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Rumi Kato Price, PhD, MPE
Current
Position
Research Professor of Psychiatry
University Roles
Member, Human Subject Study Committee
Education and Training
Co-Director, NIDA training program in drug abuse comorbidity and biostatistics; Predoctoral clinical research training program, K12 multidisciplinary clinical scholars career development program.
Major Awards
Independent Scientist Award -II (1999-2004)
Nihon Koteisho Kyokai Foundation award (2004)
Areas of Clinical Interest
military deployment heath; drug dependence and abuse, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), human-genome epidemiology (substance abuse, health disparity research)
Areas of Research Interests
Longitudinal component: This component currently focuses on data analysis and findings dissemination of longitudinal surveys on a national sample of Vietnam veterans and marched controls consisting of 1972 baseline, 1974 follow-up, and 1996-7 follow-up and Phase IV 2001-2006 to examine long-term effects of war exposure, drug and alcohol abuse, psychiatric disorders and life events including suicidality up to middle life. Common biological and psychosocial mechanisms of PTSD and drug abuse comorbidity are currently proposed both with use of the existing cohort of Vietnam veterans and with a new cohort from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF). A virtual reality exposure paradigm is used to implement a trauma exposure experiment embedded in an epidemiologic data collection design.
Human-genome epidemiology component: A series of integrated studies are planned to delineate complex relationships of genetic and environmental effects on substance abuse. Conceptual and analytical integrations are attempted to bridge human genome epidemiology to health disparity relating to substance abuse by introduction of molecular evolutionary genetics to race/ethnicity. Candidate genes focus on the genes that encoding on drug-metabolizing enzymes for which unique polymorphisms are found among Asian populations.
Methodological enhancement: A general aim is to identify and implement non-traditional techniques that will help in selecting better measures and analytically improve prediction. Genetic algorithms, tree based regressions, and artificial neural-network models have been successfully applied to large-scale epidemiologic data and were found to improve predictive power.
Key Publications
Price RK, Spitznagel, EL, Downey TJ, Meyer DJ, Risk NK, El-Ghazzawy OG: Applying artificial neural-network models to clinical decision-making. Psychological Assessment 2000; 12:40-51.
Price RK, Risk NK, Spitznagel EL: Remission from illicit drug use over a 25-period: Patterns of remission and treatment use. Am J Pub Health 2001; 91:1107-1113.
Price RK, Risk NK, Murray KS, Virgo KS, Spitznagel EL: Twenty-five year mortality of U.S. servicemen deployed in Vietnam: Predictive utility of early drug use. Drug Alc Depend 2001; 64:309-318.
Price RK, Risk NK, Wong MW, Klingle RS: Substance use and abuse in Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs): Preliminary results from four national epidemiologic studies. Pub Health Rep 2002; 117:S39-50.
Price RK, Risk, NK, Haden AH, Lewis CE, Spitznagel EL: Post-traumatic stress disorder, drug dependence and suicidality among male Vietnam veterans with a history of heavy drug use. Drug Alc Dep 2004; 76S:31-43.
Price RK. Washington University Vietnam Era Study. In Korsmeyer P, Kranzer H (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol & Addictive Behavior, 2008; 280-282.
Funded Research Projects
NIMH(PI):Follow-Up of Vietnam Veterans at Risk for Suicide
NIDA(PI):Disentangling Substance Use and Psychiatric Disorder Comorbidity for Future HuGE