Christopher Reist

Picture of Christopher Reist
Professor Emeritus, Psychiatry & Human Behavior
School of Medicine
Research Psychiatrist-Long Beach VA Healthcare System
M.D., Virginia Commonwealth University, 1984
M.B.A., University of California, Los Angeles, 1999, Management
Phone: (562) 826-5801
Fax: (562) 826-5969
Email: creist@uci.edu
University of California, Irvine
Long Beach VA Healthcare System
5901 East 7th Street
Mail Code: 1690
Long Beach, CA 90822
Academic Distinctions
Listed in “Best Doctors” for 2007-2019
Distinguished Fellow, American Psychiatric Association, 2003
Exemplary Psychiatrist Award, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, 2001
Research Abstract
Dr. Reist has an extensive background in biological psychiatry with focus in the areas of pharmacogenetics, biological determinants of personality, and development of new medications for treating mental illness. Schizophrenia and PTSD are illnesses of particular interest. He also has interest in assessment most recently working to develop tools to measure psychological pain.

In the more recent past, he has gained considerable experience in developing technology as a tool to improve the quality of behavioral healthcare. He has partnered with Neurocomp Systems to test the validity and practicality of remote neuropsychological assessment (tele-assessment). He has worked to evaluate the utility of direct assessment of “psychiatric vital signs” using point of care kiosks that directly linked to EHR. Currently he is leading a DoD project at the Long Beach VA to study the potential benefits of using virtual reality environments to augment prolonged exposure for treatment of Veterans with combat PTSD.

Another ongoing project has focused on the development of quality measures around behavioral pharmacy claims data to identify departures from evidence based prescribing. This was accompanied by the creation of an educational strategy to target prescribers to drive change in practice. This concept has since evolved to combine behavioral pharmacy quality measures with claims, utilization and demographic data into a population health management tool that allows users to identify populations of interest, apply quality measures, stratify risk, and deliver tiered interventions. New analytics have been developed around opiate medication prescribing, emergency room utilization, and an entire suite of health care monitoring tools for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD). The overall goal of these efforts is to support the “Triple Aim” of improving population health, maximizing patient engagement, and improving cost effectiveness which are essential components of value based care.
Publications
Rizzo A, Hartholt A, Rothbaum B, Difede J, Reist C, Kwok D, Leeds A, Spitalnick J, Talbot T, Adamson T & Buckwalter JG. Expansion of a VR Exposure Therapy System for Combat-related PTSD to Medics/Corpsman and Persons Following Military Sexual Trauma. Proceedings of the 21st Annual Medicine Meets Virtual Reality Conference, 2014.
O'Halloran JP, Kemp AS, Gooch KN, Harvey PD, Palmer BW, Reist C, Schneider LS. Psychometric comparison of computerized and standard administration of the neurocognitive assessment instruments selected by the CATIE and MATRICS consortia among patients with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research. 106:33-41, 2008.
Rizzo A, Buckwalter G, Forbell E, Reist C, Difede J, Rothbaum B, Lange B. Virtual Reality Applications to Address the Wounds of War. Psychiatric Annals, 43:123-138, 2013.
Mee S, Bunney WE, Hetrick W, Bunney BG, Potkin SG, Reist C. Assessment of Psychological Pain In Major Depressive Disorder. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 45(11):1504-10, 2011.
Reist C, Mazzanti C, Vu R, Goldman D. Interrelationships of Intermediate Phenotypes for Serotonin Function, Impulsivity, and a 5HT2A Candidate Allele: His452Tyr. Molecular Psychiatry, 9:871-878, 2004.
Reist C, Ozdemir V, Wang E, Mee S, Hashemsadeh M, Moyzis R. Novelty Seeking and the Dopamine D4 Receptor Revisited: Characterization and Relevance of the 2-Repeat Allele in a Korean and Filipino Population. Am J Medical Genetics Part B (Neuropsychiatric Genetics) 144B:453-457, 2007.
Ozdemir V, Williams-Jones B, Glatt SJ, Tsuang M, Lohr JB, Reist C. Shifting Emphasis from Pharmacogenomics to Theragnostics: What Will Be the Role of Theragnostic Patents in Upstream and Downstream Biomarker Research. Nature Biotechnology, 24:942-946, 2006.
Reist C, Mazzanti C, Vu R, Tran D, Goldman D. Serotonin Transporter Promoter Polymorphism Is Associated with Attenuated Prolactin Response to Fenfluramine. Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 105:363-368, 2001.
Reist C, Vu Ryan, Fujimoto Ken. Serotonin-Stimulated Calcium Release Is Decreased in Platelets From High Impulsivity Patients. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 3: 315-320, 2000.
Reist C, Wu J, Ylva Y, Mukherjee J, Gripeos D, Constantinescu C, Raggi MA, Mercolini L, Ozdemir V. Ketoconazole Associated Preferential Increase in Dopamine D2 Receptor Occupancy in Striatum Compared to Pituitary In Vivo: Role for Drug Transporters? Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology 32:110-3, 2012.
Grants
Enhancing Exposure Therapy for PTSD: Virtual Reality and Imaginal Exposure with a Cognitive Enhancer. Department of Defense. 2010-2016, Role Site Principal Investigator. (J Difede, PhD, PI, Weill Cornell Medical College)
VA Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center: Improving Long Term Functioning In Chronic Psychotic Disorders: 1997 – present: $2.1 million/year. Role: Co-Principal Investigator (with S Marder) and currently Associate Director. Center is assured of funding through 2017.
Comparative Effectiveness Research in Veterans with PTSD (CERV-PTSD). Study compares prolonged exposure therapy to cognitive processing therapy. VA Cooperative Studies Program 2015-2018. Role: Site investigator.
Professional Societies
American College of Physician Executives (Vanguard member)
Psychiatry Research Society
Society of Biological Psychiatry
American Psychiatric Association, Fellow 1998
Research Centers
Southern California VA Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center
Last updated
01/13/2021