Emma Childs PhD
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Department of Psychiatry
University of Illinois Chicago
Contact
Email:
echilds [at] uic.edu
Office Phone:
(312) 355-2726
Building & Room:
School of Public Health / Psychiatric Institute (SPHPI) 414
Address:
1601 W. Taylor St. SPHPI MC 912 Chicago IL 60612
Related Sites:
About
Dr. Emma Childs is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, and Director of The Human Addiction Psychopharmacology laboratory. Dr Childs’ research is dedicated to improving our understanding of addictive disorders. One of her primary areas of interest is studying how powerful associations are formed between abused drugs and cues (i.e., the people, places and paraphernalia) surrounding drug use. These links are especially persistent in drug addicted individuals and represent a major barrier to the successful treatment of addiction because they can trigger relapse even after long periods of abstinence. Other areas of interest include individual factors that contribute to substance abuse and dependence. For example, genetic, personality, environmental (including stress) and physiological (including sex) factors can all influence an individual’s risk to develop a substance use disorder.
Dr. Childs received her Ph.D. in Behavioral Pharmacology from King’s College London, UK. She then completed post-doctoral training with Professor Harriet de Wit at the University of Chicago, subsequently becoming a junior member of faculty in the Department of Psychiatry. Recently, she joined the UIC Department of Psychiatry and is currently funded by grants awarded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
Interests
PSYCHIATRY
Dr Childs’ research is dedicated to improving our understanding of addictive disorders. One of her primary areas of interest is studying how powerful associations are formed between abused drugs and cues (i.e., the people, places and paraphernalia) surrounding drug use. These links are especially persistent in drug addicted individuals and represent a major barrier to the successful treatment of addiction because they can trigger relapse even after long periods of abstinence. Other areas of interest include individual factors that contribute to substance abuse and dependence. For example, genetic, personality, environmental (including stress) and physiological (including sex) factors can all influence an individual’s risk to develop a substance use disorder.
Projects
Current Research
Dr. Childs’ is conducting projects funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (R01 AA022961) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (R21 DA033488).
Publications
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- Gorka S.M., Phan K.L., Childs E. (In Press) Acute Calming Effects of Alcohol are associated with Disruption of the Salience Network. Addiction Biology. PMC Journal – In Process.
- Childs E., Lutz J.A, de Wit H (2017) Dose-related effects of delta-9-THC on emotional responses to acute psychosocial stress. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 177:136-144. PMC Journal – In Process.
- Lutz J.A., Childs E. (2017) Test-retest reliability of the underlying latent factor structure of alcohol subjective response. Psychopharmacology. 234(8):1209-1216. PMCID: PMC5394794.
- Childs E., Astur R.S., de Wit H. (2017) Virtual reality conditioned place preference using monetary reward. Behavioral Brain Research. 322(Pt A):110-114. PMCID: PMC5335910
- Childs E., de Wit H. (2016) Alcohol-induced place conditioning in moderate social drinkers. Addiction. 111(12):2157-2165. PMCID: PMC5226878.
- Childs E., Bershad A.K., de Wit H. (2016) Effects of d-amphetamine upon psychosocial stress responses J Psychopharmacology. 30(7):608-15. PMC Journal – In Process.
- Bershad AK, Jaffe JH, Childs E, de Wit H. (2015) Opioid partial agonist buprenorphine dampens responses to psychosocial stress in humans. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 52:281-8. PMCID: PMC4297554.
- Childs E. (2014) Energy drink ingredients: influence on mood and cognitive performance. Nutrition Reviews. 72 Suppl 1:48-59. PMC Journal – In Process.
- Childs E, White T, de Wit H (2014) Personality traits modulate emotional and physiological responses to acute stress. Behavioral Pharmacology. 25(5-6):493-502. PMCID: PMC4119514.
- Childs E, de Wit H. (2014) Regular exercise is associated with emotional resilience to acute stress in healthy adults. Frontiers in Physiology. 5:161. PMCID: PMC4013452. *Top 10 most viewed article, May 2014: http://www.frontiersin.org/blog/Top_10_most_viewed_Physiology_research_articles_in_May_2014/1102
Research Projects
| Title | Description | Investigator(s) | Category | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contextual Conditioning with Drugs in Humans: Causes and Consequences | 5R21DA033488-03 – National Institute on Drug Abuse |
|
Anxiety, Mood, Addiction Research Collaborative | On-going |
| How Do Conditioned Drug Associations Promote Drug Taking | 5R01AA022961-05 – National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism |
|
Anxiety, Mood, Addiction Research Collaborative | On-going |
| How do drug conditioned cues influence mood and behavior? | In these projects, we use a human laboratory paradigm to study the formation of conditioned drug associations and to examine their influence on mood, behavior and drug taking. |
|
The HAPPY Lab | On-going |
| Influence of synthetic sex hormones on alcohol effects in women? | In these projects, we use human laboratory procedures to study how natural and synthetic sex hormones influence alcohol subjective and behavioral effects in women. |
|
The HAPPY Lab | On-going |
| Naloxone and Suboxone Availability in Community Pharmacies | In these projects, we utilize standardized scripts to determine availability rates of life-saving medications used for Opioid Use Disorder and Opioid Overdose. |
|
The HAPPY Lab | On-going |
*System-generated list from psychiatry research website.
Seminars and Lectures
Seminar has a video recordiing - Seminar has a video recordiing.
| Date | Topic | Lecture/Seminar Series | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01/25/2024 | Influences of Natural v/s Synthetic Ovarian Hormones on Alcohol Effects and Self-administration |
|
Past Event |
| 09/16/2021 | The vital contribution of basic science research in humans to addiction neuroscience |
|
Past Event |
| 11/21/2017 | Translational models of addiction |
|
Past Event |
| 06/20/2017 | Low-dose THC can relieve stress; more does just the opposite |
|
Past Event |
| 05/09/2016 | Conditioned place preference in humans using virtual environments |
|
Past Event |
| 04/19/2016 | Biomarkers in Substance Use Disorders |
|
Past Event |
In the News
| Date Released | Title | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 08/27/2021 | Dr. Emma Childs presented at the College on Problems of Drug Dependence 83rd Annual Scientific Virtual Meeting | The College on Problems of Drug Dependence |
| 03/15/2021 | Congratulations to Dr. Emma Childs on receiving an R21 award from the National Institutes of Health | National Institutes of Health |
| 11/12/2019 | Dr. Emma Childs has been appointed a standing member of the “Clinical, Treatment and Health Services Research Review Subcommittee” for NIAAA Initial Review Group. | |
| 03/19/2019 | Dr. Emma Childs is a Co-Investigator on the newly awarded NIMH R21 studying Late Luteal Phase Stress Reactivity (PI: Dr. Hamidovic, College of Pharmacy). | |
| 06/29/2017 | 10 Things to Know About Pot and Your Health | Health.com |
| 06/02/2017 | Low-dose THC can relieve stress; more does just the opposite | UIC Today |