Joseph Sakai, MD

Picture of Dr. Joseph Sakai
Joseph Sakai, MD

Recent Publications

Associate Professor

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS, PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS, AND HONORS

1997-1998 Community Medicine Internship, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center

1998-2001 Psychiatry Residency, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center

2001-2003 Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Affiliated Hospitals (50% time)

2001-2003 Research fellowship with the Center for Antisocial Drug Dependence Genetics and Treatment (50% time)

2003-2004 Developmental Psychobiology Research Group Postdoctoral Research Fellowship – NIMH grant 5T32MH15442

2002-2004 Instructor-Fellow, Division of Substance Dependence, Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Denver, School of Medicine

2003-2006 Associate Director of Adolescent Psychiatric Services, Synergy Programs, Addiction Research and Treatment Services, University of Colorado Denver, School of Medicine

2004-2009 Medical Director, Asian Pacific Center for Human Development, Denver, Colorado

2004-present Assistant Professor, Division of Substance Dependence, Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine

2006-present Director of Adolescent Psychiatric Services, Synergy Programs, Addiction Research and Treatment Services, University of Colorado School of Medicine

2009-present Associate Director, Medical Student Education, Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Denver, School of Medicine

Honors:

1997 Elected to Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, Tulane University School of Medicine

2000 American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry and National Institutes on Drug Abuse Travel Award

2001 Selected as a participant in the Sixth Annual Research Colloquium for Junior Investigators, APA

Committee on Research Training, The American Psychiatric Association’s Annual Meeting

2001 American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry Resident Research Award

2001 College on Problems of Drug Dependence Early Career Investigator Travel Award

2002 Diplomat in Psychiatry, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

2003-2005 Alcohol Medical Scholars Program (Marc A. Schuckit, M.D., Director)

2004 Added Qualifications – Addiction Psychiatry

2007 Honorary journal editorial board member: Substance Abuse Research and Treatment

TEACHING ACTIVITIES

Medical Student:

MS-III inpatient substance dependence/psychiatric rotation supervision/teaching (1998-1999, 2000, 2002)
MS-IV inpatient substance dependence/psychiatric rotation supervision/teaching (1998-1999, 2000, 2002)
MS-IV faculty teacher, student elective 8001 – The “Big Six” Substance Problems of Primary Care Medicine (2001-present)
Alcohol Medical Scholars Program (2003-2005)
Author of standardized patient case “Irma Johnson” for the MS-III Clinical Skills Exam (2004)
Lecturer – MED 8029 – MS-IV Clinical Psychopharmacology (2005-present)
Experiential Learning Module about AA and other 12-step Programs; faculty (2006-present)
MS-I/II Small Group Facilitator (2009-

Resident:

PGY-II, Inpatient supervision (2000, 2002)
PGY-III, Consultation/liaison & emergency room supervision (2000)
PGY-I, Inpatient supervision (2002)
PGY-II, Weekly Off-ward supervision (2002-2004)
PGY-I, Outpatient supervision, treatment of dual diagnosis patients (2003)
PGY-I, II, III, morning report (2003-2004)
PGY-I, Five-lecture series (primer on substance abuse treatment) (2003-2005 and 2007-present)
PGY-III, lecturer in the core course on substance abuse treatment (2003-present)
PGY-IV, Weekly supervision for Community Psychiatry Rotation (2005-2006)

Fellow:

Addiction Fellowship Seminar – Lecturer (2003-present)
Addiction Fellow – Monthly supervision – treatment of substance dependent adolescents with comorbid mental health disorders (2005)

Addiction counselors:

Bi-annual in-service for Addiction Counselors, Synergy Programs (2004-present)

CLINICAL ACTIVITIES

Sakai serves as the director of adolescent psychiatric services for the division of substance dependence’s clinical programs. In that role Sakai both handles administrative duties and provides direct clinical care to youth with serious conduct problems (most have a clinical diagnosis of conduct disorder), substance dependence and co-morbid mental health problems, such as ADHD, anxiety, depressive and bipolar disorders. The adolescent programs span the gamut of level of care including residential, day treatment, multi-systemic therapy and outpatient services. Those programs admit over 300 patients annually.

GRANTS AND CONTRACTS

Ongoing Research Support:

P60 DA011015 (Hewitt) 5/1/09-2/28/2014 NIH/NIDA

Center on Antisocial Drug Dependence: The Genetics of HIV Risk Behaviors

Center representing the University of Colorado’s Institute for Behavioral Genetics, Division of Substance Dependence and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. This center conducts research in antisocial drug dependence, human behavioral genetics and HIV Risk Behaviors.

K08 DA016314-01A1 (PI: Sakai) 9/15/04-8/31/09 (1-year no cost extension) NIH/NIDA

Asian Teens, Substance Dependence, and Conduct Disorder

The main goal of this project is to collect a sample of Asian adolescents at high risk for substance dependence, their first-degree relatives and sample of control Asian adolescents; this sample will be utilized test for associations between two candidate genes and substance dependence phenotypes.

