Dr. Marc Steinberg
Dr. Marc Steinberg is a clinical psychologist, and the director
of the Tobacco Research & Intervention lab. He is Associate
Professor of Psychiatry and Associate Director, Division of
Addiction Psychiatry at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical
School. His research focuses on tobacco use and dependence,
including tobacco dependence treatment development,
tobacco use in smokers with psychiatric comorbidity, the
relationship between smoking and task persistence/distress
tolerance, and motivational interviewing as an approach to
encourage smokers to make a quit attempt. As a member of
the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers, he also
trains clinicians in the use of motivational interviewing.
Dr. Steinberg is active in the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) where he serves on the Treatment Network’s Communications Committee and its Advisory Committee in addition to the SRNT Electronic Communications Committee. He is a Deputy Editor for the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research.
You can view Dr. Steinberg’s CV here.
Trish Dooley Budsock, M.A., LPC, CTTS
Trish Dooley Budsock, M.A., LPC, CTTS is a Mental Health Clinician at the Division of Addiction Psychiatry. Ms. Dooley Budsock has a master’s degree in Counselor Education, and is a Licensed Professional Counselor, as well as a Tobacco Treatment Specialist. She is the Director of CHOICES (Consumers Helping Others Improve their Condition by Ending Smoking), a peer outreach program that utilizes peer counselors to address tobacco in the mental health community. She has been working in the field of addictions and mental health since 1995, and has been treating tobacco dependence since 2002. Additionally, she has been providing trainings on treating tobacco in mental health settings since 2006, on a state and national level.
Ms. Dooley Budsock is also the coordinator for the Opioid Overdose Prevention Network. This project provides statewide Naloxone trainings in response to real-time information about drug overdoses from the New Jersey State Police Drug Monitoring Initiative. This project reaches 3,000 individuals through training and distributes a minimum of 2,500 naloxone kits annually. The initiative reaches a broad spectrum of the adult population in NJ, and also reaches out to those programs serving individuals who have specialized needs, including: agencies and organizations working with justice-involved populations and offender re-entry programs; healthcare professionals; pharmacists; syringe access programs; community health centers; and others. She collaborates with local and statewide stakeholders to ensure program accessibility.
Ms. Dooley Budsock has been the clinician and clinical supervisor for a number of clinical trials specific to various medications and behavioral therapies for tobacco dependence in the SMI population. She has presented abstracts and workshops at national and international public health and tobacco control conferences and has been published in peer reviewed journals.
Ben Billingsley
Ben Billingsley is a second-year graduate student in the Rutgers Clinical Psychology PhD program working under the supervision of Dr. Marc Steinberg. After receiving a BA in psychology from Yale University, he worked as a research assistant for two years at the New York State Psychiatric Institute at Columbia Medical Center. Currently, he is working on his master’s thesis which is examining the role of change talk and its influence on quit attempts in an intervention for smokers with serious mental illness.
Jessica Ortiz
Jessica Ortiz is the research coordinator at the Tobacco Research & Intervention Lab working on clinical trials related to tobacco dependence. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Rutgers University and will be attending Rutgers School of Social Work to earn her master’s degree in the Fall. Additionally, she spends time working at an outpatient substance abuse facility as a CADC intern. Currently, Jessica is interested in holistic approaches and mindfulness in co-occurring disorders. She is also interested in addressing tobacco dependence and providing education in this population.
Rachel Rosen
Rachel Rosen is a first-year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at Rutgers. Prior to joining the Tobacco Research and Intervention Lab, Rachel earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and subsequently worked as a Research Assistant in the Department of Addiction Psychiatry at the University Of Massachusetts Medical School. Currently, Rachel is interested in understanding how different risk and protective factors (e.g., co-occurring mental health conditions, stigma, self-efficacy, motivation) influence treatment outcome among adults with tobacco and other substance use.
Wendy Alfaro, MA
Wendy Alfaro, M.A. is a psychology intern at Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. Ms. Alfaro has a master’s degree in Educational Psychology and is completing her 5th year of a combined school and clinical Psy. D program at Kean University. Currently, she is interested in Hispanic/Latino mental health, cultural modifications to evidence based treatments and behavioral healthcare. Additionally, Ms. Alfaro is completing her dissertation that is developing a culturally modified smoking cessation intervention for Hispanics using a mindfulness and acceptance based approach. She is excited about learning and working with tobacco research under the supervision of Dr. Marc Steinberg.
Elizabeth Rosen
Elizabeth Rosen is a junior undergraduate Research Assistant through the Aresty Research Assistant Program at Rutgers University. She is studying psychology and cognitive science with a focus in neuroscience and perception. She is interested in research involving neuroscience, substance use disorders, and psychoneuroimmunology. She hopes to attend graduate school to become an Optometrist or Physician Assistant.
Hannah Javed
Hannah Javed is an undergraduate research assistant studying Biology and Psychology at the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University. She has previously worked under the supervision of Dr. Marin at the Samuel L. Bailey Huntington Disease Center. She also has a background in proteomics research and is primarily interested in neurological disorders. She is very excited by and interested in the smoking cessation research project to help develop new methods for patients with schizophrenia wishing to quit. After she graduates, she intends on pursuing a career in the medical field.
Cayla Domeraski
Cayla Domeraski is the Secretary for the Department of Psychiatry, Division of Addiction Psychiatry at RWJMS. She provides administrative support to the Project Directors, Principle Investigators, faculty and other professional staff. Cayla coordinates and maintains records associated with grant accounts and state budgets, and ensures funds are utilized according to policy and regulations.