Mentorship & Advisory Network
Collaborative Relationships with Leading Scientists Nationwide
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Dr. Sultan's mentorship and advisory network spans 16 institutions and includes 7 National Academy members, 7 department chairs, the former NIMH Director, and editors-in-chief of the American Journal of Psychiatry and Biological Psychiatry. Combined citations across top advisors exceed 400,000. |
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Network at a Glance
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Network Directory
- Formal Mentors (8)
- Senior Scientific Advisors (8)
- Key Research Collaborators (17)
- PAWS Advisory Board (3)
- Research Team & Co-Authors (19)
- Clinical & Professional Network (8)
- Media & Outreach Partners (5)
- Early Career Co-Authors (6)
- Training Connections (1)
Formal Mentors
Faculty who have served as designated mentors in Dr. Sultan's NIDA K12, NIMH T32, and biomedical informatics training programs.
Frances R. Levin, MD
K12 Primary Mentor (2021–present)
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Kennedy-Leavy Professor of Psychiatry; Chief, Division on Substance Use Disorders Expertise: ADHD-substance use comorbidity, cannabis use disorder, addiction pharmacotherapy Research Profile:
Connection to Sultan: Primary mentor on NIDA K12 Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Program. Supervises career development in substance use disorders research. Co-author on Pediatrics 2026 cannabis paper. |
Timothy E. Wilens, MD
K12 Co-Mentor
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Chief, Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry; MGH Trustees Chair in Addiction Medicine; Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School Expertise: Adult ADHD, ADHD-substance use comorbidity, pediatric psychopharmacology Research Profile:
Endorsement: "Dr. Sultan is developing into a premier physician-scientist" with "exceptional productivity" (Bender-Fishbein letter, January 2026) Connection to Sultan: K12 co-mentor providing expertise on ADHD across the lifespan and substance use disorders. Co-author on Pediatrics 2026 cannabis paper. |
Mark Olfson, MD, MPH
T32 Senior Research Mentor (2016–2019)
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Elizabeth K. Dollard Professor of Psychiatry, Medicine, and Law; Professor of Epidemiology Expertise: Psychiatric epidemiology, mental health services research, psychopharmacoepidemiology Research Profile:
Connection to Sultan: T32 senior mentor. Co-author on 5+ publications including the landmark 2019 JAMA Network Open paper on antipsychotic prescribing in ADHD youth (411+ citations). |
Jeremy M. Veenstra-VanderWeele, MD
T32 Fellowship Program Director
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Ruane Professor for the Implementation of Science for Child and Adolescent Mental Health; Director, Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Expertise: Autism spectrum disorder, serotonin system, translational psychiatry Research Profile:
Connection to Sultan: T32 fellowship program director overseeing research training. Co-author on JAMA Psychiatry 2025 paper on protective effects of ADHD medication. |
Jonathan Posner, MD
Secondary Mentor (Year 2 Fellowship)
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J.P. Gibbons Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry; Executive Vice-Chair, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Expertise: Neuroimaging, ADHD, intergenerational psychiatry, predictive analytics Research Profile:
Connection to Sultan: Secondary mentor at Columbia providing guidance on neuroimaging and biomedical informatics approaches. |
Carol Friedman, PhD
Bioinformatics Mentor
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Professor Emerita of Biomedical Informatics Expertise: Natural language processing (NLP), clinical text mining, biomedical informatics Research Profile:
Connection to Sultan: Primary mentor on bioinformatics aspects of research. NLP expertise directly relevant to EHR-based substance use research. |
Adler Perotte, MD, MA
Research Advisor
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Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Informatics Expertise: Machine learning, clinical phenotyping, EHR analysis Research Profile:
Connection to Sultan: Provides methodological guidance on machine learning and EHR-based analyses for substance use research. |
Thomas H. McCoy, MD
Grant Advisor
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Director of Research, Center for Quantitative Health; Assistant Professor of Medicine and Psychiatry Expertise: Computational psychiatry, NLP phenotyping, clinical informatics Research Profile:
Connection to Sultan: Provides expertise in computational psychiatry and NLP-based clinical phenotyping, informing data science approach. |
Senior Scientific Advisors
Nationally recognized leaders who provide strategic guidance, letters of support, and senior scientific oversight for Dr. Sultan's research programs.
Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD
Senior Scientific Advisor, PAWS Project
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Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean; Executive VP and Chief Scientific Officer; Nash Family Professor of Neuroscience; Director, Friedman Brain Institute Expertise: Addiction neuroscience, molecular psychiatry, epigenetics Research Profile:
Connection to Sultan: Senior Scientific Advisor providing neurobiological validity review for PAWS digital therapeutic project. |
John H. Krystal, MD
Letter of Support, PAWS Project
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Robert L. McNeil, Jr. Professor of Translational Research; Chair, Department of Psychiatry; Chief of Psychiatry, Yale-New Haven Health System Editor-in-Chief, Biological Psychiatry (2006–present) Expertise: Ketamine research, treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, alcohol use disorder Research Profile:
Endorsement: "Dr. Sultan's research on cannabis-related psychosis represents an innovative approach to a critical public health challenge. I am committed to supporting this important work." Connection to Sultan: Endorsed PAWS project. Sultan's 2014 ketamine+ECT paper was conducted under Krystal's guidance at Yale/Emory. |
Ned H. Kalin, MD
Senior Scientific Advisor, Mood/Anxiety Evaluation
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Hedberg Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry; Director, HealthEmotions Research Institute Editor-in-Chief, American Journal of Psychiatry (2019–present) Expertise: Anxiety neuroscience, stress biology, developmental psychopathology Research Profile:
Connection to Sultan: Senior Scientific Advisor on PAWS. As AJP Editor-in-Chief, shapes the publication landscape for Sultan's field. |
John T. Walkup, MD
Multi-site Trial Expertise, PAWS Support Letter
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Margaret C. Osterman Professor; Chair, Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Expertise: Pediatric anxiety disorders, OCD, Tourette syndrome, clinical trials Research Profile:
Connection to Sultan: Provides multi-site trial expertise for PAWS. Both are child psychiatrists; Walkup's CAMS trial is foundational to the field. |
Joshua A. Gordon, MD, PhD
Department Chair / Institutional Leader
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Chair, Department of Psychiatry; Executive Director, NYSPI; Psychiatrist-in-Chief, NYP/Columbia Expertise: Neuroscience, psychiatric research policy, translational research Research Profile:
Connection to Sultan: Sultan's Department Chair at Columbia. Sultan works directly under Gordon's departmental leadership. |
Kevin M. Gray, MD
Senior Mentor, Letter Writer
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Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences; Director, Addiction Sciences Division Expertise: Cannabis use disorders, adolescent substance use, treatment development Research Profile:
Endorsement: "One of the most promising young scientists" he has encountered (Bender-Fishbein letter, January 2026) Connection to Sultan: Senior mentor on PAWS project. Cannabis CUD treatment expertise. Pediatric trial safety oversight. |
William M. McDonald, MD
Residency-Era Connection, Advisor
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Chair, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences; J.B. Fuqua Chair for Late-Life Depression Expertise: Treatment-resistant depression, TMS, ECT, geriatric psychiatry Research Profile:
Connection to Sultan: Sultan completed psychiatry residency at Emory. McDonald chairs the department. Neuromodulation expertise complements Sultan's integrative approach. |
Shannon M. Bennett, PhD
SBIR Support Letter, Youth Mental Health Collaborator
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Associate Professor of Psychology in Clinical Psychiatry; Director of Psychology, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry; Clinical Director, Center for Youth Mental Health Expertise: Youth mental health, anxiety disorders, digital interventions Research Profile:
Connection to Sultan: Leads youth mental health at NYP/Weill Cornell (sister institution to Columbia in NYP system). Wrote SBIR support letter for digital therapeutic work. |
Key Research Collaborators
Active co-investigators and co-authors on major research projects. Listed by area of collaboration.
