VISN 1 MIRECC Staff: Suzanne Spinola, Ph.D.
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Suzanne Spinola, Ph.D.
Dr. Suzanne Spinola is a licensed Clinical Psychologist at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System-West Haven. She is the Assistant Director of the Psychosocial Residential Rehabilitation Program and co-chair of Preventative Ethics for VA Connecticut Healthcare System-West Haven. She also serves as the co-director of education for the West Haven site in the VISN1 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) and Clinical Instructor for the Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. She completed her doctoral internship at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System-West Haven and postdoctoral fellowship at the VISN 1 MIRECC. Dr. Spinola’s research has focused on the acute effects of substances on cognitive function and decision making, as well as identifying behavioral targets to increase treatment retention and efficacy in residential treatment settings.
Education
- B.A., Indiana University, Biochemistry and Psychology, 2010
- M.S., Syracuse University, Clinical Psychology, 2015
- Ph.D., Syracuse University, Clinical Psychology, 2018
Areas of Research Interest
- Treatmenint Retention and Efficacy
- Residential Treatment
- Acute Effects of Substance Use
- Cognitive Function
Projects & Grants
- Effects of Methadone on Cognitive Function and Pain Threshold (PI)
Supported by the VISN 1 MIRECC to examine the acute effects of methadone on cognitive function and measures of pain in individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) who are on methadone maintenance treatment. 2018-2021. - The Effects of Acute Alcohol Consumption on Working Memory and Risk-Taking (PI)
Supported by Syracuse University to explore the effects of alcohol on working memory, reward- and risk-reactivity, and engagement in risk-taking in social settings in young community members. 2017 – 2018.
