Assistant Professor
South Texas Veterans Health Care System
Department of Psychiatry
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Biographical Sketch
A Phi Beta Kappa graduate, Michael A. Dawes, M.D., received both his undergraduate degree (1982) and his medical degree (1986) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is board certified in Adult, Child/Adolescent, and Addiction Psychiatry. Dr. Dawes is a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and is Medical Director of the Substance Abuse Treatment Program at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System (STVHCS). He has been PI and Co-Investigator on numbers clinical studies from the National Institutes of Health, examining the relationships among impulsivity, substance abuse, and suicidal behavior in adolescents and adults. He has research interest and experience in conducting clinical trials in substance-abusing adolescents and adults. Dr. Dawes plans to implement Screening, Brief Interventions, and Referrals for Treatment (SBIRT) practices in the STVHCS, and beyond.
Dr. Dawes has a strong interest in teaching. While at Wake Forest University Health Sciences, he received the 2007 Excellence in Teaching Excellence Award in the Section of Child/Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. Dawes teaching interests also extend to the national level. As one example, he received national recognition by his participation in the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry's curriculum for training residents and faculty on the assessment and treatment of adolescent substance abuse. The curriculum, entitled "Alcohol and Other Substance Abuse Curriculum for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Trainees, Practitioners and Other Health Professionals" was available on the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Website, 2008-2009. Currently, he is the Department of Psychiatry liaison for training residents and fellows in Psychiatry to do SBIRT, for adolescents and adults with substance use
problems, and is implementation SBIRT into the electronic medical record at the STVHCS.
Dr. Dawes' current research interests remain in adolescent substance abuse, with emphasis on understanding how impulsivity and bio-behavioral risk factors influence the progression of adolescent substance use. His current research funding includes a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, entitled "Impulsivity and Abstinence Outcomes in Cannabis-Using Adolescents." Additionally, he is collaborates with the NRLC on a study from the National Institute of Mental Health that examines the relationships among impulse control, substance abuse, and suicidal behavior during adolescent development. Future research plans include preventive and treatment interventions in substance-abusing adolescents.
Research Interests
- Screening, Brief Interventions, and Referrals for Treatment
- Curriculum for training residents and faculty on the assessment and treatment of adolescent substance abuse
Education
| 1982 | B.A. | Zoology/Chemistry | University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill |
| 1986 | M.D. | Medicine | University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill |
| 1990 | Residency | Adult Psychiatry | Medical College of Georgia |
| 1994 | Residency | Child/Adolescent Psychiatry | Harvard Children's Hospital |
| 1997 | Post Doc | Adolescent Substance Use | University of Pittsburgh Medical Center |
| 2000 | Fellowship | Addiction Psychiatry | St. Francis Medical Center - Pittsburgh |
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