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Dr. Lesia Ruglass is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the City College of New York, and Adjunct Associate Research Professor at the Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies. Her clinical and research interests center on several areas: 1) assessment and treatment of trauma, PTSD, and substance use disorders (SUDs); 2) understanding the biopsychosocial mechanisms underlying SUDs (particularly cannabis and tobacco use disorders); and 3) understanding and reducing racial and ethnic disparities in PTSD, SUDs, and health-related outcomes (e.g., cancer). Dr. Ruglass has received awards and grants from the National Institutes of Health and the City College City SEEDS program. She has published multiple peer-reviewed articles and presented her work nationally and internationally. She is co-author of the book Psychology of Trauma 101 (with Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, Springer Publishing) and co-editor of the book Women’s Mental Health Across the Lifespan: Challenges, Vulnerabilities, and Strengths (with Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, Routledge Publishing).

Dr. Ruglass received her BA in Psychology from New York University, her MA in Psychology from Boston University, and her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the New School for Social Research in New York City. She completed her internship and post-doctoral fellowship in Clinical Psychology at Mount Sinai-West and Mount Sinai Morningside (formerly St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital). Dr. Ruglass previously served as Member-at-Large and Co-Chair of the Diversity and Multicultural Committee for Division 56 (Trauma Psychology) and Member-at-Large (Public Interest) for the Society of Addiction Psychology, APA, Division 50. Dr. Ruglass maintains a virtual private practice.

• TRACC (Translational Research Training for Underrepresented Groups at the City College of New York, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and Rutgers University [MPI; NIH/NIDA]
• Manhattan-Bridge (Bridges to the Baccalaureate Research Training Program for racial and ethnic minoritized students at the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) and the City College of New York (CCNY) [MPI; NIH/NIGMS]
• Relative And Intersectional Analysis Of Social Determinants Of Lung Cancer Risk Among Black And Hispanic All Of Us Respondents [MPI; NIH/NCI]
• An Intersectional Examination Of Early Tobacco Use Among White And Black Adolescents [Co-I; NIH/NIMHD]
• Addressing Barriers To Seeking Lung Cancer Screening Among African Americans At-Risk For Lung Cancer [MPI; NIH/NCI]
• Integrative Data Analysis of Clinical Trials Network (CTN) Studies to Examine the Impact of Psychosocial Treatments for Black People Who Use Cocaine [MPI:NIH/NIDA/CTN].
• Advancing Clinical Trials for PTSD and A/SUDs Using the Virtual Multisite Clinical Trial (Project Harmony) [Co-I; NIH/NIAAA]

NIH/NIAAA (2018 – 2022), Advancing Clinical Trials for PTSD and A/SUDs Using the Virtual Multisite Clinical Trial; Role: Co-Investigator (MPIs: Hien & Morgan-Lopez) ($1.5 million)

A full list of Dr. Ruglass’s published work can be found on Google Scholar or ResearchGate.

• NIAAA/R13 Symposium (APA Convention), Travel Award, 2014
• National Institutes of Health (NIH), Loan Repayment Program, Initial Contract and 2 Competitive Renewal Awards, 2008-2014
• NIAAA/NIDA, Early Career Investigator Poster Session Travel Award (APA Convention), 2009
• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Director’s Travel Award (CPDD Convention), 2008

Research Interests: Assessment and Integrated Treatment of Trauma/PTSD and Substance Use Disorders (SUDs); Understanding Mechanisms of Substance Use Disorders; and Understanding and Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in PTSD, SUDs, and Health Outcomes (e.g., Cancer).