Completed Research Support:

1R21AA017321-01 (Brown, Sandra) 9/30/07-9/31/09 NIH/NIAAA

Adolescent Neurocognitive Recovery Following Abstinence From Alcohol

The present study seeks to: 1) develop and refine methodology critical to examination abstention related changes in NP skills and neuroanatomical functioning among adolescents, and 2) conduct a pilot study of such changes comparing abstaining, former heavy drinking 16-18 year olds (>100 lifetime alcohol episodes, recent high dose drinking and withdrawal symptoms) to matched nondrinking peers over 6 weeks of monitored abstention.

1 R01 DA20922-02S1 (Price, Rumi) 9/01/07-8/31/08 NIH/NIDA

Disentangling Substance Use and Psychiatric Disorder Comorbidity for Future HuGE: Administrative Supplement (Special Population Office)

This administrative supplement request adds the dataset from the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS) to increase the sample size of admixed (mixed race) AAPIs to enhance specific aims of the Parent Grant.

Pending/Under Review:

1R01DA026850-01 (Sakai) 04/01/10-3/31/15 3 calendar

NIH/NIDA

Frontal/Temporal Brain Volume and Behavioral Disinhibition: Genetic Determinants

The study seeks to conduct structural brain imaging (MRI) on a large sample of behaviorally disinhibited adolescents and adolescent controls to: (1) search for genetic contributors to between group brain differences and (2) examine the relationship between brain volumes and behavioral disinhibition across adolescence.

1R01 DA029258-01 (Coors) 04/01/10-03/31/13 1.2 calendar
NIH/NIDA
Ethical Issues in Broad Data Sharing for Addiction Research: Best Practices
The proposed research will: (1) identify risks to participants in broadly shared biobanks; (2) attain as much insight as possible about how persons with addictions process information and make decisions about enrolling in risky research; (3) make recommendations for informed consent and Institutional Review Boards that take into account the differences in risk taking propensity in persons with addictions.

Publications

Sakai, J., Kim, M., Shore, J., Hepfer, M. (1998). The risk of purified protein derivative positivity in homeless men with psychotic symptoms. The Southern Medical Journal, 91, 345-348.

Sakai, J. T., Stallings, M. C., Mikulich-Gilbertson, S. K., Corley, R. P., Young, S. E., Hopfer, C. J., Crowley, T. J. (2004). Mate similarity for substance dependence and antisocial personality disorder among parents of patients and controls. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 75(2),165-175.

Crowley, T. J., Sakai, J. T. (2004). Inhalant Related Disorders, In B. J. Sadock & V. A. Sadock (Eds.), The Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, 8th edition. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins.

Crowley, T. J., Sakai, J. T. (2004). Inhalants, In M. Galanter & H. D. Kleber (Eds.), The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Substance Abuse Treatment, 3rd edition. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press

Sakai, J. T., Ho, P. M., Shore, J., Risk, N. K., Price, R. K. (2005). Asians in the U.S.: substance dependence, and use of substance dependence treatment. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 29, 75-84.

Sakai, J. T., Mikulich-Gilbertson, S. K., Crowley, T. J. (2006). Adolescent inhalant use among male patients in treatment for substance and behavior problems: Two-year outcome. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 32, 29-40.

Sakai, J. T., Mikulich-Gilbertson, S. K., Long, R. J., Crowley, T. J. (2006). Validity of transdermal alcohol monitoring: Fixed and self-regulated dosing. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 30, 26-33.

Weissberg, M., Sakai, J. T., Miyoshi, T., Fryer, G. E. (2006). Medical student attitudes to risk-taking and self-perceived influence on medical practice. Medical Education, 40, 722-729.

Sakai, J. T., Young, S. E., Stallings, M. C., Timberlake, D., Smolen, A., Stetler, G. L., Crowley, T. J. (2006). Case-control and within-family tests for an association between conduct disorder and 5HTT-LPR. American Journal of Medical Genetics – Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 141B, 825-832.

Sakai, J. T., Hopfer, C. J., Hartman, C., Haberstick, B. C., Smolen, A., Corley, R. P., Stallings, M. C., Young, S. E., Timberlake, D., Hewitt, J. K., Crowley, T. J. (2007). Test of association between TaqIA A1 allele and alcohol use disorder phenotypes in a sample of adolescent patients with serious substance and behavioral problems. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 88, 130-137.

Timberlake, D. S., Haberstick, B. C., Hopfer, C. J., Bricker, J., Sakai, J. T., Lessem, J. M., Hewitt, J. K. (2007). Progression from marijuana use to daily smoking and nicotine dependence in a national sample of U.S. adolescents. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 88, 272-281.

Haberstick, B. C., Timberlake, D., Smolen, A., Sakai, J. T., Hopfer, C. J., Corley, R. P., Young, S. E., Stallings, M. C., Huizinga, D., Menard, S., Hartman, C., Grotpeter, J., Hewitt, J. K. (2007). Between and within-family association test of the dopamine receptor D2 TaqIA polymorphism and alcohol abuse and dependence in a general population sample of adults. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 69, 362-370.

