Biographies of PREP-C Team

Jeffrey J. Weiss, PhD, MS, NYS licensed psychologist, earned his doctorate (PhD) in clinical psychology from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, in 1991 after completing his internship in clinical psychology at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago. He earned a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychopharmacology from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey in 2009. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. Dr. Weiss’s research focuses on behavioral medicine interventions and medication adherence in patients with HIV infection and/or HCV infection. He has completed a career development grant, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), focusing on adherence to hepatitis C treatment in the context of HIV infection, and has published on this topic (see below). He is also principal investigator of a randomized clinical trial investigating the potential of armodafinil to ameliorate the fatigue associated with hepatitis C treatment. He has an NIH research grant investigating medication adherence in HIV-positive patients with hypertension. Dr. Weiss’s clinical activities include providing psychiatric evaluation as well as individual and group behavioral intervention for individuals with hepatitis C and/or HIV infection.

Weiss, JJ, Gorman, JM. Psychiatric Behavioral Aspects of Co-management of HCV and HIV. Current HIV/AIDS Reports 2006; 3:176-181.

Weiss, JJ, Bhatti L, Dieterich DT, Edlin BR, Fishbein DA, Goetz MB, Yu K, Wagner GJ. Hepatitis C patients’ self-reported adherence to treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics 2008; 28, 289-293.

Weiss, JJ, Bräu N, Stivala A, Swan T, Fishbein D. Adherence to medication for chronic hepatitis C: Building on the model of human immunodeficiency virus antiretroviral adherence research. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics 2009; 30, 14-27.

Weiss JJ, Morgello S. Psychiatric management of HIV/HCV-coinfected patients beginning treatment for hepatitis C virus infection: survey of provider practices. General Hospital Psychiatry 2009; 31, 531-537.

Weiss JJ, Alcorn MC, Rabkin JG, Dieterich DT. The critical role of medication adherence in the success of boceprevir and telaprevir in clinical practice [Letter to the editor]. J Hepatology 2012; 56, 503-504.

Carolyn Ann Licht, PhD, NYS licensed psychologist, earned her doctorate (PhD) in clinical psychology with a child and family specialization from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Bronx, NY in 2007, after completing a predoctoral Internship at Jacobi Medical Center working within the addiction, HIV, and trauma/abuse specialty rotations. Dr. Licht’s involvement with the Hepatitis C Task Force Work Group focused on developing the PREP-C began in October 2009 and has continued to the present. During this time, Dr. Licht worked for several years as a Columbia University Medical Center Psychologist at Harlem Hospital’s Family Care Center Program (pediatric HIV and adult infectious disease medical clinics) providing comprehensive clinical services to culturally diverse inner-city children, adolescents, and adults affected by HIV/AIDS, HCV, substance abuse, and trauma. Dr. Licht currently works as a Credentialed Staff Psychologist at the Health & Education Alternatives for Teens (HEAT) at SUNY Downstate Research Foundation providing mental health services to MSM and transgender youth (ages 13-24) of color infected , affected, or at risk for HIV. She has conducted multiple workshops/trainings as part of the New York/New Jersey AIDS Education & Training Center on “The Triply Diagnosed Person: HIV Infection, Mental Illness, and Alcohol/Substance Use Disorders” and “The Impact of Mental Health Disorders on HIV Illness.” Dr. Licht also has a part-time private psychotherapy practice on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

Nirah Johnson, LMSW, NYS licensed social worker, earned her Masters of Social Work degree from New York University with a focus in clinical work in infectious disease. She has worked on improving treatment adherence in the pediatric AIDS outpatient clinic at Albert Einstein College of Medicine; with professional HIV/ HCV co-infected adults at the Actors’ Fund; and managed an injectable HIV medication treatment adherence program at the Village Care of New York. She currently works at the NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, in the Office of Viral Hepatitis Coordination as the Community Project Specialist, which involves public health education, communications, community organization and community capacity building. Ms. Johnson organizes and facilitates the NYC Hepatitis C Task Force coalitions, where the lack of a standardized tool to assess HCV treatment readiness was initially identified. She assembled the PREP-C workgroup, has participated in the development of the tool, and has ensured that the Task Force members citywide have had an opportunity to participate in its development, test the tool in pilot stages, and provide feedback to ensure the tool will meet the needs of the target user.

Katherine Krauskopf, MD, MPH (Medical Director) is an Assistant Professor and clinician-investigator in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She completed internship and residency in Internal Medicine, followed by a Fellowship in General Internal Medicine, at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Dr. Krauskopf evaluates and treats patients with HCV in IMA Liver Clinic and also provides primary care for HIV-infected patients. Dr. Krauskopf is involved in several HCV screening projects and additionally pursues research in chronic viral infections and comorbid primary care diagnoses.

Douglas T. Dieterich, MD (Senior Project Advisor) is currently Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hepatology and also Director of Continuing Medical Education and of Outpatient Hepatology in the Department of Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He has a triple appointment in the divisions of Liver Disease, Gastroenterology, and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Dieterich is an investigator for many ongoing clinical trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of new antiviral treatments for chronic hepatitis B & C and is internationally recognized as an expert in this area. Widely published, Dr. Dieterich is the author of numerous journal articles, abstracts and book chapters on viral hepatitis and AIDS associated infections of the gastrointestinal tract and liver.