YBII Spotlight: Gustavo Angarita-Africano

Community is a core value of the Yale Biomedical Imaging Institute and is essential to our pursuit of collaborative and interdisciplinary science. Read more about our spotlight featuring Gustavo Angarita-Africano, MD, MHS, a board-certified addiction psychiatrist and physician-scientist who works to advance the neurobiological understanding and treatment of substance use disorders.

Q: What problem are you most excited about right now, and why now?

A: My main area of interest has been cocaine use disorder (CUD). This goes back to my roots growing up in Colombia during the peak of the cocaine epidemic. In my clinical work, I notice that CUD has remained as a highly prevalent (i.e., endemic) problem with multiple biopsychosocial repercussions for the society and the people afflicted by it.

Q: How do you think your area will look different in 5–10 years?

A: I think we are at a very exciting transition point in our field. As part of this transition, I think that we will be seeing a rapid expansion and availability of PET imaging studies and ligands that can help us test promising pharmacological interventions.

Q: What kinds of collaborators do you most want to connect with?

A: I think that collaborations with other members of the Yale Biomedical Imaging Institute (YBII) who have different skills will be fundamental for our field. This can maximize our contributions to the field as we can integrate different imaging modalities, computational approaches, as well as combination and integration of different datasets.

Q: How has the Institute / Imaging Research community helped you, or how do you hope to contribute?

A: Thanks to pilot programs available through the YBII, we are now testing potential therapeutic mechanisms of psychedelics. I hope to give back by collaborating or sharing any resources I have access to.

Q: What paper/book/talk most shaped how you think?

A: I like practicing or watching sports. I always find vignettes about different athletes, across different sports, that are very inspirational. I see overlapping themes in them around grit, perseverance, and visualization of goals.

Q: What advice would you give to someone entering your subfield?

I would tell them that it is important to do something they are passionate about and that they believe in.

Q: How can people connect with you?

My email address is a good way to reach me: Gustavo.angarita@yale.edu