Maher Karam-Hage, M.D.
Director, Medications Development and Testing

Dr. Karam-Hage is an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical School. He also serves as Medical Director and Director of Medical Education of Chelsea Arbor Treatment Center, a joint venture of the University of Michigan Health System and Chelsea Community Hospital which offers treatment to people with alcohol and other drug problems.

Dr. Karam-Hage graduated from the University of Michigan's psychiatry residency program in 1998 and did two years of clinical/research fellowship in addiction psychiatry with the guidance of Dr. Kirk Brower. Dr. Karam-Hage is the recipient of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) research fellowship award of 1998.

Dr. Karam-Hage is focusing his research on the benefits from smoking cessation on the early recovery from alcohol (between one month and 12 months of abstinence). Knowing that smoking is still a common problem with devastating consequences to the general population and in particular to alcohol-dependent patients since it is of higher prevalence (70-80% of alcoholics are smokers). During the last 10 years, published prospective trials have linked quitting (vs. smoking) cigarettes to reduced relapse rates in treated alcoholic and other patients with substance use disorders. Existing data correlate smoking with both higher cravings for alcohol/other substances and relapse. Smoking in addition to alcohol seems to cause not only additional health problems but multiplicative and in some cases exponential increase in risk for disease. Alcoholics are known to be heavy smokers and alcoholic smokers seem to have greater severity of alcohol dependence than ex- or never-smokers. If smoking cessation proves to be successful in reducing relapse rates to alcohol, then a prevalent subset of alcoholics-smokers may personally benefit and costs to society may decrease.