Clinical Pharmacology Division

Andrew Busch, PhD, LP

Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School

Director, Tobacco Dependence Clinic, Hennepin Healthcare

Psychologist/Clinical Investigator, Hennepin Healthcare

Dr. Busch’s current research work includes 1) efforts to understand physical health disparities among those with mental illness, 2) developing interventions that target improvement in both mental and physical health, and 3) developing counseling interventions to improve physical health among our most underserved communities (e.g., individuals who are homeless, incarcerated, or recent immigrants). Dr. Busch is an expert in Behavioral Activation-based counseling and applies this treatment in many of his ongoing studies.

Education and training

• Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Alpert Medical School of Brown University and The Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI
• PhD, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
• Clinical Internship, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
• MS, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
• BA, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN

Mark LeSage, PhD

Professor of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School

Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota

Graduate faculty member, Department of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota

Senior Investigator, Hennepin Healthcare

Dr. LeSage is an NIH-funded principal investigator examining factors that influence the addiction-related behavioral effects of drugs of abuse, including nicotine, cocaine, opiates, and methamphetamine. The ultimate goal is to gain a better understanding of drug abuse and develop better ways to treat it.

At the University of Minnesota, Dr. LeSage lectures on topics related to the behavioral and neuropharmacological mechanisms of drug addiction.

Education and training

• PhD, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI
• MA, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI
• BS, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI

Lynn Andreae, PhD

Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Hennepin Healthcare

Dr. Andreae earned an MPH in health behavior and a PhD in health education and health promotion at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Prior to joining Hennepin Healthcare, she worked on programs to improve diabetes and hypertension self-management through telephone-delivered peer support. She also worked on programs that provided quality-improvement support to primary care practices to improve hypertension management and tobacco use screening and cessation treatment.

Education and training

• PhD, School of Public Health, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL
• MA, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL
• BA, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL

Andrew Harris, PhD

Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School

Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota

Graduate Faculty Member, Graduate Program in Pharmacology, University of Minnesota

Senior Faculty Member, Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota

Senior Investigator, Hennepin Healthcare

Dr. Harris' research generally involves the use of preclinical models to study behavioral and neurobiological factors underlying addiction to nicotine and opioids. The long-term goal of this work is to inform the development of more effective preventions and treatments for addiction. Specific areas of interest include a) characterization of the abuse liability of tobacco constituents other than nicotine (for example, minor tobacco alkaloids) in order to inform FDA regulation of tobacco products; b) identification of behavioral predictors and molecular mechanisms underlying individual differences in addiction vulnerability, c) determination of effects of prenatal drug exposure on addiction vulnerability and d) development of novel pharmacotherapies for addiction (for example, vaccines and monoclonal antibodies).

Education and training

• Postdoctoral Fellow, Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation (now Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute), Minneapolis, MN
• PhD, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
• BS, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, WI

Sandra Japuntich, PhD

Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School

Clinical Psychologist/Investigator, Hennepin Healthcare

Dr. Japuntich’s current research work focuses on increasing access to smoking cessation treatment in healthcare settings (including mental health clinics, dental clinics, OBGYN, primary care, and inpatient hospital floors). She is particularly interested in promoting health equity through identifying and treating tobacco use among vulnerable populations. Her work leverages implementation science and randomized clinical trial methods to test behavioral interventions. She is particularly optimistic about proactive approaches to addressing tobacco use amongst all comers, not just those motivated to quit. Clinically, Dr. Japuntich treats mood and anxiety disorders broadly and has specific expertise in trauma-related disorders, attention deficit disorder, and tobacco cessation.

Education and training

• PhD, Clinical Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
• Clinical Psychology Internship, The Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
• MS, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
• BA, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI

Paul Pentel, MD

Professor of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School

Senior Physician, Hennepin Healthcare

Education and training

• Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology Fellowship, University of California, San Francisco, CA
• Internal Medicine Residency, Hennepin Healthcare, Minneapolis, MN
• MD, Stanford Medical School, Stanford, CA
• BA, New York University, Bronx, NY