Yifrah YK, Kaminer, M.D., M.B.A.
Professor
Professor of Psychiatry & Pediatrics

Dr. Kaminer a child & adolescent psychiatrist joined the University of CT in 1993 from Brown University, Providence, RI.

Dr. Kaminer's main clinical interests and research lie in the spectrum of adolescent high risk behaviors. In particular, the assessment and treatment of substance use disorders (SUD), Psychiatric comorbidity, and suicidal behavior. Dr. Kaminer is also a senior investigator at the Injury Prevention Center of the Connecticut Children Medical Center in Hartford where he has been involved in research of adolescent risky driving behavior and youth suicide prevention at the emergency department.

Dr. Kaminer has been teaching on youth SUD at UConn Health Center, Institute of Living, and Yale Child Study Center. He has received funding for his research from NIDA, NIAAA, CSAT and the Donaghue Foundation. Dr. Kaminer is on the Board of several peer review journals. He has authored/edited 4 books and more than 130 articles and book chapters. Dr. Kaminer has been a guest editor of several peer review journals on the topic of adolescent substance abuse. Most recently of the Child & Adolescent Psychiatrics of North America, summer issue of 2010.

Recent published books include "Adolescent substance abuse, psychiatric comorbidity and high-risk behaviors",(2008) by Routledge/Francis & Taylor; "Brief Telephone Continuing Care Therapy for Adolescents" (2010)by Hazelden; and "Clinical Manual of Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment" to be published in the fall of 2010 by the American Psychiatric Publication Inc (APPI).

Dr. Kaminer has been consulting and training nationally and internationally on youth high-risk behaviors, program development, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Motivational Interviewing (MI/MET) for youth. He is the primary author and trainer of the Teen Addiction Severity Index (T-ASI)and the Teen Treatment Services Review (T-TSR). The T-ASI has been translated into several languages and psychometrically tested including Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Finnish, Hebrew and Portuguese/Brazilian. It is in the process of being translated into additional languages including Arabic, German, Turkish, and Hindu.

Finally, Dr. Kaminer has published poetry, science fiction stories and has been writing children as well as psychological/political and fantasy stories.