Skip to Main Content

Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin, PhD

Albert E. Kent Professor of Psychiatry; Chair, Human Investigations Committee (IRB), Human Research Protections Program; Professor, Chronic Disease Epidemiology

Contact Information

Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin, PhD

Mailing Address

  • Psychiatry

    Connecticut Mental Health Center, 34 Park Street

    New Haven, CT 06519

    United States

Appointments

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.

Education & Training

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

Activities

  • Developing smoking cessation interventions for adolescent smokers
    Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands (2011-2013)
    To develop and examine the use of computer based retraining of implicit tobacco approach tendencies for smoking cessation in adolescent smokers when combined with clinician provided CBT for treating tobacco dependence.

Honors & Recognition

AwardAwarding OrganizationDate
Young Investigator AwardSociety for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco1997

Professional Service

OrganizationRoleDate
Cancer Prevention Working Group, American Association for Cancer ResearchMember2021 - Present
Society for Research on Nicotine and TobaccoPresident2020 - Present
DHHS Interagency committee on Smoking and Health, Center for Disease Control and PreventionAd-hoc Member2019 - Present
Society for Research on Nicotine and TobaccoBoard Member2019 - Present
Yale School of Medicine Senior Appointments and Promotions CommitteeAd-hoc Member2017 - 2019
AddictionJournal Editorial Board2015 - Present
CT Tobacco and Health Trust Fund, Board of TrusteesAd-hoc Member2014 - 2016
Surgeon General’s Report “Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People”.Health effects of smoking on children, adolescents, and young adults2012 - Present
Institute of Medicine of the National Academies Report “Scientific Standards for Studies on Modified Risk Tobacco ProductsEthics and Oversight of Research Studies on Modified Risk Tobacco Products2012 - Present
Alcoholism: Clinical Experimental ResearchJournal Editorial Board2011 - 2015
American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Editorial BoardJournal Editorial Board2009 - 2015
Human Investigations CommitteeVice Chair2008 - 2012
Yale School of Medicine Admissions CommitteeMember2008 - 2011
James and Esther King Biomedical research program and the Bankhead-Coley Cancer Research program, Florida Department of HealthMember2007 - 2012
Pennsylvania Department of Health Tobacco Settlement Fund Reviews.Member2006 - 2012
Human Investigations CommitteeMember2003 - 2012
California Tobacco Related Disease Research Program CommitteeMember2003 - 2005
NIH study sectionsMember2002 - 2012
NIAAA Alcohol Clinical and Treatment Review CommitteeMember2002 - 2006
Departmental Protocol Review CommitteeMember1999 - 2002

Departments & Organizations