Barbara Banz, PhD
Assistant Professor of Emergency MedicineDownloadHi-Res Photo
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Appointments
Emergency Medicine
Primary
About
Titles
Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine
Biography
Dr. Barbara C. Banz is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine where she leads the Yale Developmental Neurocognitive Driving Simulation Research Center (DrivSim Lab). She earned her PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience in the Department of Psychology at Colorado State University. Dr. Banz completed a three-year T32 postdoctoral fellowship (NIAAA/NIDA) focused on addiction neuroscience in adolescents and young adults in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Banz’s graduate and early postdoctoral research was largely focused on using neurocognitive and neuropsychological testing, electrophysiology, and functional magnetic resonance imaging to build a neurocognitive profile of college-aged drinkers. In 2017, Dr. Banz joined the DEM and the Yale DrivSim Lab as a postdoctoral associate. As a cognitive neuroscientist with expertise in youth alcohol use, her ongoing research is aimed to develop a profile of how alcohol and drug use during youth use translates to neurocognitive functioning and real-world implications among young drivers. In the Yale DrivSim Lab, Dr. Banz designs and builds high-fidelity driving simulation studies in order bridge cognitive neuroscience with real-world application. Through her multidisciplinary and translational research program within the Yale DrivSim Lab, Dr. Banz works to transform her novel empirical work to real-world meaningful impact; understanding the brain to save the lives of teens and young adults to they can thrive in early adulthood and beyond.
Appointments
Emergency Medicine
Assistant ProfessorPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
- Center for Brain & Mind Health
- Developmental Neurocognitive Driving Simulation Research Center (DrivSim Lab)
- Emergency Medicine
- Emergency Medicine York Street Campus Faculty
Education & Training
- NIDA T32 Postdoctoral Fellow
- Yale University School of Medicine (2017)
- NIAAA T32 Postdoctoral Fellow
- Yale University School of Medicine (2015)
- PhD
- Colorado State University, Department of Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience (2014)
- MS
- Colorado State University, Department of Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience (2010)
- BS
- Shippensburg University, Psychology (2008)
Research
Overview
Medical Research Interests
Adolescent Development; Alcoholism; Automobile Driving; Binge Drinking; Cannabis; Neuroimaging; Neurosciences; Translational Research, Biomedical; Young Adult
Public Health Interests
Substance Use, Addiction
ORCID
0000-0003-4372-7296
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Frequent collaborators of Barbara Banz's published research.
Publications Timeline
A big-picture view of Barbara Banz's research output by year.
Research Interests
Research topics Barbara Banz is interested in exploring.
Federico E Vaca, MD, MPH
Deepa Camenga, MD, MHS, FAAP
Leslie Curry, PhD, MPH
Vanessa Zuniga
Michael Crowley, PhD
Kaigang Li, PhD
24Publications
129Citations
Automobile Driving
Young Adult
Cannabis
Neurosciences
Publications
2024
How the cognitive load of simulated driving affects the brain dynamics underlying auditory attention
Banz B, Wu J, Camenga D, Mayes L, Crowley M, Vaca F. How the cognitive load of simulated driving affects the brain dynamics underlying auditory attention. Traffic Injury Prevention 2024, 25: s167-s174. PMID: 39485699, DOI: 10.1080/15389588.2024.2373950.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsBrain responses to auditory stimuliResponses to auditory stimuliAuditory attentional processingCortical regionsTarget tonesNo-load conditionTemporal cortical regionsRight frontal cortical regionsTarget earFrontal cortical regionsMotor vehicle crashesAlpha responsesBrain levelsPosterior cortical regionsTheta oscillationsEvent-related brain responsesTheta powerBrain-based measuresAuditory stimuliAuditory attentionEarly time windowStudy designVehicle crashesCognitive loadWorking memoryIndividual and social-environmental factors among young drivers informing decisions to ride with an impaired driver and drive impaired: A sequential mixed methods assessment
Vaca F, Camenga D, Li K, Zuniga V, Banz B, Iannotti R, Grayton C, Simons-Morton B, Haynie D, Curry L. Individual and social-environmental factors among young drivers informing decisions to ride with an impaired driver and drive impaired: A sequential mixed methods assessment. Traffic Injury Prevention 2024, 25: s15-s24. PMID: 39485697, PMCID: PMC11563878, DOI: 10.1080/15389588.2024.2368595.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsInterview transcriptsHealth-related quality of lifeLongitudinal nationally representative studyMixed methods assessmentHealth-related qualityQualitative interview guideSequential explanatory mixed methods approachNEXT Generation Health StudyExplanatory mixed methods approachNationally representative studySocial environmental factorsStage 1 findingsAssessment of impairmentQuality of lifeMixed methods approachHealth StudyInterview guideData immersionJoint displaysMeasures of resilienceQualitative interviewsLatent class analysisRepresentative studyQualitative dataImpaired driversModeling of drinking and driving behaviors among adolescents and young adults in the United States: Complexities and Intervention outcomes
Hosseinichimeh N, MacDonald R, Li K, Fell J, Haynie D, Simons-Morton B, Banz B, Camenga D, Iannotti R, Curry L, Dziura J, Andersen D, Vaca F. Modeling of drinking and driving behaviors among adolescents and young adults in the United States: Complexities and Intervention outcomes. Social Science & Medicine 2024, 354: 117087. PMID: 39043064, PMCID: PMC11334945, DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117087.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsAlcohol-impaired drivingAlcohol-related crash fatalitiesLikelihood of unintended consequencesUnited StatesAlcohol-related crashesPolicy-makersUnintended consequencesGroup model building sessionsInterconnected factorsModel building sessionsCrash fatalitiesYoung adultsModels of drinkingHistorical trendsPublic health problemStakeholder actionsCombined interventionSustained declineIntervention outcomesHealth problemsActivistsCrash deathsInterventionSubject matter experts
2023
Shared and distinct parental influences on teen impaired driving in rural and suburban contexts: A mixed methods study of young drivers
Camenga D, Li K, Banz B, Zuniga V, Iannotti R, Grayton C, Haynie D, Simons-Morton B, Curry L, Vaca F. Shared and distinct parental influences on teen impaired driving in rural and suburban contexts: A mixed methods study of young drivers. Accident Analysis & Prevention 2023, 193: 107330. PMID: 37788529, PMCID: PMC10634432, DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2023.107330.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsParental influenceTrajectory classesNEXT Generation Health StudyHigh schoolYoung driversParent modelingRural adolescentsImpaired driversSuburban adolescentsEcodevelopmental theoryChildren's riskImpaired behaviorMixed-methods studyAdolescentsQualitative interviewsPrevention interventionsParticipantsMethods studyContextInterviewsSchoolsPurposeful selectionRural contextSuburban contextAdulthoodDo adolescent trajectories of riding with an impaired driver and driving impaired predict similar behaviors in early adulthood?
