and advancing the treatment of psychiatric conditions. Our Department places a high priority on facilitating and promoting clinical research within SLRHC. Clinicians and researchers in the department are actively engaged in a variety of behavioral and pharmacological research projects targeting mental health, substance abuse, and other health problems among adults, children, and families. Research study funding comes from a variety of sources, including federal institutes like the National Institutes of Health, pharmaceutical companies, private/non-profit foundations, as well as internal awards from the SLRHC Trustees. Studies offer patients free or limited fee care for specific problems in exchange for their research participation. Each study has specific rules about who are appropriate participants in the research; sometimes patients who want to enroll may not be able to participate. It is important for patients to check this website to read about studies and contact a research staff member to find out more information. A list of active studies and contact information is available below.

The administrative offices of the Division of Clinical Research are located at St. Luke’s Hospital in the Behavioral Science Research Unit (BSRU). The Division Director is Dr. Deborah Haller and the Assistant Director is Dr. Aimee Campbell. Annmarie Clarke is the Departmental Grants Manager. The research office manager, Bonnie Bruzdziak, is available to take calls, answer questions, and direct patients to appropriate study personnel from 9:00am to 5:00pm, Monday through Friday. Bonnie can be reached at 212-523-5232 or bbruzdziak@chpnet.org.  

The BSRU is uniquely designed to support behavioral and pharmacological health research. The BSRU is conveniently located on Manhattan’s upper westside (at 114th Street and Amsterdam Avenue) within a short walking distance of the 1 and C subway lines. The BSRU is equipped with a waiting room, administrative offices, exam rooms, testing and interview rooms, a secure file room for research materials, and an ADA compliant bathroom. The 12-seat conference room is suitable for meetings, group interventions and site visits.  In addition to dedicated research space on the BSRU, the Department of Psychiatry also has research space at Roosevelt Hospital (within the Addiction Institute of New York) and in the Psychiatry Department’s Administrative Suite in the Brodsky Building (across the street from Roosevelt Hospital).  Research areas have dedicated offices and medical exam rooms.  Research facilities allow for additional geographic options and resources to better serve participants from the NYC metropolitan area. SLRHC maintains an Institutional Review Board, which is responsible for overseeing participant protection in all research studies.

Research Participation and Treatment
Most of the research conducted within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health are clinical studies; that is, they offer new or state-of-the-art interventions that are still being tested or established treatments that are tried with new patient populations. Before a patient enrolls in a research project, a staff member will review the study’s goals, the pros and cons of participation, and the responsibilities associated with being a participant, such as time commitment. All participants go through an informed consent process, including receiving a copy of the consent form, prior to beginning the study. Participation in a research study is strictly voluntary. Choosing not to participate in a research study does not affect a patient’s routine medical care. However, some research treatments may not be available through SLRHC clinical programs.

Because treatments are being delivered within the context of research projects, patients may be “randomly assigned” – like the flip of a coin – to various treatment options. This means they may not get the treatment of their choice. Research studies differ in the number of assessments patients are asked to complete and the length of participation. Patients may or may not be compensated for the time they spend completing research measures or providing biomedical specimens like urine or blood samples.

Research Teams
The members of research study teams vary depending on the type of research being conducted. However, all research studies have a Principal Investigator who is responsible for every aspect of the study. Studies will usually have additional staff that may include a research coordinator, research assistant, physician, nurse, and/or therapists or counselors. Research treatment personnel are licensed medical and mental health professionals who have specialized training in research treatments and procedures. Advanced trainees may also work on research studies under the supervision of research faculty.

Current Projects and Contact Information
Research projects are conducted at St. Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospitals, as well as in community locations. Contact the individual project staff person to find out more about each study.