National Crime Victims Center > About Us > Faculty > MUSC/NCVC Faculty: Ananda Amstader, Ph.D.					Print This Page

Ananda Amstadter, Ph.D.   

Dr. Amstadter is a faculty member at MUSC’s National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center (NCVC). She graduated Summa Cum Laude from University of Washington with a B.A. in Psychology, and she received her M.S. and Ph.D. from Auburn University. She completed an NIAAA-supported research externship and an NIMH-supported pre-doctoral internship at MUSC. Dr. Amstadter’s program of research broadly focuses on the identification of risk and resiliency factors, biologic and psychosocial in nature, for traumatic-stress related conditions, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorders, and depression. Her translational program of research weds biological substrates of trauma (e.g., molecular genetics, psychophysiology) with behavioral outcomes (e.g., mental health phenotypes). A related goal is to identify moderators (e.g., candidate genes) and mechanisms (e.g., psychophysiological and behavioral processes) associated with psychosocial and pharmacologic treatment response. Dr. Amstadter is a NICHD/ORWH K-awardee and is conducting a project examining genetic by environment interactions in relation to PTSD (in an epidemiologic study) and substance dependence (in a clinical laboratory study). She is also the PI on a South Carolina Clinical and Translational Research Center Early Career Award that also focuses on the examination of genetic determinates of stress reactivity in substance dependent individuals via a laboratory model of stress. She is also a Co-Investigator on numerous other federally funded grants in the area of traumatic stress.

Research Interests: psychiatric genetics of traumatic stress-related conditions, gene-by-environment interaction research, identification of modifiable risk factors for PTSD and related conditions, women’s health, evidenced-based psychosocial interventions for traumatic stress populations, comorbidity between substance abuse and PTSD

Honors and Awards:

Selected Publications:

• Acierno R, Hernandez MA, Amstadter AB, Resnick HS, Steve K, Muzzy W, & Kilpatrick DG. (in press).  Prevalence and correlates of emotional, physical, sexual, neglectful, and financial abuse in the United States: The National Elder Mistreatment Study. American Journal of Public Health. 
• Amstadter AB,  Broman-Folks J, Zinzow H, Ruggiero KJ, & Cercone J. (2009). Internet based interventions for traumatic stress-related mental health problems: A review and suggestion for future research. Clinical Psychology Review, 29, 410-420, PMC2704915.
• Amstadter AB, Koenen KC, Ruggiero KJ, Acierno R, Galea S, Kilpatrick DG, & Gelernter J. (in press). RGS2 modulates suicidal ideation in adults exposed to the 2004 Florida hurricanes. Archives of Suicide Research, NIHMS#: 127420.  
• Amstadter AB, McCart MR, & Ruggiero KJ. (2007). Psychosocial interventions for adults with crime-related PTSD. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 38, 640-651. 
• Amstadter AB, McCauley JL, Ruggiero K J, Resnick HS, & Kilpatrick DG. (2008). Service utilization and help seeking in a representative sample of female rape victims. Psychiatric Services, 59, 1450-1457, PMC2735844.
• Amstadter AB, Nugent NR, Koenen KC, Ruggiero KJ, Acierno R, Galea S, Kilpatrick DG, & Gelernter J. (in press). Association between COMT, PTSD, and increased smoking following hurricane exposure in an epidemiologic sample. Psychiatry, NIHMS#: 127405.
• Amstadter AB, Nugent NR, Koenen KC. (2009). Genetics of PTSD: Fear conditioning as a model for future research. Psychiatric Annals, 39, 6, 358-367, NIHMS#: 129665.
• Amstadter AB, Resnick HS, Nugent NR, Acierno R, Rheingold AA, Minhinnett R, & Kilpatrick DG. (2009). Longitudinal trajectories of cigarette smoking following rape. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 22, 2, 113-121, PMC2719890.
• Amstadter AB. (2008).  Emotional regulation and anxiety disorders. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 22, 211-221, PMC2736046.
• Amstadter, A. B., Koenen, K. C., Ruggiero, K. J., Acierno, R., Galea, S., Kilpatrick, D. G., & Gelernter, J. (2009). Variant in RGS2 moderates posttraumatic stress symptoms following potentially traumatic event exposure. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 23, 3, 369-373, PMC2735848.
• Danielson CK, Amstadter AB, Dangelmaier RE, Resnick HS, Saunders BE, Kilpatrick DG. (2009). Trauma related risk factors for substance abuse among male versus female young adults. Addictive Behaviors, 34(4):395-9, PMC2704020.
• Koenen KC, Aiello A, Bakshis E, Amstadter AB, Ruggiero KJ, Acierno R, Kilpatrick DG, Gelernter J, Galea S. (2009). Modification of the association between serotonin transporter genotype and risk of posttraumatic stress disorder in adults by county-level social environment. American Journal of Epidemiology, 169, 704-711, PMC2727213.

Selected Presentations:

• Amstadter, A. B., Nugent, N. R., & Koenen, K. C. (2007, April). Genetic and biological risk factors for PTSD. Paper presented at the Psychobiology of Trauma and Risk and Resiliency Factors Across the Lifespan Forum, Millersburg, OH.
• Amstadter, A. B., Koenen, K. C., Acierno, R., Kilpatrick, D. G., Ruggiero, K. J., & Gelernter, J. (2007, November). RGS2 polymorphism and social support moderate risk of PTSD among adults exposed to the 2004 Florida hurricanes. Poster presented at the annual Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies conference, Philadelphia, PA.
• Koenen, K. C., Amstadter, A. B., Acierno, R., Kilpatrick, D. G., Ruggiero, K. J., & Gelernter, J. (2007, November). RGS2 polymorphism and social support moderate risk of psychopathology among adults exposed to the 2004 Florida hurricanes. Poster presented at the World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics, New York, NY.
• Amstadter, A. B., Dangelmaier, R., Danielson, C. K., Resnick, H. S., Saunders, B., & Kilpatrick, D. G.  (July, 2007). Sexual and physical assault in substance abusing adolescents: Differences in symptoms of alcohol dependence. Poster presented at the annual Research Society on Alcoholism meeting, Chicago, IL.
• Amstadter, A. B., Kelley, L. P., Pruneau, G., & Vernon, L. L. (2006, November).  Profile analysis of population differences on the PTSD Checklist.  Poster presented at the annual Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies conference, Chicago, IL.
• Amstadter, A. B., & Vernon, L. L. (2005, November).  Suppression of neutral and trauma targets among high and low PTSD symptom groups.  Paper presented at the annual Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies conference, Washington, D.C.

For a complete list of Publications and Presentations:
Curriculum Vitae  (2009) (Requires Adobe® Reader to view)

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