Yasmin L. Hurd, PhD
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Ward-Coleman Chair in Translational Neuroscience; Director, Addiction Institute Expertise: Cannabis research, addiction neuroscience, cannabinoid systems h-index 69–73 | ~26,000+ citations | $30M+ NIH funding Member, National Academy of Sciences | Member, National Academy of Medicine Connection to Sultan: PAWS study co-investigator. Cannabis and psychosis prevention research. |
Christoph U. Correll, MD
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Professor of Psychiatry and Molecular Medicine Expertise: Schizophrenia, psychopharmacology, antipsychotic medications h-index 145 | 100,000+ citations | 900+ publications Ranked #1 world expert in antipsychotics (Clarivate, annually since 2014) Connection to Sultan: Co-author on psychopharmacoepidemiology studies, neuroscience-based nomenclature (JAACAP 2018), national prescribing patterns. |
Sharon Levy, MD, MPH
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Director, Adolescent Substance Use and Addiction Program; Associate Professor of Pediatrics Expertise: Adolescent substance use, cannabis, screening and brief intervention Past Chair, AAP Committee on Substance Use and Prevention | Nation's first accredited Pediatric Addiction Medicine Fellowship (2016) Connection to Sultan: PAWS collaborator. Clinical content validation. Co-author on Pediatrics 2026 cannabis paper. |
Stephen Crystal, PhD
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Board of Governors Professor; Director, Center for Health Services Research Expertise: Psychotropic medication use patterns, Medicaid policy, health services research h-index 79 | 21,000+ citations | 350+ publications Connection to Sultan: Co-author on landmark 2019 JAMA Network Open paper. Provided national Medicaid data infrastructure. |
Carlos Blanco, MD, PhD
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Director, Division of Epidemiology, Services and Prevention Research Expertise: Substance use epidemiology, comorbid psychiatric disorders ~53,000+ citations | 300+ publications Member, National Academy of Medicine Connection to Sultan: Co-author on e-cigarette / substance use epidemiology papers. |
Shuang Wang, PhD
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Professor of Biostatistics Expertise: Statistical genetics, biostatistical methods, multi-omics integration Connection to Sultan: Co-author on landmark 2019 JAMA paper. Statistical methodology for large-scale analyses. |
Melanie Wall, PhD
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Professor of Biostatistics and Psychiatry; Director, Mental Health Data Science, NYSPI Expertise: Longitudinal data analysis, latent variable modeling, mental health data science h-index 88 | ~47,000+ citations | 462+ publications Connection to Sultan: Biostatistician for PAWS study. Directs the biostatistics division supporting Sultan's research. |
Xuhai "Orson" Xu, PhD
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Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Informatics; Visiting Faculty Researcher, Google Research Expertise: Large language models, human-computer interaction, digital health 4,736+ citations | Multiple Best Paper awards at CHI, IMWUT, UbiComp Connection to Sultan: PAWS co-developer. Technical architecture lead for AI-enabled digital interventions for cannabis use disorder. |
Noemie Elhadad, PhD
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Chair, Department of Biomedical Informatics; Director of Medical Information Services, NewYork-Presbyterian Expertise: NLP, clinical informatics, patient-generated data, AI in medicine 16,421+ citations Connection to Sultan: Chair of Sultan's DBMI department. NLP and clinical informatics framework for Mental Health Informatics Lab. |
Deborah S. Hasin, PhD
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Professor of Clinical Epidemiology (in Psychiatry) Expertise: Cannabis epidemiology, substance use disorder definitions, DSM-5 h-index 134 | ~82,000+ citations | 550+ publications President, College on Problems of Drug Dependence (2023–2024) | Creator, PRISM diagnostic interview | Text editor, DSM-5-TR substance use sections Connection to Sultan: Co-author on cannabis access research (Pediatrics 2025). Premier Columbia colleague in cannabis epidemiology. |
Colin P. Nuckolls, PhD
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Sheldon and Dorothea Buckler Professor of Material Science, Department of Chemistry Expertise: Organic chemistry, molecular analysis, nanotechnology Former Chairman, Department of Chemistry, Columbia (2008–2011) Connection to Sultan: Co-author on cannabis access and contaminants research. |
Manpreet K. Singh, MD, MS
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Putnam Endowed Chair; Health Sciences Clinical Professor Expertise: Child mood disorders, digital mental health, telehealth 7,981+ citations | Blanche F. Ittleson Award, APA (2019) Connection to Sultan: Co-author, JAMA Psychiatry telehealth viewpoint (2022). |
Erica J. Duncan, MD
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Professor and Associate Chair for Research; Director, Psychophysiology and Cognition Laboratory Expertise: Schizophrenia, clozapine, VA mental health Connection to Sultan: Co-author on clozapine/FDA monitoring paper (2017). VA research collaborator. |
Pierpaolo (Patricio) Riva-Posse, MD
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Associate Professor of Psychiatry; Director, Interventional Psychiatry Service Expertise: Deep brain stimulation, treatment-resistant depression, ketamine 3,663 citations | 151 publications Connection to Sultan: Co-author on ketamine + ECT paper (2014, Psychosomatics). |
Michael Schoenbaum, PhD
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Senior Advisor for Mental Health Services, Epidemiology and Economics Expertise: Mental health services research, health economics, psychotropic prescribing policy 16,956 citations | Co-director, Army STARRS (largest military mental health study) Connection to Sultan: Co-author on psychotropic medication prescribing patterns in youth. |
Barbara A. Schindler, MD
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Vice Dean Emerita; Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics Expertise: Medical education, consultation-liaison psychiatry, substance use in women William Maul Measey Chair in Medical Education | Named "Top Doctor" by Philadelphia Magazine (multiple years) Connection to Sultan: Clinical alignment and escalation strategies advisor on PAWS. Medical education connection (Sultan attended Drexel for MD). |
Rebecca Rendleman, MD, CM
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Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry; Vice Chair for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Expertise: Child psychiatry, medical education, youth mental health Former Program Director, NYP Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Residency (graduated 200+ child psychiatrists) Connection to Sultan: Child psychiatry leadership colleague in NYC academic ecosystem. 2014 JAACAP ADHD co-author. |
PAWS Advisory Board
External advisors for the PAWS (Preventing Adverse outcomes With Screening) cannabis psychosis prevention study.
