Position
Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Contact
UAMS e-mail: rgthompson@uams.edu
Research Expertise
Dr. Thompson holds a doctorate in Social Work and is a Licensed Certified Social Worker (LCSW). He conducts both public health and clinical intervention research in the intersecting areas of substance abuse, psychiatric disorders, and suicide and has published over 45 peer-reviewed articles on his work in well-regarded national and international scientific journals.
Dr. Thompson’s expertise in the conduction of clinical trials includes: standardized and computer-assisted clinical assessment; development of brief individualized motivational interventions; the incorporation of technological advances to enhance brief motivational interventions; motivational interviewing; cognitive-behavioral treatment; training research staff to implement brief substance use and mental health interventions; monitoring intervention delivery to ensure fidelity; participant recruitment and tracking; and quantitative and qualitative data analyses.
Research Interests: Dr. Thompson’s current research focuses on the development, implementation, and evaluation of (primarily brief and technology enhanced) substance use and mental health interventions. He serves as: (1); Co-Principal Investigator on a study funded by the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute (ACRI) National Center for Opioid Research & Clinical Effectiveness (NCOR) to develop an adolescent non-medical prescription drug use prevention intervention; (2) Co-Investigator on a NIDA-funded study (R01DA048022) to (a) develop and evaluate the feasibility of a smartphone application (app) to reduce relapse among individuals receiving outpatient medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorders (MOUD) and (b) use functional neuroimaging to model neurocognitive mechanisms by which the app reduces opioid misuse; (3) Co-Investigator on the Arkansas State Opioid Response (SOR4; SAMHSA) to establish and expand MOUD services within the state by compensating facilities across the state to provide MOUD to uninsured and underinsured patients; and (4) Co-Investigator on a SAMHSA-funded study to evaluate and improve emergency department management of acute and chronic pain using non-opioid strategies.
Selected Publications
Thompson R, Shmulewitz D, Meyers J, Stohl M, Aharonovich E, Spivak B, Weizman A, Frisch A, Grant B, Hasin D. Parental psychopathology moderates the influence of parental divorce on lifetime alcohol use disorders among Israeli adults. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2014;141:85-91. PMID: 24939440; PMCID: PMC4104554; DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2014.05.009
Thompson R, Eaton N, Hu M-C, Grant B, Hasin D. Regularly drinking alcohol before sex in the United States: Effects of relationship status and alcohol use disorders. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2014;141:167-170.
PMID: 24950638; PMCID: PMC4110894; DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2014.05.021
Thompson R, Elliott J, Hu M-C, Aivadyan C, Aharonovich E, Hasin D. Short-term effects of a brief intervention to reduce alcohol use and sexual risk among homeless young adults: Results from a randomized controlled trial. Alcohol Research and Theory, 2017;25(1):24-31. PMID: 28620272; PMCID: PMC5467538; DOI: 10.1080/16066359.2016.1193165
Thompson R, Alonzo D, Hu M-C, Hasin D. Substance use disorders and poverty as prospective predictors of first-time suicide ideation and attempt in the United States. Community Mental Health Journal, 2017;53(3):324-333. PMID: 27423659; PMCID: PMC5239762; DOI: 10.1007/s10597-016-0045-z
Thompson R, Alonzo D, Hu M-C, Hasin D. The influences of parental divorce and maternal-versus-paternal alcohol abuse on offspring lifetime suicide attempt. Drug and Alcohol Review, 2017;36(3):408-414. PMID: 27538533; DOI: 10.1111/dar.12441
Thompson R, Eaton N, Hu M-C, Hasin D. Borderline personality disorder and regularly drinking alcohol before sex. Drug and Alcohol Review, 2017;36(4):540-545. PMID: 28321919; PMCID: PMC5498244; DOI: 10.1111/dar.12476