Sakai, J. T., Lessem, J. M., Haberstick, B. C., Hopfer, C. J., Smolen, A., Ehringer, M. A., Timberlake, D., Hewitt, J. K. (2007). Case-control and with-in family tests for association between 5HTTLPR and conduct problems in a longitudinal adolescent sample. Psychiatric Genetics, 14, 207-214.

Mikulich-Gilbertson, S. K., Salomonsen-Sautel, S., Sakai, J. T., Booth, R. E. (2007). Gender similarities and differences in antisocial behavioral syndromes among injection drug users. American Journal on Addictions, 16, 372-382.

Gelhorn, H. L., Sakai, J. T., Price, R. K., Crowley, T. J. (2007). DSM-IV Conduct disorder criteria as predictors of antisocial personality disorder. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 48, 529-538.

Plomondon, M. E., Ho, P. M., Wang, L., Greiner, G. T., Shore, J. H., Sakai, J. T., Fihn, S. D., Rumsfeld, J. S. (2007). Severe mental illness and mortality of hospitalized ACS patients in the VHA. BMC Health Services Research, 7, 146.

Schulz-Heik, R. J., Maentz, S. K., Rhee, S. H., Gelhorn, H. L., Young, S. E., Stallings, M. C., Timberlake, D., Smolen, A., Stetler, G. L., Sakai, J. T., Crowley, T. J. (2008). Case-control and within-family tests for an association between conduct disorder and DAT1. Psychiatric Genetics, 18, 17-24.<.p>

Hartman, C. A., Gelhorn, H., Crowley, T. J., Sakai, J., Stallings, M. C., Young, S. E., Corley, R., Hewitt, J. K., Hopfer, C. J. (2008). An Item Response Theory analysis of DSM-IV marijuana abuse and dependence criteria in adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 47, 165-173.

Sakai, J. T., Risk, N. K., Tanaka, C. A., Price, R. K. (2008). Conduct disorder among Asians and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders in the USA. Psychological Medicine, 38, 1013-1025.

Gelhorn, H., Hartman, C., Sakai, J., Stallings, M., Young, S., Rhee, S., Corley, R., Hewitt, J., Hopfer, C., Crowley, T. (2008). Toward DSM-V: An Item Response Theory analysis of DSM-IV alcohol abuse and dependence criteria in adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 47, 1329-1339.

Gelhorn, H., Sakai, J. T., Stallings, M., Young, S., Corley, R., Rhee, S., Hopfer, C., Hewitt, J., Crowley, T. (2009). The utility of item response theory for an empirically based revision of the DSM: The example of Conduct Disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 48(1), 42-50.

Sakai, J. T., Stallings, M. C., Crowley, T. J., Gelhorn, H. L., McQueen, M. B., Ehringer, M. A. (2010). Test of association between GABRA2 (SNP rs279871) and adolescent conduct/alcohol use disorders utilizing a sample of clinic referred youth with serious substance and conduct problems, controls and available first degree relatives. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 106, 199-203.

Sakai, J. T., Boardman, J. D., Gelhorn, H., Smolen, A., Corley, R. P., Huizinga, D., Hewitt, J. K., Stallings, M. C. (2010). Utilizing trajectory analyses to refine phenotype for genetic association: conduct problems and the serotonin transporter (5HTTLPR). Psychiatric Genetics, 20(5), 199-206.

Sakai, J. T., Wang, C., Price, R. K. (2010). Substance Use and Dependence among Native Hawaiians, Other Pacific Islanders and Asian Ethnic Groups in the United States: Contrasting Multiple- and Single-Race Prevalence Rates from a National Survey. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, 9, 173-185.

Sakai, J. T., Crowley, T. J., Stallings, M. C., McQueen, M., Hewitt, J. K., Hopfer, C., Hoft, N. R., Ehringer, M. A. (2010, submitted). Test of association between 10 SNPs in the oxytocin receptor gene and conduct disorder. Psychiatric Genetics.

Sakai, J. T., Dalwani, M., Gelhorn, H. L., Mikulich-Gilbertson, S. K., Crowley, T. J. (2010, submitted). Assessing self-oriented vs. other-oriented behavior among adolescents with conduct and substance problems. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology.

Whitmore, E. L., Sakai, J. T., Riggs, P. D. (2010, submitted). Practice guidelines for adolescents with co-occurring substance use and psychiatric disorder, drafted for the State of Colorado, Division of Behavioral Health, Department of Health and Human Services.

Dalwani, M., Sakai, J. T., Mikulich-Gilbertson, S. K., Tanabe, J., Raymond, K., McWilliams, S. K., Thompson, L., Banich, M. T., Crowley, T. J. (2011, in press). Reduced cortical gray matter volume in male adolescents with substance and conduct problems. Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

Department of Psychiatry

Joseph Sakai, MD

Associate Professor

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Joseph Sakai, MD

Associate Professor

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