Suchismita Ray, Ph.D.
Dr. Ray’s research activities are geared toward improving the precision of interventions for individuals with opioid and other drug use disorders.
Mission
To examine the cognitive, behavioral, and brain mechanisms underlying drug addiction using experimental tasks and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and to develop effective behavioral and pharmacological interventions.
Vision
Disseminate research findings from my laboratory to the clinicians in order to decrease drug use, relapse, and overdose deaths.
Research Areas: Brain mechanisms underlying addictive disorders; Efficacy of mindfulness in opioid use disorder; Drug addiction in minority women
Principal Investigator
1. 09/30/24-8/31/29 Principal Investigator (contact). National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Drug Abuse (Award number 1R61DA059906-01A1 NIH R61/R33 (R01 Equivalent)). Title: Combined guanfacine and mindfulness meditation as an adjunct to buprenorphine maintenance in opioid use disorder. Total Budget: $3,182,640.00. (MPI: Helen Fox, Indiana University)
2. 9/27/24-8/31/29 Principal Investigator (Site). National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (Award number 1R01AA031662-01). Title: “Guanfacine for women with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD): A multisite study using a telehealth approach.” PI: Helen Fox, Indiana University. Rutgers Budget: $1,413,000.00 (100 individuals with alcohol use disorder will be tested at the Rutgers Site and 100 individuals with alcohol use disorder will be tested at the Indiana University Site)
3. 04/23/24-11/30/25 Principal Investigator. Rutgers University Equity and Inclusion. Faculty Diversity Collaborative. The Affinity Group. $6,000.
4. 09/01/23-08/31/25 Principal Investigator, Rutgers School of Health Professions-Dean’s Grant Award. Mindfulness Oriented Recovery Enhancement as an Adjunct to Buprenorphine Medication in Opioid Use Disorder. $35,000
5. 06/01/21-08/31/22 Principal Investigator, Rutgers University Brain Imaging Center PILOT grant on the new PRISMA. Acute mindfulness intervention effects on mood, anxiety, emotional regulation, and resting state brain signal in women opioid users.
6. 1/1/2021-06/30/2022 Principal Investigator, Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey grant award (Grant # 3888). Utilization of an evidence-based Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction intervention to improve mental and physical health and decrease drug craving and use in a vulnerable population in Newark. $53,000.
7. 9/1/2020-8/30/2023 Principal Investigator, Rutgers School of Health Professions-Dean’s Grant Award. A pilot study to examine the efficacy of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) intervention on brain response, emotional regulation, and stress in women opioid users. $35,000.
8. 7/1/2019–6/30/2023 Co-Principal Investigator, (Rutgers University-Newark Initiative for Multidisciplinary Research Teams Award, IMRT award). Negative affect mechanisms underlying opioid use in lab and daily life. PI (Delgado). $103,000.
9. 2/1/2018 – 10/30/2018 Principal Investigator, Rutgers-Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (214:205740). Trauma related neurobiological predictors of adverse child outcomes: Secondary analysis of the Healthy Brain Network database. $ 9,312 (Co-PI: Hien)
10. 09/01/2017 – 08/31/2020 (NCE) Principal Investigator, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH, NIDA: I/START-Imaging Science Track Award for Research Transition). Prescription opiates, drug-cue processing network, and neural connectivity. $245,924.
11. 04/01/11 -3/31/2018 Principal Investigator, National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH/NIDA K01DA029047A). Career Development Award (K01). Mentors: Dr. Stephen J. Hanson (Rutgers Brain Imaging Center-Newark; Dr. Margaret Haney (Columbia University). Impact Score 19. Cocaine, Appetitive Memory, and Neural connectivity. $661,025.
12. 2/1/01 – 1/31/03 (Co-Principal Investigator) Alcoholic Beverage Medical Research Foundation. Alcohol’s Dissociation of Implicit and Explicit Memory Processes (PI: Benjamin Martin Bly). $78,000.
Co-Investigator
1. 10/12/2022-10/11/2023 Co-Investigator, Rutgers Collaborative Multidisciplinary Awards Program (Rutgers Brain Health Institute). Validating and Exploring Promoted Spiritual Experience: A Pilot fMRI Study. $37,000.
2. 04/01/2020 – 06/30/2023 Co-Investigator (R21, NIH/NIDA). Using combined EEG and non-invasive brain stimulation to examine and improve cognitive control functioning in opioid use disorder. $400,000. PI (Baker).
3. 05/31/2018 – 5/30/2019 Co-Investigator, Rutgers Opioid IRG funding. Developing a trauma-informed technology based psychosocial adjunct to MAT treatment for female opioid users in primary care: A formative study (Principal Investigator, Denise Hien). $20,000.
