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PTSD: National Center for PTSD

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Robert H. Pietrzak, PhD, MPH

 

Robert H. Pietrzak, PhD, MPH

Robert H. Pietrzak, PhD, MPH

Research Psychologist

Clinical Neurosciences Division

See staff directory for contact information.

Academic Appointment

  • Yale School of Medicine, Professor of Psychiatry
  • Yale School of Public Health, Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry and Environmental Medicine and Public Health

Education

  • University of Connecticut, Clinical Psychology with Concentration in Clinical Neuropsychology, PhD, 2008
  • University of Connecticut, Public Health, MPH, 2003
  • Clark University, Psychology, BA, 2001

Expertise and Interests

  • Psychosocial and genetic epidemiology of PTSD and related disorders
  • Risk and resilience factors in PTSD
  • Aging and PTSD
  • Dimensional models of trauma-related psychopathology
  • Neurobiology of PTSD (molecular imaging, multi-modal approaches)

Membership in Professional Societies

  • International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
  • Anxiety and Depression Association of America
  • International Federation of Psychiatric Epidemiology

Awards and Honors

  • Chaim and Bela Danieli Young Professional Award, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
  • Award for Outstanding Contribution to Trauma Psychology by an Early Career Psychologist, American Psychological Association - Division 56
  • Nelson Butters Award for Research Contributions to Clinical Neuropsychology, National Academy of Neuropsychology

Selected Publications

Tamman, A.J.F., Wendt, F.R., Pathak, G.A., Krystal, J.H., Montalvo-Ortiz, J., Southwick, S.M., Sippel, L.M., Gelernter, J., Polimanti, R., & Pietrzak, R.H. (2021). Attachment style moderates polygenic risk for posttraumatic stress in United States military veterans: Results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study. Biological Psychiatry, 89, 878-887. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.09.018

Pietrzak, R. H., Tsai, J., & Southwick, S. M. (2021). Association of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder with posttraumatic psychological growth among U.S. veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic. JAMA Network Open, 4, e214972. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.4972

Tamman, A., Montalvo-Ortiz, J., Southwick, S.M., Krystal, J.H., Levy, B., Gelernter, J., & Pietrzak, R.H. (2019). Accelerated DNA methylation aging in U.S. military veterans: Results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 27, 528-532. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2019.01.001

Pietrzak, R.H., Averill, L.A., Abdallah, C.G., Neumeister, A., Krystal, J.H., Levy, I., & Harpaz-Rotem, I. (2015). Amygdala-hippocampal volume and the phenotypic heterogeneity of posttraumatic stress disorder: A cross-sectional study. JAMA Psychiatry 72, 396-398. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2014.2470

Armour, C., Tsai, J., Durham, T. A., Charak, R., Biehn, T.L., Elhai, J.D., & Pietrzak, R.H. (2015). Dimensional structure of DSM-5 posttraumatic stress symptoms: Support for a hybrid anhedonia and externalizing behaviors model. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 61, 106-113. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2014.10.012

Members of the press interested in scheduling an interview please see the contact for the media page.

PTSD Information Voice Mail: (802) 296-6300
Email: ncptsd@va.gov
Also see: VA Mental Health