Robert Swift
Professor:
Psychiatry and Human Behavior
Phone: +1 401 444 1836
Phone 2: 1 401 457 3066
Robert_Swift_MD@Brown.EDU
Robert Swift conducts clinical and laboratory research on the causes of and treatments for alcoholism and drug dependence. He is particularly interested in how medications act to reduce craving and other potential endophenotypes of addictive disorders. He conducts clincal trials in patients with substance use disorders to investigate the efficacy of medications alone as well as medications combined with non-medical treatments such as counseling. He is also interested in the adoption of these new medications into medical practice.
Biography
Dr. Swift received his B.A., Ph.D. and M.D.(with honors)degrees from the University of Chicago. He completed a residency in Psychiatry at Yale University and is Board Certified in Psychiatry and in Addiction Psychiatry. He conducts clinical and laboratory research on the pharmacological treatment of alcohol and drug abuse and dependence. He is a recipient of research grants from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and from foundations and pharmaceutical companies. He is the site Principal Investigator for the NIAAA COMBINE Study, a cooperative clinical trial investigating combined pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy in the treatment of alcohol dependence, and he has a national role as the head of the Pharmacotherapy Subcommittee. He serves frequently as a member of advisory committees to government agencies and industry. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), a member of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP), and the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), and is Secretary, a member of the Board of Directors and the Education Committee of the Research Society on Alcoholism.
Interests
My area of academic interest is the neuropsychopharmacology of alcohol and drug dependence. Since 1984, I have managed an externally funded alcohol research program that has conducted research funded by grants and contracts from institutes at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), foundations, pharmaceutical companies, and Brown University. Currently, I have active funding for several grants and contracts, for which I am principal investigator (PI). These include a federally funded contract to develop an alcohol biosensor to provide real-time monitoring of blood alcohol levels and a federally funded grant, the multi-site National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) cooperative Quetiapine Study.
My group also conducts laboratory studies of the mechanisms of action of medications to reduce on alcohol drinking and alcohol intoxication. We are currently conducting human laboratory research using an alcohol self-administration paradigm to explore the effects of medications such as topiramate and arizapiprazole, and serotonergic medications, in reducing alcohol consumption. intoxication.
We are also exploring the genetic factors that may influence risk taking during alcohol. We recently began an R21 grant to investigate alcohol-related endophenotypes in American Samoa.
Degrees
M.D., Ph.D.
Awards
1972-1976 Neurosciences Training Grant, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
1976 Sigma Xi, Scientific Research Society
1977 Harry Ginsberg Award of the University of Chicago in Physiology
1979 General Honors with M.D. Degree, University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine
1984 Travel Fellowship Award, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
1993 Honorary Degree, Master of Arts Ad Eundem, Brown University
1994-1998 Chosen one of the top psychiatrists in Rhode Island by Rhode Island Monthly
1997 Fellow, American Psychiatric Association (APA)
2003 Distinguished Fellow, American Psychiatric Association
2000 Elected to membership, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP)
2005 Elected to Board of Directors, Research Society on Alcoholism
2006 Elected Secretary, Research Society on Alcoholism
Affiliations
American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP)
American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP)
American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)
American Psychiatric Association (APA)—Distinguished Fellow
International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism (ISBRA)
Research Society for Alcoholism (RSA)
Rhode Island Psychiatric Society
Society for Biological Psychiatry
Funded Research
Ongoing Research Support
NIAAA Contract (Site PI Swift), Funding: NIAAA/NIDA, Project Period: 2006-2008, Amount: $591,000 Direct Costs
"Medications Development Contract: Quetiapine for the Treatment of Alcohol Dependence",
The goals of this project are to set up a 5-site clinical trials network for NIAAA that can rapidly conduct Phase 2/Phase 3 clinical trials of medications for the treatment of alcohol dependence. The first medication to be studied is the atypical neuroleptic aripiprazole for the treatment of alcohol dependence in heavy drinkers.
Role: Site PI
1R21 AA17280 (PI Swift), Funding NIAAA, Project Period: 2007-2009
Amount: $255,000 Direct Costs
"Alcohol Phenotype Development in American Samoa"
This study will develop culturally-sensitive assessments for the determination of alcohol use disorder diagnoses and alcohol-related traits in indigenous Samoans in American Samoa that will be used in a future study on the genetics of alcoholism. Samoans have a genome that is relatively homogeneous, making it more likely that genes controlling complex behavioral diseases such as alcohol dependence can be discovered.
R01 AA15753 (PI Swift), Funding NIAAA, Project Period: 2007-2012, Amount: $1.5M Direct Costs
"Aripiprazole and Topiramate on Free-choice Alcohol Use",
This laboratory study will examine the mechanisms of action of two promising medications being developed for the treatment of alcohol dependence: the dopamine partial agonist aripiprazole and the glutamate/GABA medication topiramate.
RO1AA07850 (PI Monti) Funding NIAAA, Project Period 2000-2006
"Naltrexone, Craving and Drinking: Ecological Assessment."
This study uses palmtop computers to monitor moods, cravings and other drinking antecedents in heavy alcohol drinkers receiving either naltrexone or placebo.
Role: Co-I
1R01 DA13443-01A1 (PI Swift) Funding: NIDA, Project Period 2001-2007
Amount: $900,000 Direct Costs
"Brief Drug Reduction Intervention for Needle Exchange Clients"
The major goal of this project is to determine if a brief motivation-based intervention is effective in reducing drug use and enhancing drug treatment entry among IV drug users recruited from needle exchange settings.
Role: PI
NO1AA3302 (PI Swift), Funding NIAAA, Funding Period, 2003 – 2006, Amount: $1.6M Direct Costs
"Integrated Transdermal Alcohol Sensor and Data Analysis System" The object of the project is to develop a functional transdermal alcohol sensor and data analysis system that can be utilized in alcoholism research and treatment settings.
Role: PI
Ortho-McNeill (PI Swift), Funding Period 2003 –2006, Amount: $256K
"A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Flexible Dose Study to Assess the Safety and Efficacy of Topiramate in the Treatment of Alcohol Dependence."
This study is a multi-site double-blind placebo controlled clinical trial exploring the effect of topiramate as a pharmacological treatment for alcohol dependence.
Role Site PI
CSP #1024 (Site PI- Swift) Funding Dept. Veterans Affairs (VA), Funding Period 2006-2007
"A Phase-III Randomized, Multicenter Double Blind Placebo-Controlled Study of the Safety and Efficacy of Lofexidine for the Relief of Symptoms in Subject Undergoing Inpatient Opiate Detoxification"
The goal of this project is to test the safety and efficacy of the alpha-2 agonist medication lofexidine in the treatment of opiate withdrawal.
Role: Site PI
IR43 AA14118-01 (PI Tempelman - Giner, Inc.) Finding NIAAA, Funding Period 2005 – 2008
"Wireless, Low maintenance Transdermal Alcohol Sensor"- Phase II
The Specific Aims of the Phase I program are to: 1) design and evaluate a low maintenance system to maintain sensor hydration. 2) investigate sensor configurations which are amenable to automated/semi automated manufacturing techniques 3) introduce low power, optical, wireless communication and 4) demonstrate the performance of the Phase I prototype in a clinical setting.
Role: Subcontractor for human studies
1 R01 DA14002 (PI Tidey) Funding NIDA, Funding Period 2005-2008
"Transdermal Nicotine and Bupropion-SR in Schizophrenics"
The aims of this project are to determine the effects of transdermal nicotine and Bupropion-SR on smoking topography and smoking cue reactivity measures in smokers with schizophrenia versus non-schizophrenic controls.
Role: Co-I
Curriculum Vitae
