Faculty

Brooke S G Molina, PhD

Brooke S G Molina, PhD

Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology and Pediatrics

Contact Details

3811 O'Hara St.
Pittsburgh
 
PA
 
15213
Email
Website
Youth and Family Research Program
Developmental Alcohol Research Training Program
Assistant
Carol Walker Hundiak
walkercb@upmc.edu

Education & Training

PhD
Clinical Psychology, Arizona State University
Alcohol Research Training Program, University of Pittsburgh

Current Appointments

Director, Youth and Family Research Program
Co-Director, Developmental Alcohol Research Training Program

Professional Affiliations

Fellow, American Psychological Association
Member, International Society for Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology
Member, Research Society on Alcoholism

Selected Honors & Awards

Mentor Award, University of Pittsburgh Postdoctoral Association
Outstanding Mentor Award, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Method to Extend Research in Time Award, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Research Interests

Etiology, course & treatment of ADHD; Etiology, course & treatment of substance use; Primary care and ADHD treatment
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Molina, B. S. G., Joseph, H.M., H. L. Kipp, H.L., Lindstrom, R.A., Pedersen, S.L., Kolko, D.J., Bauer, D.J., and Subramaniam, G.A. (in press). Adolescents treated for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in pediatric primary care: Characterizing risk for stimulant diversion. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics.
  2. Molina, B.S.G., Kipp, H.L., Joseph, H.M., Engster, S.A., Harty, S.C., Dawkins, M. Lindstrom, R.A., Bauer, D.J. & S. S. Bangalore, S.S. (2020). Stimulant diversion risk among college students treated for ADHD: Primary care provider prevention training. Academic Pediatrics, 20(1), 119-127. PMCID: PMC6899216
  3. Jones NP, Versace A, Lindstrom R, Wilson TK, Gnagy EM, Pelham WE Jr, Molina BSG, Ladouceur CD.(2020) Reduced activation in the pallidal-thalamic-motor pathway Is associated with deficits in reward-modulated inhibitory control in adults with a history of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2020 (Dec;5(12):1123-1133. doi: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2020.06.011. Epub 2020 Jun 30. PMID: 32830098; PMCID: PMC7726013.
  4. Pedersen, S.L., Walther, C.A.P., Harty, S.C., Gnagy, E.M., Pelham, W.E., Molina, B.S.G. (2016). The indirect effects of childhood ADHD on alcohol problems in adulthood through unique facets of impulsivity. Addiction, 111(9), 1582-1589.
  5. Howard, A.L., Molina, B S.G., Swanson, J.M., Hinshaw, S.P., Belendiuk, K.A., Harty, S.C., Arnold, L.E., Abikoff, H.B., Hechtman, L., Stehli, A., Greenhill, L.L., Newcorn, J.H., & Wigal, T. (2015). Developmental progression to early adult binge drinking and marijuana use from worsening versus stable trajectories of adolescent ADHD and delinquency. Addiction, 110(5), 784-795.

Clinical Interests

ADHD across the lifespan; Substance use across the lifespan; Primary care and ADHD treatment

Education Interests

Research mentorship at all levels; Faculty development

Genetic Risk for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Predicts Cognitive Decline and Development Of Alzheimer’s Disease Pathophysiology in Cognitively Unimpaired Older Adults

Drs. Douglas Leffa and Tharick Pascoal

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) persists in older age and may be a risk factor for cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. A recent study published in Molecular Psychiatry aimed to determine whether genetic liability for ADHD, as measured by a well-validated ADHD polygenic risk score, is associated with cognitive decline and the development of Alzheimer’s disease pathophysiology in cognitively...

The Interaction Between Infant Negative Emotionality and Cognition Predicts ADHD-Related Behaviors in Toddlerhood

Heather Joseph, DO

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a highly prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder. Children with ADHD followed to adulthood have been found to have lifelong impairments in educational, occupational, and interpersonal domains even if symptoms subside. ADHD is commonly identified in childhood, and affective and cognitive characteristics that are identifiable in infancy could be signals of risk for...

New Research on the Social Determinants of Risk for Alcohol Use Disorder

New Research on the Social Determinants of Risk for Alcohol Use Disorder

Pitt Psychiatry investigators have examined the social determinants of risk for alcohol use disorder among Black drinkers, who have elevated rates of alcohol-related health problems and mortality compared to White drinkers. Sarah Pedersen, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology); Traci Kennedy, PhD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry); Jordan Holmes, BA, (Research Project Assistant); and Brooke Molina...

Molecular Psychiatry: White Matter Abnormalities Associated with ADHD Outcomes in Adulthood

Cecile Ladouceur, PhD; Amelia Versace, MD; Brooke Molina, PhD

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the most common childhood neurodevelopmental disorder, is characterized by inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity that are inappropriate to the developmental stage and interfere with daily life. Two of these symptoms, hyperactivity and impulsivity, tend to decline with age. However, inattention symptoms more often persist into adulthood, even among adults...