The University of Texas Medical School at Houston Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Faculty

Our faculty and staff are in the forefront of the exploration of the causes and treatments of mental illness.

 


Anka Vujanovic, Ph.D.

Back

Biography:

Dr. Anka Vujanovic is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Medical School of the University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHSC) at Houston. In addition, she is the Director of Psychology Services at the University of Texas Harris County Psychiatric Center, where she also oversees the Clinical Practicum Program in Psychology. Prior to joining the faculty of UTHSC, Dr. Vujanovic held the positions of Staff Research Psychologist at the National Center for PTSD-Behavioral Science Division, VA Boston Healthcare System, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine (2009-2011). Dr. Vujanovic's research program is focused primarily upon the examination of biopsychosocial risk and maintenance factors related to the association of posttraumatic stress and substance use disorders. Dr. Vujanovic is actively involved teaching and in the clinical supervision of psychiatry residents as well as graduate students in clinical and counseling psychology.

Education:

2008-2009 Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI
Clinical Psychology Internship (APA-accredited program)

2003-2009 University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
Ph.D., Clinical Psychology (APA-accredited program)

1997-2000 Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT
B.A., Psychology; English minor

1996-1997 New York University, New York, NY

 

Clinical and Research Interests:

  • Biopsychosocial risk and maintenance factors underlying association between posttraumatic stress and substance use disorders (nicotine, cannabis, alcohol, cocaine).
  • Etiology and maintenance processes related to posttraumatic stress disorder.

Publications (selected from over 60 peer-reviewed articles):

  1. Bonn-Miller, M. O., Boden, M. T., Vujanovic, A. A., & Drescher, K. D. (in press). A prospective investigation of the impact of cannabis use disorders on posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms among veterans in residential treatment. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy.
  2. Vujanovic, A. A., Bernstein, A., Marshall, E. C., & Zvolensky, M. J. (in press). Single-
    session anxiety sensitivity reduction program for trauma-exposed adults: A case series documenting feasibility and initial efficacy. Behavior Therapy.
  3. Bonn-Miller, M. O., Vujanovic, A. A., & Drescher, K. D. (2011).  Cannabis use among
    military veterans after residential treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 25, 485-491.
  4. Marshall-Berenz, E. C., Vujanovic, A. A., & MacPherson, L. (2011). Impulsivity and alcohol use
    coping motives in a trauma-exposed sample: The mediating role of distress tolerance.
    Personality and Individual Differences, 50, 588-592.
  5. Vujanovic, A. A., Bonn-Miller, M. O., & Marlatt, G. A. (2011). Posttraumatic stress and alcohol
    use coping motives among a trauma-exposed community sample: The mediating role of
    non-judgmental acceptance. Addictive Behaviors, 36, 707-712.
  6. Vujanovic, A. A., Niles, B., Pietrefasa, A., Schmertz, S., & Potter, C. M. (2011). Mindfulness
    in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder among military veterans. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 42, 24-31.
  7. Bernstein, A., Tanay, G., & Vujanovic, A. A. (2011). Concurrent relations between mindful attention and awareness and psychopathology among trauma-exposed adults: Preliminary evidence of transdiagnostic resilience. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 25, 99-113.
  8. Bonn-Miller, M. O., Vujanovic, A. A., Boden, M. T., & Gross, J. J. (2011). Posttraumatic stress,
    difficulties in emotion regulation, and coping-oriented marijuana use. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 40, 34-44.
  9. Vujanovic, A. A., Bernstein, A., & Litz, B. T. (2011). Traumatic stress. In M. J. Zvolensky, A. Bernstein, & A. A. Vujanovic (Eds.), Distress tolerance: Theory, research, and clinical applications (pp. 126-148). New York: Guilford Press.
  10. Bonn-Miller, M. O., Vujanovic, A. A., Twohig, M. P., Medina, J. L., & Huggins, J. L. (2010).
    Posttraumatic stress symptom severity and marijuana use coping motives: A test of the mediating role of non-judgmental acceptance within a trauma-exposed community sample. Mindfulness, 1, 98-106.
  11. Shea, M. T., Vujanovic, A. A., Mansfield, A. K., Sevin, E., & Liu, F. (2010). Functional
    impairment among OEF/OIF veterans: Associations with PTSD symptoms. Journal of
    Traumatic Stress, 23, 100-107.
  12. Marshall-Berenz, E. C., Vujanovic, A. A., Bonn-Miller, M. O., Bernstein, A., & Zvolensky, M. J.
    (2010). Multi-method study of distress tolerance and PTSD symptom severity in a trauma-exposed community sample. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 23,623-630.
  13. Vujanovic, A. A., Marshall, E. C., Beckham, J. C., Bernstein, A., & Zvolensky, M. J. (2010).
    Posttraumatic stress symptoms and cigarette deprivation in the prediction of anxious responding among trauma-exposed smokers: A laboratory test. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 12, 1080-1088.

 

Faculty Biography

  • Anka Vujanovic, Ph.D.
    Assistant     Professor
  • Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
  • University of Texas-Houston Medical School
    2800 S. MacGregor Way
    Houston, Texas 77021
  • phone: (713) 741-3858
    e-mail: Anka.A.Vujanovic@uth.tmc.edu
Pub Med