| Name | Role |
| Larry Brown | Multi-site trial expertise |
| Justine Welsh | Multi-site trial expertise |
| Kevin M. Simon, MD | Health equity, culturally responsive AI. Co-author, Pediatrics 2026 |
Research Team & Co-Authors
Active research team members and co-authors on published studies.
| Name | Institution | Key Paper(s) |
| Alexander W. Zhang, BA | Columbia / NYSPI | 5+ papers: cannabis, telehealth, JAMA |
| Timothy D. Becker, MD | NYP Westchester | Cannabis access, labeling (AJPM 2025, Pediatrics 2025/2026) |
| David C. Saunders, MD | Columbia | ADHD medication protective effects (JAMA Psychiatry 2025) |
| Polina Mosharova | Columbia / NYSPI | JAMA Mental Health Correlates |
| Peter J. Menzi, BA | — | Cannabis product labeling (AJPM 2025) |
| Phibamara Sethaputra | — | Pediatrics 2026 cannabis |
| Yung Huang | — | Pediatrics 2026 cannabis |
| Steven M. Liu | — | ADHD / adverse behaviors (J Adolesc Health 2021) |
| Shang Liu | — | E-cigarette / antipsychotic papers |
| Karen A. Hacker | — | J Adolescent Health 2021 |
| Michael King | — | Psychotropic medication research |
| M.H. Kwizera | — | JAMA Network Open 2023 cannabis |
| Scott Levy, MD | — | Pediatrics 2026 cannabis |
| Mark Wall, MPH | — | Statistical analysis |
| S.J. Garlow | Emory | Ketamine / depression (2014) |
| A.C. Schwartz | Emory | Treatment-resistant depression (2014) |
| J.M. Mohatt | — | ADHD outcomes / conference presentations |
| Jorge Zohar | — | Neuroscience nomenclature (JAACAP 2018) |
| Gabriela Zalsman | — | Neuroscience nomenclature (JAACAP 2018) |
Clinical & Professional Network
Clinical collaborators and professional colleagues contributing to practice-based research and clinical innovation.
| Name | Connection |
| Thomas Campanella | Assessment project, Integrative Psych (signed agreement 2024–25) |
| Ryan Mather, MD | ADHD treatment research |
| Jennifer Minami, MD | Psychopharmacology studies |
| Greg Sayer, MD | Clinical research |
| Brooke Molina, PhD | ADHD-substance use conference co-presenter |
| Brian M. D'Onofrio, PhD | ADHD-substance use conference co-presenter |
| A. Kolevzon | CEBA-ADHD research team |
| M. Wainberg | Implementation science team |
Media & Outreach Partners
Media collaborators who have partnered with Dr. Sultan to bring psychiatric research to the public.
| Name | Credentials | Show / Project |
| Jason Alexander | Emmy Award winner | Really? No Really? Podcast — Watch |
| William Curb | — | Hacking Your ADHD Podcast |
| Eric Tivers | LCSW | ADHD reWired Podcast (Ep 461) |
| Kimberley Quinlan | LMFT | Your Anxiety Toolkit Podcast (Ep 381) |
| Jordan Arbelaez | — | Video / media collaborator |
Early Career Co-Authors
Co-authors from early-career research projects.
| Name | Paper |
| C.L. Carroll | Obesity / asthma (2007) |
| S.R. Smith | Obesity / asthma (2007) |
| A.R. Zucker | Obesity / asthma (2007) |
| J.L. Abrams | Paleo-environmental (2005, Trinity College) |
| E.A. Rodriguez | Paleo-environmental (2005, Trinity College) |
| C.E. Geiss | Paleo-environmental (2005, Trinity College) |
Training Connections
Judith S. Beck, PhD — CBT training interview. Dr. Beck is the daughter of Aaron T. Beck, founder of cognitive behavioral therapy, and president of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy.