4. 02/01/2014 – 01/31/2017 Co-Investigator, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIH, NIAAA, R21AA022748). fMRI and Integrated Neurocardiac Control of Alcohol Cue Reactivity. $406,876 (PI: Marsha E. Bates).
5. 07/01/11- 6/30/2014 Co-Investigator, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH, NIDA, R03 DA031060). Marijuana Cues, Arousal and the Central Autonomic Network. $227,652 (PI: Marsha E. Bates).
6. 7/1/04 – 6/30/2010 Co- Investigator, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA; R01 AA0 15248-05). Alcohol, Memory, and Affective Regulation (PI: Marsha E. Bates). $1,000,000.
7. 7/1/04 – 9/30/2009 Co-Investigator, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA; P20 DA017552). Rutgers University Transdisciplinary Prevention Research Center Grant (Co-Investigator, Project 3. PI: Robert J.Pandina). $6,000,000.
Lauren Curcio
Clinical Research Coordinator
lrc125@scarletmail.rutgers.edu
Mariama Conteh
Research Assistant
mtc171@shp.rutgers.edu
Research Students
Bilal Hussain
Doctoral Student
bh525@shp.rutgers.edu
Ms. Jennifer McMaster
Doctoral Student
mcmastje@shp.rutgers.edu
Timothy Bristol
Doctoral Student
tab253@shp.rutgers.edu
Surabhi Dutta
Doctoral Student
duttasu@shp.rutgers.edu
Saurabh Agarwal
Doctoral Student
sa2225@shp.rutgers.edu
Ahmed Sabra
Volunteer student, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
afs110@njms.rutgers.edu
Ann Ellis
Doctoral Student
Recipient of SHP Excellence in Research Award
2024
Nominated for New Jersey Health Foundation Excellence in Teaching Award
2022
Nominated for New Jersey Health Foundation Excellence in Teaching Award
2021
Dr. Ray’s article published in a high impact journal (NeuroImage: Clinical, 2021; Structural MRI and functional connectivity features predict current clinical status and persistence behavior in prescription opioid users) was highlighted in Rutgers news and telecasted in New Jersey radio channel 101.5.
2012
Editorial Board member: Journal of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (2012 – present)
Selected Publications
Bhanji, J. P., Husain, B., Stringfellow, J., Delgado, M. R., Ray, S. (in press, 2025). Neural responses to monetary gain and loss in individuals recovering from opioid use disorder compared to controls. Journal of Integrative Neuroscience
Biernacki, K., Goldstein, R.Z., Güth, M.R., Alia-Klein, N., Ray, S., Baker, T.E. (2025). Blunted anterior midcingulate response to reward in opioid users is normalized by prefrontal transcranial magnetic stimulation. First revision submitted to Nature Translational Psychiatry.
Husain, B., & Ray, S. (2025). A Retrospective Analysis Examining the Impact of Coexisting Diabetes and Substance Use Disorder on Hospital Resource Utilization. Cureus, 17(5), e83895. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.83895
Kietrys, D. M, Anderson, E. Z., Parrott, J. C., Ray, S. (2024). Self-perceived well-being among doctor of physical therapy students in the United States in 2022 compared to 2021. Journal of Wellness, 5 (3), Article 5.
Lu, W., Chen, Y., Gao, N., Wang, K., Srijeyanthan, J., Beninato, J., Oursler, J., Lin, K. W., Ben-Ari, T. Z., Ray, S., & Caldwell, B. (2024). Effectiveness of acupuncture and brief telehealth intervention for individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 1– 11. https://doi.org/10.3928/02793695-20240612-02
Vadrevu, A., Lu, W., Ray, S. (2024). Relationship between oral health and mental health in individuals with substance use disorder: A short commentary. SciBase Crit Care Emerg Med. 2(1): 1005.
Vadrevu, A., Lu, W., Ray, S. (2024). A pilot study to examine the relationship between oral health and mental health in individuals with SUD. SciBase Crit Care Emerg Med. 2(2): 1009.
Ray, S., Bhanji, J., Kennelly, N., Fox, H. C., Budsock, P.D., Delgado, M., Cooperman, N.A., Garland E. L. (2024). Mindfulness-oriented recovery enhancement in opioid use disorder: Extended emotional regulation and neural effects and immediate effects of guided meditation in a pilot sample. Explore (NY), 20(3):434-438.
Kennelly, N. R., & Ray, S. (June, 2023). Efficacy of a 6-week mindfulness intervention in underserved individuals receiving inpatient treatment for opioid use disorder. Cureus, doi: 10.7759/cureus.40525.
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