Professor, Department of Psychology
katiew@unm.edu
(505) 925-2334

Ph.D., University of Washington, 2005

Areas of Expertise:

• Empirically supported treatments
• Mechanisms of behavior change

Primary Research Area
To date, my research has largely centered on studying the process of addictive behavior relapse and empirically supported treatments for addiction. These efforts have led to several empirical investigations on the mechanisms of successful addiction treatment outcomes, as well as the development of interventions to prevent addictive behavior relapse, including mindfulness-based relapse prevention and group-based relapse prevention interventions.

Current Projects:

• Nexus of Risk: Sexual Assault, Alcohol Use, and Risky Sex among College Women (NIAAA, E. Yeater Principal Investigator)
• Neurobiological Bases of Behavior Change in Psychosocial Alcohol Treatments (NIAAA, B. McCrady & E. Claus MPIs)
• Development of a Mindfulness-Based Treatment for the Reduction of Alcohol Use and Smoking Cessation (NCCIH, C. Vinci Principal Investigator)
• Mindfulness for Alcohol Abusing Offender: Mechanisms and Outcomes (NIAAA, K. Kiehl Principal Investigator)
• Randomized Controlled Trial of CRAFT with American Indians (NIDA, K. Venner PI)
• Mindfulness-Based Intervention and Transcranial Direct Current Brain Stimulation to Reduce Heavy Drinking: Efficacy and Mechanisms of Change (NIAAA, Principal Investigator)
• Mechanisms of Behavior Change In Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment (NIAAA, Principal Investigator)
• Neural Mechanisms of Behavior Change in a Community Sample of Drinkers (NIAAA 1 R01AA023665-01; E. Claus & K. Witkiewitz, MPIs)
• Roadmap to Study Mechanisms of Behavior Change in Addictions (NIAAA 1U13AA024013-01, K. Witkiewitz & M. Karno MPIs)

Completed Projects:

• Toward Identifying Clinically Useful Definitions of Treatment Success (NIAAA M. Kirouac, PI)
• Robust Person Centered Longitudinal Data Analyses for Clinical Alcohol Research (NIAA, Douglas Steinley PI), Co-Investigator
• Psychological and Neural Mechanisms of Mindfulness and Cognitive Retraining (NIAAA 1R21AA023661-01, M. Pearson PI)
• Pilot Study of Combined Treatment for Veterans with Chronic Pain and Opiate Misuse (NCCIH 5R34AT008398-02, K Vowles PI)
• Integrative Data Analysis to Predict Alcohol Clinical Course and Inform Practice (NIAAA, R01AA022328), Principal Investigator
• Accelerating Smoking Relapse Research Using Longitudinal Models of EMA Data (NIDA, R01DA033303, D. McCarthy & S. Shiffman, Co-PIs), Co-Investigator
• Alcohol Use Trajectories and Prevention: A US-Sweden Comparison (NIAAA, U01 AA018276 , Mary Larimer, PI). Co-Investigator
• Mindfulness Based Relapse Prevention for Problem Gambling (National Council on Responsible Gaming) , Principal Investigator
• Evaluation of Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention for Women in Residential Treatment for Substance Use Disorders following a Criminal Offense (Washington State University-Vancouver, Mini-Grant), Principal Investigator
• Relationships among Interpersonal Stress, Affect Regulation, and Alcohol Lapse (NIAAA, R01 AA017701, Steve Maisto, PI) , Co-Investigator
• Emergence of Adolescent Substance Use Problems from the Externalizing Spectrum (NIDA, RC1 DA028248, Robert McMahon, PI), Co-Investigator
• Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention: Efficacy and Mechanisms (NIDA, R01 DA025764-01A1, , G. Alan Marlatt, PI), Co-Investigator
• BASICS-ED: A Momentary Intervention for Concurrent Smoking and Heavy Drinking (NIAAA, R21 AA018336), Principal Investigator
• Evaluation of Smoking Trajectories during Telephone Counseling (University of Washington Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute Small Grant, ADAI-0309), Principal Investigagor
• Drinking Trajectories and Mechanisms of Behavior change During and One Year Following a Behavioral Intervention for Alcohol Dependence (NIAAA, R21 AA017137-01), Principal Investigator
• Modeling Individual Heterogeneity in the Alcohol Relapse Process (NIAAA, R03 AA016322-02), Principal Investigator

