Erin A Hazlett, PhD
- PROFESSOR | Psychiatry
- PROFESSOR | Neuroscience
Research Topics:
Brain, Brain Imaging, Cognitive Neuroscience, Depression, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Neuroscience, Prefrontal Cortex, Schizophrenia, ThalamusDr. Hazlett arrived at Mount Sinai in the summer of 1993 as a post-doctoral fellow upon completing her Ph.D. in experimental psychology at the University of Southern California. Now, she is Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience and Director of the Cognitive Psychophysiology Laboratory. Dr. Hazlett has a track record of funding as a principal investigator on grants from the NIMH, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, and private foundations. She received Young Investigator and Independent Investigator Awards from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (formerly NARSAD). Dr. Hazlett is also a Research Career Scientist at the James J. Peters VA (a Sinai affiliate). Her research is focused on the neurobiology of schizophrenia spectrum disorders and suicidal behavior. Her work has been featured on the cover of three international journals (Biological Psychiatry, The American Journal of Psychiatry, and Brain Research). Professor Hazlett is a member of the Association for Psychological Research, Society for Psychophysiological Research, and the Society for Research in Psychopathology.
Multi-Disciplinary Training Area
Neuroscience [NEU]Education
MA, University of Southern California
PhD, University of Southern California
Dr. Hazlett’s multidisciplinary and translational research utilizes neuroimaging and other psychophysiological measures to study normal and disordered cognition and emotion. Her laboratory’s multi-measure approach employs functional brain imaging (e.g., functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)) together with more basic psychophysiological measures (e.g., skin conductance responsivity and modulation of the startle eyeblink response) to investigate and characterize information-processing deficits in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, schizotypal personality disorder) and affective processing deficits in personality disorders (e.g., borderline personality disorder) and major depression characterized by emotion dysregulation. Functional brain imaging allows a window onto the brain’s activity while the more basic psychophysiological measures allow superior temporal resolution (in milliseconds) to examine the magnitude and time course of the cognitive- and emotion-processing deficits observed in patients with various types of psychiatric illness.
Dr. Hazlett is particularly interested in individual differences in attentional and emotional information processing that might predict treatment response.
Finally, Dr. Hazlett has a long-standing interest in the clinical symptom and cognitive correlates of structural MRI abnormalities in the schizophrenia spectrum. She and her team are currently working on a new 5-year longitudinal study at Mount Sinai funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health that uses fMRI and neurocognitive assessments across the schizophrenia spectrum. We are recruiting healthy individuals, individuals with schizotypal personality disorder, and individuals with recent-onset schizophrenia. At the James J. Peters VA Medical Center (a Mount Sinai affiliate), Dr. Hazlett is currently working on several VA Merit grants examining the neurobiology of suicidal behavior in Veterans. If you are interested in participating in our research, please call a member of our team at: the Mood and Personality Research Program at Mount Sinai: (212) 585-4627, or the James J. Peters VA Medical Center: (718) 584-9000 x3701. We are happy to explain more about our ongoing research studies via phone.
For more information on Dr. Hazlett's Cognitive Psychophysiology Lab, visit http://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/hazlett-lab.
Dr. Hazlett is the Principal Investigator on the following currently-funded federal grants:
1. 4/1/20-3/31/25; Principal Investigator: R01 MH121411-01A1. “Longitudinal neuroimaging and neurocognitive assessment of risk and protective factors across the schizophrenia spectrum.” MPI: Phil Szeszko, Ph.D. This project employs a longitudinal multimodal MR imaging and neurocognitive approach across schizophrenia-spectrum disorders to identify aberrant neural circuitry along a continuum from healthy controls to schizotypal personality disorder to recent-onset schizophrenia. Total award: $4,014,797.
2. 7/1/21-3/31/25; Principal Investigator: NIMH R01 MH121411-02S1 Supplement. “Longitudinal neuroimaging and neurocognitive assessment of risk and protective factors across the schizophrenia spectrum.” MPI: Phil Szeszko, Ph.D. This supplement leverages the parent R01 project to use advanced computational speech analytic approaches to identify the linguistic basis—semantics and syntax—that underlies language production along a spectrum from normal to gradations of thought disorder across the schizophrenia spectrum.
3. 4/1/20-3/31/24; Principal Investigator: Collaborative VA Merit I01 CX002093-01A1. “CTBI: Traumatic brain injury-induced inflammation effects on cognitive evaluations and response inhibition: Mechanisms of increased risk for suicidality.” MPI: Marianne Goodman, M.D. This highly-collaborative research involves four VA sites. Our site at the JJPVA investigates brain activity with fMRI during cognitive and motor impulsivity tasks in Veterans with and without a history of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and suicide attempt history. Other sites expand the sample size in Veterans or examine an animal model of mild traumatic brain injury. Total award: $1,097,524.
4. 4/1/18-3/31/23; Principal Investigator: 1 IK6 CX001738-01. “CSR&D Research Career Scientist Award.” This award provides full-time VA salary support for the PI and enhances opportunities for (a) conducting collaborative neuroimaging and psychophysiological research, and (b) research mentoring at the JJPVAMC. Total award: $905,806.
5. 1/1/22-12/31/23; Principal Investigator: VA RR&D SPiRE grant RX003738. “A novel cognitive remediation intervention targeting poor decision making and depression in Veterans at high risk for suicide: A safe, telehealth approach during the COVID-19 pandemic.” This is a proof-of-concept study examining a novel cognitive remediation intervention that will be conducted virtually in 36 Veterans at high risk for suicide. Total award: $229,809.
Dr. Hazlett is also a Co-Investigator or Mentor on several additional federal grants not listed here.
Physicians and scientists on the faculty of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai often interact with pharmaceutical, device and biotechnology companies to improve patient care, develop new therapies and achieve scientific breakthroughs. In order to promote an ethical and transparent environment for conducting research, providing clinical care and teaching, Mount Sinai requires that salaried faculty inform the School of their relationships with such companies.
Below are financial relationships with industry reported by Dr. Hazlett during 2021 and/or 2022. Please note that this information may differ from information posted on corporate sites due to timing or classification differences.
Employment:
- James J. Peters VA Medical Center (Bronx VA)
Other Activities: Examples include, but are not limited to, committee participation, data safety monitoring board (DSMB) membership.
- James J. Peters VA Medical Center (Bronx VA)
Mount Sinai's faculty policies relating to faculty collaboration with industry are posted on our website. Patients may wish to ask their physician about the activities they perform for companies.