Risa B. Weisberg, PhD
Professor, Psychiatry

Biography
Risa B. Weisberg, PhD, is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine and an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry and Family Medicine at the Alpert Medical School, Brown University. Additionally, Dr. Weisberg is the Chief Clinical and Scientific Officer of RealizedCare, a digital health company developing interventions for common behavioral health problems including chronic pain, substance use, anxiety, and depression.
Dr. Weisberg’s research focuses on developing and testing behavioral health interventions that can be more easily implemented and scaled. Her work encompasses interventions for chronic pain, opioid use disorder, anxiety disorders, depression, chronic medical conditions, and sexual and reproductive health. Her treatment development and clinical trial work has been funded by the National Institute of Health, as well as by industry and foundation grants, for over 20 years. Currently, she is the principal investigator on a NIDA-funded clinical trial examining the effectiveness of a behavioral treatment for primary care patients with chronic pain and opioid use disorder. She has also served as PI and Co-Investigator on two large-scale, longitudinal studies, examining the nature and course of anxiety disorders; the Harvard/Brown Anxiety Research Project (HARP) and the Primary Care Anxiety Project (PCAP).
Other Positions
- VA Boston Healthcare System
Education
- State University of New York at Albany, PhD
- Tufts University, BA
Publications
- Published on 11/15/2024
Moitra E, Stein MD, Busch AM, Pinkston MM, Bray JW, Abrantes AM, Baker JV, Weisberg RB, Anderson BJ, Uebelacker LA. Health Care Service Utilization Among People with HIV, Chronic Pain, and Depression: Utilization and Cost Outcomes from the HIV-PASS Study. AIDS Behav. 2024 Nov 15. PMID: 39546145.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 10/24/2024
Haley DF, Stein MD, Bendiks S, Karzhevsky S, Pierce C, Dunn A, Herman DS, Anderson B, Weisberg RB. Associations of discomfort intolerance, discomfort avoidance, and cannabis and alcohol use among persons with chronic pain receiving prescription buprenorphine for opioid use disorder. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2024 Dec 01; 265:112472. PMID: 39488941.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 8/22/2024
Garland EL, Recasens M, Taple BJ, Donaldson GW, Weisberg RB. Virtual reality-based Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE-VR) as an adjunct to medications for opioid use disorder: a Phase 1 trial. Ann Med. 2024 Dec; 56(1):2392870. PMID: 39172534.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 6/13/2024
Stein MD, Bendiks S, Karzhevsky S, Pierce C, Dunn A, Majeski A, Herman DS, Weisberg RB. Study protocol for the Treating Opioid Patients' Pain and Sadness (TOPPS) study - A randomized control trial to lower depression and chronic pain interference, and increase care retention among persons receiving buprenorphine. Contemp Clin Trials. 2024 Aug; 143:107608. PMID: 38878997.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 6/5/2024
LeBeau LS, White MC, Henke RM, Hyde J, Sarpong A, Weisberg RB, Livingston NA, Mulvaney-Day N. Considerations for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment From Policy Makers' Experiences With COVID-19 Policy Flexibilities. Psychiatr Serv. 2024 Jun 05; appips20230260. PMID: 38835255.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 5/27/2024
Shepardson RL, Weisberg RB, Wade M, Maisto SA, Funderburk JS. Brief modular anxiety intervention for primary care: Hybrid I pilot randomized controlled trial of feasibility, acceptability, effectiveness, and implementation potential. J Affect Disord. 2024 Sep 15; 361:497-507. PMID: 38810782.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 10/20/2023
Livingston NA, Sarpong A, Sistad R, Roth C, Banducci AN, Simpson T, Hyde J, Davenport M, Weisberg R. Gender differences in receipt of telehealth versus in person behavioral therapy, medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), and 90-day MOUD retention during the pandemic: A retrospective veteran cohort study. J Subst Use Addict Treat. 2024 Jan; 156:209188. PMID: 37866437.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 2/3/2023
Uebelacker LA, Pinkston MM, Busch AM, Baker JV, Anderson B, Caviness CM, Herman DS, Weisberg RB, Abrantes AM, Stein MD. HIV-PASS (Pain and Sadness Support): Randomized Controlled Trial of a Behavioral Health Intervention for Interference Due to Pain in People Living With HIV, Chronic Pain, and Depression. Psychosom Med. 2023 Apr 01; 85(3):250-259. PMID: 36799731.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 11/1/2022
Livingston NA, Davenport M, Head M, Henke R, LeBeau LS, Gibson TB, Banducci AN, Sarpong A, Jayanthi S, Roth C, Camacho-Cook J, Meng F, Hyde J, Mulvaney-Day N, White M, Chen DC, Stein MD, Weisberg R. The impact of COVID-19 and rapid policy exemptions expanding on access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD): A nationwide Veterans Health Administration cohort study. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2022 Dec 01; 241:109678. PMID: 36368167.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 8/11/2022
Shepardson RL, Fletcher TL, Funderburk JS, Weisberg RB, Beehler GP, Maisto SA. Barriers to and facilitators of using evidence-based, cognitive-behavioral anxiety interventions in integrated primary care practice. Psychol Serv. 2023 Nov; 20(4):709-722. PMID: 35951391.
Read at: PubMed
View 82 more publications: View full profile at BUMC