Edith Vioni Sullivan, Ph.D.
Dr. Sullivan, a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, uses multiple neuroimaging modalities and component process analysis of cognitive, sensory, and motor functioning to identify brain structural and functional mechanisms disrupted in diseases affecting the brain. Target conditions include alcohol use disorder (AUD), HIV infection, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), and normal development and aging from adolescence to senescence. Structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI and fMRI), MR spectroscopy (MRS), and MR diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) are acquired in animal models of AUD in parallel with the human studies. Multi-site research projects examine 1) the development of the adolescent brain and neuropsychological function and how initiation of hazardous drinking and consumption of other drugs of abuse alter normal trajectories of brain structure and function (National Consortium on Alcohol and NeuroDevelopment in Adolescence: NCANDA.org); 2) the effects of high alcohol exposure on brain structure and function in animal models; and 3) the use of neuroimaging, neuropsychology, and biomarkers of nutrition in AUD and MCI. With more than 300 peer-reviewed publications in national and international journals, the American Psychological Association, the International Neuropsychological Society, the Research Society on Alcoholism, and the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) have recognized Dr. Sullivan for her outstanding contributions to the fields of neuropsychology and neuroimaging. This integrated research program provides a rich environment for mentoring promising young investigators, who will be the next generation of scientists dedicated to the field of alcohol and addiction research.