Robert M. Anthenelli, M.D. • Director
Robert M. Anthenelli, MD is Professor and Executive Vice Chair in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine where he directs the Pacific Treatment and Research Center. He previously served as the Associate Chief of Staff for Mental Health at the VA San Diego Healthcare System and Vice Chair for Veterans Affairs. He was formerly a Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine and Cincinnati VA Medical Center where he founded and directed the Center for Treatment, Research & Education in Addictive Disorders, Addiction Sciences Division, and nationally acclaimed Cincinnati VA Substance Dependence Program.
Dr. Anthenelli earned his baccalaureate degree from The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, USA and his MD degree from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. After graduating medical school, he completed his internship in internal medicine at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore. Dr. Anthenelli did residency training in psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine. Additional post-doctoral training included a 2-year fellowship in addiction psychiatry research that was funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The overarching theme of Dr. Anthenelli’s research is to develop improved treatments for tobacco, alcohol, cocaine, and comorbid psychiatric disorders by better understanding the neurobiology of these disorders. He has authored or co-authored over 200 published research articles, book chapters, and abstracts published in major journals including The Lancet, JAMA Internal Medicine, Annals of Internal Medicine, and The American Journal of Psychiatry. Funding for his research is provided by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and various industry sponsors. He has lectured widely across the globe and is the Principal Investigator and Steering Committee Chair for the EAGLES trial – the largest placebo-controlled smoking cessation pharmacotherapy trial conducted to date.
Dr. Anthenelli earned his baccalaureate degree from The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, USA and his MD degree from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. After graduating medical school, he completed his internship in internal medicine at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore. Dr. Anthenelli did residency training in psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine. Additional post-doctoral training included a 2-year fellowship in addiction psychiatry research that was funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The overarching theme of Dr. Anthenelli’s research is to develop improved treatments for tobacco, alcohol, cocaine, and comorbid psychiatric disorders by better understanding the neurobiology of these disorders. He has authored or co-authored over 200 published research articles, book chapters, and abstracts published in major journals including The Lancet, JAMA Internal Medicine, Annals of Internal Medicine, and The American Journal of Psychiatry. Funding for his research is provided by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and various industry sponsors. He has lectured widely across the globe and is the Principal Investigator and Steering Committee Chair for the EAGLES trial – the largest placebo-controlled smoking cessation pharmacotherapy trial conducted to date.
Benjamin McKenna, Ph.D. • Clinical Psychologist
Dr. McKenna received his B.S. in psychology from the University of Arizona. In 2011, he earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology with a specialization in neuropsychology from the SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology and completed a predoctoral internship at the University of Arizona University Medical Center. Following his Ph.D. Dr. McKenna completed a Veteran’s Affairs Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment before joining the Translational Methamphetamine and AIDS Research Center on a NIDA-funded T32 Postdoctoral Fellowship for Training in Research on Addictions in Interdisciplinary NeuroAIDS. Dr. McKenna’s primary research interests aim to better understand neurobiological changes in mental illnesses and addictions. Within PAC-TARC, he is interested in examining treatments for patients who have co-morbid mental illness and addiction. 
Jeanine Chan • Operations Manager
Jeanine Chan earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She joined the Pac-TARC team in August of 2015. She is a mother of two teenage girls and enjoys golfing, cooking and baking in her spare time. Neil Beluso • Research Intern
Neil Beluso is a 4th-year undergraduate pursuing a major in Cognitive/Behavioral Neuroscience and a minor in Science Education. He has interests in educational neuroscience and mental health and plans to apply to graduate programs during his fourth year.
Nicole Tieu • Student Intern
Nicole is a UCSD 3rd year double majoring in Clinical Psychology and Sociology with a minor in Business. She plans to apply to graduate programs after completing her bachelor's degree and eventually pursue a clinical career in mental health.
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Natassia Gaznick, M.D., Ph.D. • Study Physician
Natassia Gaznick, MD, PhD, is an NIMH-funded research-track resident in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego. She graduated from Loyola Marymount University where she studied Biology before embarking on a two-year research fellowship at the Mayo Clinic under the NIH-sponsored Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program geared at increasing the number of underrepresented minorities in the sciences. Dr. Gaznick graduated medical school from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine NIH-funded Medical Scientist Training Program with an MD and PhD. She obtained a PhD in Neuroscience where she focused on the neurobiology of addiction as well as general impulsivity with special interest in the basal ganglia and insula. During that time she was awarded an NIH-sponsored Research Supplement to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research. Her academic interests include integration of psychotherapy into the current climate of psychiatric practice, promotion of underrepresented minorities in medicine and the sciences, wellness, physician mental health, and the neurobiology and treatment of addictions.
Esther Wong, B.A. • Clinical Research Coordinator
Esther Wong earned her baccalaureate degree in Psychology from the University of California, Irvine. Upon graduation, she joined Dr. Robert Anthenelli’s research team at the University of California, San Diego, working with patients diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder and alcohol and drug dependence. More recently, she has been involved with philanthropic organizations such as Children’s Hospital Auxiliary, various groups supporting autism research and treatment, and Grace Home Orphanage in India. She is excited to rejoin Dr. Anthenelli and the Pac-TARC team.
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