Lara Ray

Professor
Ph.D.: University of Colorado at Boulder
Primary Area: Clinical Psychology
Secondary Area(s): Behavioral Neuroscience
Address: 3214 FH
Phone: (310) 794-5383
Email: lararay@psych.ucla.edu

Research and Teaching Interests:

I am interested in the etiology and treatment of substance use disorders, particularly alcohol use disorder. My program of research focuses on the integration of clinical psychology, pharmacology, and neuroscience. I am especially interested in employing experimental psychopathology designs to answer questions about mechanisms of risk and of treatment response for substance use disorders. I will be accepting students into the Clinical Psychology PhD Program for the Fall of 2024. I can also serve as a secondary mentor for students in behavioral neuroscience.

Please visit this link for information on graduate school admission: https://addictions.psych.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/160/2019/10/Prospective-Graduate-Student-Information.pdf

Representative Publications:

1. Ray, L.A., Green, R., Enders, C., Leventhal, A.M., Grodin, E., Li, G., Lim, A., Hartwell, E., Venegas, A., Meredith, L., Nieto, S., Shoptaw, S., Ho, D. & Miotto, K. (2021). Efficacy of combining varenicline and naltrexone for smoking cessation and drinking reduction: A randomized clinical trial. American Journal of Psychiatry, 178(9): 818-828.
2. Ray, L.A. & Grodin, E.N. Clinical neuroscience of addiction: What clinical psychologists need to know and why. (2021). Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 17, 465-493.
3. Ray, L.A., Meredith, L., Kiluk, B.D., Walthers, J., Carroll, K.M., & Magill, M. (2020). Combined pharmacotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapies for adults with alcohol or substance use disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Network Open, 3(6): e208279.
4. Ray, L.A., Bujarski, S.E., Shoptaw, S., Roche, D.J.O., Heinzerling, K., & Miotto, K. (2017). Development of the neuroimmune modulator ibudilast for the treatment of alcoholism: A randomized, placebo-controlled, human laboratory trial. Neuropsychopharmacology, 42(9), 1776-1788.
5. Courtney, K.E., Ghahremani, D.G., & Ray, L.A. (2016). The effects of pharmacological opioid blockade on neural measures of drug cue-reactivity in humans. Neuropsychopharmacology, 41(12), 2872-2881.
6. Ray, L.A., Bujarski, S.E., Courtney, K.E., Moallem, N.R., Lunny, K., Roche, D.J.O., Leventhal, A., Shoptaw, S., Heinzerling, K., London, E.D., & Miotto, K. (2015). The effects of naltrexone on subjective response to methamphetamine in a clinical sample: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, laboratory study. Neuropsychopharmacology, 40(10), 2347-56.
7. Bujarski, S., O’Malley, S., Lunny, K.N., & Ray, L.A. (2013). The effects of drinking goal on treatment outcome for alcoholism. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, (81)1, 13-22.

Recent Awards

Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology, American Psychological Association (2017)

Eva King Killam Award for Outstanding Translational Research, American College on Neuropsychopharmacology (2017)

Fellow, American Psychological Association Division 50, Society of Addiction Psychology (2015)

Young Investigator Award, Research Society on Alcoholism (2014)

Early Career Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions, APA Division 50, Society of Addiction Psychology (2013) David Shakow Early Career Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Clinical Psychology, APA Division 12, Society of Clinical Psychology (2013)