Jonathan M Wai, MD

Addiction Psychiatry
Psychiatry
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Overview

Jonathan M Wai, MD, is an addiction psychiatrist and research scientist in the Division on Substance Use Disorders at the New York State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. In his clinical work, he sees individuals who have problems with addiction and mental illness in the inpatient, outpatient, and emergency settings. He is also experienced with the brain stimulation methods of transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroconvulsive therapy.

Areas of Expertise / Conditions Treated

  • Addiction
  • Alcohol Use Disorders
  • Anxiety
  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  • Borderline Personality Disorder
  • Depression
  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder
  • Mental Health
  • Motivational Enhancement Therapy
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  • Opioid Use Disorders
  • Panic Disorder
  • Psychosis
  • Relationship Problems
  • Social Anxiety Disorder
  • Stress Management
  • Work-Related Stress

Academic Appointments

  • Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry

Gender

  • Male

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Credentials & Experience

Education & Training

  • MD, State University of New York at Buffalo, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
  • BA, Neuroscience and Behavior, Columbia University
  • Residency: Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine
  • Fellowship: Columbia University Irving Medical Center / New York State Psychiatric Institute

Board Certifications

  • Psychiatry

Honors & Awards

  • Chief Resident of Medical Education, Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Research

Dr. Wai is interested in neuromodulation and translational neuroimaging for the treatment of substance use disorders. Using different neuroimaging modalities such as positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance spectroscopy, he has been focused on using non-invasive methods to evaluate changes in neurotransmitters in disease states and the effect of treatments on these diseases. Dr. Wai also has experience in implementation research, taking part in the large HEALing Communities Study as a physician clinical lead.

Grants

  • K23AA028295 Wai (PI) 6/2021-2/2026 NIAAA $951,914
    The Effect of High Frequency rTMS to the Medial Prefrontal Cortex in Alcohol Use Disorder
    Role: Principal Investigator

Selected Publications

  1. Wai, J. M., Blevins, D., Hunt, T., Gilbert, L., Campbell, A. N., Levin, F. R., ... & Nunes, E. (2024). An Approach to Enhancing Medication Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in the HEALing Communities Study. Psychiatric Services, 75(6), 580-588.
  2. Wai, J. M., & Martinez, D. (2019). Dopamine, Opioids, and Positron Emission Tomography Imaging of the Human Brain: Contrasting Findings in Opioid Use Disorder and Healthy Volunteers. Biological psychiatry, 86(5), 328-329. PMCID: PMC6892395.
  3. Wai, J. M., Grassetti, A., Slifstein, M., Matuskey, D., Nabulsi, N., Ropchan, J., ... & Martinez, D. (2019). Binge alcohol use is not associated with alterations in striatal dopamine receptor binding or dopamine release. Drug and alcohol dependence, 205, 107627. PMCID: PMC6893096.
  4. Wai, J. M., Aloezos, C., Mowrey, W. B., Baron, S. W., Cregin, R., & Forman, H. L. (2019). Using clinical decision support through the electronic medical record to increase prescribing of high-dose parenteral thiamine in hospitalized patients with alcohol use disorder. Journal of substance abuse treatment, 99, 117-123. PMCID: PMC6541495.
  5. Levin, C. J., Wai, J. M., Jones, J. D., & Comer, S. D. (2019). Changes in cardiac vagal tone as measured by heart rate variability during naloxone-induced opioid withdrawal. Drug and alcohol dependence, 204, 107538. PMCID: PMC7017784.

For a complete list of publications, please visit PubMed.gov