Current Graduate Students and Post-doctorate Fellows:

• Kevin Montes
• Charles Sam Robinson
• Elena Stein
• Victoria Votaw

Awards and Activities:

• President, Society of Addiction Psychology
• Deputy Editor, Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
• Associate Editor, Psychology of Addictive Behaviors
• Statistical Editor, Journal of Addiction Medicine
• Statistical Consultant, Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research
• Fellow, American Psychological Association Division 50 Society of Addiction Psychology
• G. Alan Marlatt Mid-Career Award, Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies

Selected Research Publications:

• Witkiewitz, K., Hallgren, K. A., Kranzler, H. R., Mann, K. F., Hasin, D. S., Falk, D. E., Litten, R. Z., & Anton, R. F. (2017). Clinical validation of reduced alcohol consumption after treatment for alcohol dependence: Using the World Health Organization risk drinking levels. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 41, 179-186. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acer.13272/full
  
  
• Witkiewitz, K., Roos, C. R., Pearson, M. R., Hallgren, K. A., Maisto, S. A., Kirouac, M. … Heather, N. (2017). How much is too much? Patterns of drinking during alcohol treatment and associations with post-treatment outcomes across three alcohol clinical trials. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 78 (1), 59-69.
  
  
• Witkiewitz, K., Hallgren, K. A., O'Sickey, A. J., Roos, C. R., & Maisto, S. A. (2016). Reproducibility and differential item functioning of the alcohol dependence syndrome construct across four alcohol treatment outcome studies: An integrative data analysis. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 158, 86-93. doi: 10.1016/ j.drugalcdep.2015.11.001.
  
  
• Witkiewitz, K., Finney, J., Harris, A., Kivlahan, D., & Kranzler, H. (2015). Recommendations for the design and analysis of treatment trials for alcohol use disorders. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 39, 1557-1570.
  
  
• Witkiewitz, K., Vowles, K. E., McCallion, E., Frohe, T., Kirouac, M., & Maisto, S. A. (2015). Pain as a predictor of alcohol treatment outcomes in the COMBINE study and the United Kingdom Alcohol Treatment Trial. Addiction, 110, 1262-1271. doi: 10.1111/add/12964
  
  
• Witkiewitz, K., Falk, D. E., Kranzler, H. R., Litten, R. Z., Hallgren, K. A., O'Malley, S. S., & Anton, R. F. (2014). Methods to analyze treatment effects in the presence of missing data for a continuous heavy drinking outcome measure when participants drop out from treatment in alcohol clinical trials. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 38, 2826-2834.
  
  
• Witkiewitz, K., Warner, K., Sully, B., Barricks, A., Stauffer, C., Steckler, G., Thompson, B., & Luoma, J. (2014). Randomized trial comparing mindfulness based relapse prevention with relapse prevention for women offenders at a residential addiction treatment center. Substance Use and Misuse, 49, 536-546. doi: 10.3109/10826084.2013.856922
  
  
• Witkiewitz, K., Dearing, R. L., & Maisto, S. A. (2014). Alcohol use trajectories among non-treatment seeking heavy drinkers. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 75, 415-422.
  
  
• Witkiewitz, K., Desai, S. A., Bowen, S., Leigh, B. C., Kirouac, M., & Larimer, M. E. (2014). Development and evaluation of a mobile intervention for heavy drinking and smoking among college students. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 28, 639-650. doi: 10.1037/a0034747
  
  
• Witkiewitz, K. (2013). "Success" following alcohol treatment: Moving beyond abstinence. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 37 suppl1, E9-E13. doi: 10.1111/acer.12001.
  
  
• Witkiewitz, K. (2013). Temptation to drink as a predictor of drinking outcomes following psychosocial treatment for alcohol dependence. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 37, 529-537. doi: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2012.01950.x.

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