Drs. Tom Piasecki and Wendy Slutske have joined UW-CTRI as professors and senior scientists.
“They are each accomplished researchers with impressive track records of addiction research, statistical expertise, mentoring, and team science,” said UW-CTRI Director Dr. Michael Fiore. “We are elated to have them on our team. They will substantially boost our Center’s scientific firepower and provide innovative research expertise over the next decade.”
Slutske is an expert in psychiatric epidemiology, behavioral genetics and addiction whose tenure home is the UW Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. She was previously Curators’ Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri and the director of the University of Missouri’s Center of Excellence in Gambling Research. She obtained her BS in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Minnesota, clinical internship at the Indiana University School of Medicine, and postdoctoral fellowship in psychiatric epidemiology and biostatistics at the Washington University School of Medicine.
Her most recent research has focused on how neighborhood factors—such as disadvantage or the density of alcohol outlets, tobacco retailers, or gambling venues in the community—may be related to developing an addictive disorder.
The Milwaukee native loves quilts, folk art, reading, hiking, and dogs. She is looking forward to returning to a city with lakes and Jewish delis. Surprisingly, she met her husband, Thomas Piasecki, a fellow Milwaukee native, while they were both professors in Columbia, Missouri.
Piasecki is an expert in drug use motives, statistical modeling and theory concerning etiology and treatment of addictive disorders. He joins UW-CTRI after serving as a Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri. He received his Ph.D. in experimental psychopathology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1999. He worked at UW-CTRI from 1992 to 2000, first as a graduate student researcher and then as a postdoctoral fellow. He is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and the recipient of research awards from the American Psychological Association and the Society for Nicotine and Tobacco Research. He is currently Associate Editor of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, a past Associate Editor of Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, and a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Abnormal Psychology.
He enjoys running and music. As side effects of attending international research conferences, he has acquired passions for Australian rugby league and learning Swedish.