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INFORMATION FOR

Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin, PhD

Albert E. Kent Professor of Psychiatry
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Additional Titles

Chair, Human Investigations Committee (IRB), Human Research Protections Program

Professor, Chronic Disease Epidemiology

About

Titles

Albert E. Kent Professor of Psychiatry

Chair, Human Investigations Committee (IRB), Human Research Protections Program; Professor, Chronic Disease Epidemiology

Biography

Dr. Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine. She is also a Chair of the Human Investigations Committee (IRB) at Yale. Her research is focused on developing a bio-behavioral understanding of substance use behaviors in adult and adolescent substance users, with the goal of developing optimal prevention and cessation interventions. In the area of adolescent tobacco use, her research focuses on understanding the appeal, abuse potential and patterns of use of tobacco products, developing and testing the use of novel behavioral and pharmacological cessation and prevention interventions, and understanding behavioral and neural predictors of use and cessation behaviors. She has contributed to the Surgeon General’s reports on youth tobacco use behaviors, served as a member of the FDA’s Tobacco Product Scientific Advisory Committee and currently serves on the CDC's Interagency Commission on Smoking and Health. Dr. Krishnan-Sarin is the Co-PI on the Yale Tobacco Centers Of Regulatory Science, funded by the NIH and FDA, which is using a multidisciplinary approach to understand the role of flavors and other constituents of tobacco products in tobacco and nicotine addiction. She also leads the ENACT initiative funded by the American Heart Association which is focused on developing interventions for e-cigarette use behaviors among youth. In a separate and distinct line of research Dr. Krishnan-Sarin also develops and tests novel pharmacological interventions for alcohol use disorders in adults and examines neurochemical predictors of alcohol use and treatment response.

Last Updated on April 07, 2025.

Appointments

Other Departments & Organizations

Education & Training

Postdoctoral Fellow
Yale Univeristy (1996)
Postdoctoral fellowship
Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis (1995)
PhD
Purdue University (1992)

Research

Overview

My research is focused on developing novel and effective treatments for substance use behaviors among youth and adults. Among youth, this work involves understanding the prevalence and bio-behavioral underpinnings of risk taking behaviors, using a developmental perspective, and behavioral and neuroimaging methods, and translating this information into optimal prevention and cessation intervention that use experimental, behavioral and pharmacological methods. While most of this work has focused on tobacco use behaviors, we have also extended these efforts to alcohol and marijuana use among youth. My research is also focused on developing empirical scientific evidence to support national and international tobacco regulatory efforts. Among adults, my work has focused using a translational approach to developing and evaluating medications to reduce alcohol drinking among heavy drinkers.

Medical Research Interests

Adolescent Psychiatry; Alcohol Drinking; Alcohol-Related Disorders; Behavioral Medicine; Marijuana Abuse; Marijuana Use; Nicotiana; Nicotine; Psychiatry and Psychology; Psychotherapy; Smoking Cessation; Substance-Related Disorders; Tobacco Use Disorder

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin's published research.

Publications

2025

See All Publications

Clinical Trials

Current Trials

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

Activities

  • activity

    Addiction

    12/01/2015 - PresentProfessional OrganizationsEditor
  • activity

    Surgeon General’s Report “Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People”.

    2012 - PresentPublic ServiceAuthor
  • activity

    Institute of Medicine of the National Academies Report “Scientific Standards for Studies on Modified Risk Tobacco Products

    2012 - PresentPublic ServiceAuthor
  • activity

    Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco

    03/01/2020 - PresentProfessional OrganizationsPresident
  • activity

    DHHS Interagency committee on Smoking and Health, Center for Disease Control and Prevention

    12/01/2019 - PresentPeer Review Groups and Grant Study SectionsAd-hoc Member
View full list of activities

Honors

  • honor

    Young Investigator Award

    01/01/1997National AwardSociety for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco

Get In Touch

Contacts

Email
Academic Office Number
Office Fax Number
Mailing Address

Psychiatry

Connecticut Mental Health Center, 34 Park Street

New Haven, CT 06519

United States

Administrative Support