Research Institutions Represented
| Institution | Collaborators |
| Columbia University | Levin, Olfson, Veenstra-VanderWeele, Gordon, Friedman, Perotte, Wang, Wall, Xu, Elhadad, Hasin, Nuckolls |
| Harvard / MGH | Wilens, McCoy |
| Yale University | Krystal |
| Mount Sinai | Nestler, Hurd |
| Northwestern University | Walkup |
| Emory University | McDonald, Duncan, Riva-Posse |
| MUSC | Gray |
| Rutgers University | Crystal |
| UC Davis | Singh |
| Weill Cornell Medicine | Bennett, Rendleman |
| Drexel University | Schindler |
| Duke University | Posner |
| University of Wisconsin | Kalin |
| NIMH / NIH | Gordon (former Director), Schoenbaum |
| NIDA / NIH | Blanco |
| Boston Children's Hospital | Levy |
| Hofstra / Northwell | Correll |
Collaborative Research Projects
PAWS Study (Cannabis & Psychosis Prevention)
NIH R01-Funded
Principal Investigator: Ryan S. Sultan, MD (Columbia)
Co-Investigators: Yasmin Hurd (Mount Sinai), Kevin Gray (MUSC), Sharon Levy (Harvard/BCH), Xuhai Xu (Columbia), Melanie Wall (Columbia)
Advisory Board: Larry Brown, Justine Welsh, Kevin Simon
Letters of Support: Nestler, Krystal, Kalin, Walkup, Wilens, Gordon, Bennett
ADHD Treatment Patterns Research
Multi-Site Collaboration
Focus: Real-world medication prescribing patterns, treatment outcomes, longitudinal follow-up
Collaborators: Wilens (Harvard), Olfson (Columbia), Correll (Northwell), Crystal (Rutgers), Schoenbaum (NIMH)
Digital ADHD Interventions
NIH R43-Funded
Focus: Smartphone-based ADHD intervention development
Support Letters: Bennett (Weill Cornell), Walkup (Northwestern)
Why Collaboration Matters
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The Power of Collaborative Science Modern psychiatric research requires expertise across multiple domains: clinical care, neuroscience, epidemiology, statistics, informatics, and digital health. No single investigator can master all areas. Dr. Sultan's network of 75 collaborators across 16 institutions brings together:
This network enables rigorous, impactful research that advances psychiatric care. |
Publications with Collaborators
For co-authored publications with these collaborators, see the Publications page.
Dr. Sultan's research has been cited 411+ times in the medical literature, with the most-cited work being a JAMA Network Open study on antipsychotic prescribing in ADHD youth (with Olfson, Crystal, and Wang).
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are Dr. Sultan's research mentors?
Dr. Sultan's formal mentors include Frances R. Levin, MD (K12 Primary Mentor, Columbia/NYSPI), Timothy E. Wilens, MD (K12 Co-Mentor, Harvard/MGH), Mark Olfson, MD, MPH (T32 Senior Research Mentor, Columbia), and Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele, MD (T32 Program Director, Columbia). His mentorship training spans NIDA K12, NIMH T32, and biomedical informatics fellowships.
How many National Academy members are in Dr. Sultan's network?
Seven: Eric Nestler (NAS + NAM), John Krystal (NAM), Ned Kalin (NAM), Joshua Gordon (NAS + NAM), Carol Friedman (NAM), Yasmin Hurd (NAS + NAM), and Carlos Blanco (NAM).
What institutions are represented?
Sixteen institutions: Columbia, Harvard/MGH, Yale, Mount Sinai, Northwestern, Emory, MUSC, Rutgers, UC Davis, Weill Cornell, Drexel, Duke, University of Wisconsin, NIMH/NIH, NIDA, and Boston Children's Hospital.
What research projects involve Dr. Sultan's collaborators?
Major projects include the PAWS Study (cannabis-related psychosis prevention), ADHD treatment patterns research, digital mental health interventions (SBIR-funded), and large-scale epidemiological studies using national prescribing databases.
What is Dr. Sultan's mentorship training background?
NIDA K12 Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Program (mentored by Levin and Wilens), NIMH T32 Research Fellowship at Columbia (mentored by Olfson, directed by Veenstra-VanderWeele), and Biomedical Informatics training (mentored by Friedman, Perotte, and McCoy). Residency training at Emory University.
Learn More:
- Current Research Projects
- Publications (411+ Citations)
- NIH Grants & Funding
- Dr. Sultan's Profile
- Sultan Lab
- ADHD: Complete Evidence-Based Guide
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