Thompson RG, Aivadyan C, Stohl M, Aharonovich E, Hasin, DS. Smartphone application plus brief motivational intervention reduces substance use and sexual risk behaviors among homeless young adults: Results from a randomized controlled trial. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 2020; 34(6):641-649. PMID: 32175752; PMCID: PMC9997652; DOI: 10.1037/adb0000570
Thompson RG, Oliveto A, Thostenson JD, McGaugh J, Wilson M, Mancino MJ. Utility of a controlled amphetamine withdrawal paradigm among methamphetamine users: A pilot clinical trial. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2021;35(11):1420-1430. PMID: 34697965; PMCID: PMC10110391; DOI: 10.1177/02698811211050563
Oliveto AH, Wright P, Kumar N, Gokarakonda S, Fischer-Laycock I, Williams J, Thompson RG. Acceptability of a Game-Based Intervention to Prevent Adolescent Prescription Opioid Misuse. Games for Health J. 2022;11(2):104-116. Epub 2022 Feb 15. PMID: 35167352; PMCID: PMC9057874; DOI: 10.1089/g4h.2021.0243
Wilson MP, Waliski AD, Thompson RG. Feasibility of peer-delivered suicide safety planning in the emergency department: Results from a pilot trial. Psychiatric Services in Advance, 2022;73(10):1087-1093. PMID: 35502515; DOI:10.1176/appi.ps.202100561
Thompson RG, Mullinax S, DeMonte R, McBain S, Porter A, Eastin C, Landes SJ, Wilson MP. Effectiveness of a self-administered computerized mental health screening tool in the emergency department. Psychiatric Services in Advance (May 10, 2023). PMID: 37161345; DOI: 10.1176/appi.ps.20220523
Thompson RG, Bollinger M, Mancino MJ, Hasin D, Han X, Bush KA, Kilts CD, James GA. Smartphone intervention to optimize medication assisted treatment outcomes for opioid use disorder: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2023;24(1):255. PMID: 37016394; PMCID: PMC9949224; DOI: 10.1186/s13063-023-07213
Mazur A, Costantino H, Tom P, Wilson M, Thompson RG. Evaluation of an AI based machine learning voice biomarker tool to detect signals consistent with current moderate to severe depression in adult voice samples. Annals of Family Medicine, 2025;23(1):60-65. PMID: 39805690; PMCID: PMC11772039; DOI: 10.1370/afm.240091
Media
Article: “Award Honors Innovations in Suicide Prevention.” ACEPNow, May 2023.
https://www.acepnow.com/article/may-2023-news-from-the-college/
Interview: “UAMS Researchers Create App with Hopes to Reduce Drug Use” with Ashley Godwin (THV11) on December 5, 2022.
https://www.thv11.com/article/news/health/arkansas-scientists-app-reduce-drug-use/91-9a53d39b-7faf-4485-93b6-743d4bb5d2c1
Article: “National Suicide Prevention Award Honors Leaders of First Known Trial Showing that Non-Medical Peers Can Make a Difference in Safety Planning for Patients at Risk of Suicide.” EMERGENCY PHYSICIANS.ORG, November 22, 2022.
https://www.emergencyphysicians.org/press-releases/2022/11-22-22-national-suicide-prevention-award-honors-leaders-of-first-known-trial-showing-that-non-medical-peers-can-make-a-difference-in-safety-planning-for-patients-at-risk-of-suicide
Article: “Product Prototypes to Combat Drug Craving Challenge, Winners Announced.” NIDA.NIH.GOV, October 19, 2022.
https://nida.nih.gov/research/nida-research-programs-activities/nida-challenges-program/product-prototypes-combat-drug-craving?utm_source=nida-twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=cravingchallenge-2022
Article: “Peer Specialists Can Aid in Suicide Prevention.” Psychiatric News, September 26, 2022.
https://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.pn.2022.10.10.31
Article: “Safety Planning: A tool for peers as well?” Psychiatric Times, September 22, 2023.
https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/safety-planning-a-tool-for-peers-as-well
Creative Products
OnTrack®: Smartphone application to reduce alcohol and marijuana use among homeless young adults
OptiMAT®: Smartphone application to reduce lapse and relapse among individuals receiving outpatient MAT for OUD
• Silver Award, 2024 Vega Digital Awards, Category: Apps & Softwares – Health / Fitness / Wellness (G. Andrew James, Ronald G. Thompson, Jr., Mary Bollinger; Enqbator)
• Honorable Mention, 2022 NIDA “Product Prototypes to Combat Drug Craving” Challenge (G. Andrew James, Ronald G. Thompson, Jr., Mary Bollinger)
SafeUse®: Game-based intervention to prevent opioid misuse among children and adolescents