Li K, Camenga D, Banz B, Zuniga V, Iannotti R, Grayton C, Dziura J, Haynie D, Simons-Morton B, Curry L, Vaca F. Do adolescent trajectories of riding with an impaired driver and driving impaired predict similar behaviors in early adulthood? Accident Analysis & Prevention 2023, 193: 107304. PMID: 37729749, PMCID: PMC10591885, DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2023.107304.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsDWI behaviorEarly adulthoodMarijuana useImpaired driversAnnual assessment wavesNEXT Generation Health StudyAdolescent trajectoriesLatent class analysis studyRepresentative longitudinal studyAssessment wavesNext participantHigher engagementTrajectory classesLongitudinal studyProspective associationsMixed-methods studyLatest followWork hoursRelated deathsLong-term effectsAdulthoodInterview 4Health StudyHealth statusGrade cohortsLongitudinal perspectives of riding with a cannabis-impaired driver
Banz B, Camenga D, Li K, Zuniga V, Iannotti R, Grayton C, Haynie D, Simons-Morton B, Curry L, Vaca F. Longitudinal perspectives of riding with a cannabis-impaired driver. Accident Analysis & Prevention 2023, 193: 107300. PMID: 37717297, PMCID: PMC10757553, DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2023.107300.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsCannabis-impaired driversYoung adulthoodTrajectory classesHigh schoolNEXT Generation Health StudyAdolescent health behaviorsYoung driversSemi-structured interviewsLongitudinal perspectiveEveryday activitiesMultifaceted natureAdulthoodHealth behaviorsQualitative interviewsUnique themesParticipantsSchoolsTheoretical modelInterviewsLegal concernsPerceptionContextEmergeDriversThemes
2022
Binge drinking and alcohol-related symptoms may underlie patterns of dynamic brain oscillations of resource allocation during high-fidelity driving simulation
Banz B, Camenga D, Crowley M, Vaca F. Binge drinking and alcohol-related symptoms may underlie patterns of dynamic brain oscillations of resource allocation during high-fidelity driving simulation. Traffic Injury Prevention 2022, 23: s232-s233. DOI: 10.1080/15389588.2022.2119027.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchA study of self-reported personal cannabis use and state legal status and associations with engagement in and perceptions of cannabis-impaired driving
Brown T, Banz B, Schmitt R, Gaffney G, Milavetz G, Camenga D, Li K, Brooks-Russell A, Vaca F. A study of self-reported personal cannabis use and state legal status and associations with engagement in and perceptions of cannabis-impaired driving. Traffic Injury Prevention 2022, 23: s183-s186. PMID: 37014194, PMCID: PMC10618935, DOI: 10.1080/15389588.2022.2124803.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitations
2021
A preliminary evaluation of the relationships between patterns of drinking initiation and driving simulation vehicle control among sober young adults
Banz B, Crowley M, Camenga D, Vaca F. A preliminary evaluation of the relationships between patterns of drinking initiation and driving simulation vehicle control among sober young adults. Traffic Injury Prevention 2021, 22: s184-s185. DOI: 10.1080/15389588.2021.1983369.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsIs my User Impaired? Designing Adaptive Automation that Monitors the User’s State
Cotter J, Atchley A, Banz B, Tenhundfeld N. Is my User Impaired? Designing Adaptive Automation that Monitors the User’s State. 2021, 00: 1-6. DOI: 10.1109/sieds52267.2021.9483731.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitations
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
activity Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine
Meeting Planning and ParticipationScientific CommitteeDetailsScientific Planning Committee2020 - Presenthonor Outstanding Oral Presentation
Other AwardYale Postdoctoral AssociationDetails06/08/2018United Stateshonor Junior Investigator Award
National AwardResearch Society on AlcoholismDetails04/17/2018, 04/17/2017, 04/17/2016, 04/17/2015United Stateshonor New Investigator Award
Yale School of Medicine AwardDepartment of Emergency MedicineDetails04/12/2018United Stateshonor Psi Chi National Honor Society
National AwardPsi Chi National Honor SocietyDetails10/01/2008, 10/01/2007, 10/01/2006United States
News
News
- June 13, 2024Source: WFYI
Drunk driving costs the U.S. billions in medical expenses and lives lost. One school uses a simulation to raise awareness
- May 27, 2022Source: Ontario Today
Close calls of distracted driving
- February 06, 2022
Yale DrivSim faculty use systems science to develop a causal loop model focused on systems in society that influences driving after drinking behaviors among adolescents and young adults
- October 20, 2021
Associations between simulated and self-reported driving among young adults with and without prenatal cocaine exposure