Presidential initiative: Div. 28 presidential candidate statement

It is an honor to be considered for Div. 28 president, and I appreciate the opportunity. I am an experimental psychologist who studies the behavioral mechanisms of addiction and also the effects of psychoactive drugs in the human laboratory. In the field of behavioral economics, my research has applied microeconomic concepts to understand drug consumption, addiction, and sexual risk decisions associated with certain drugs. I have conducted human studies with numerous drugs including cocaine, methamphetamine, tobacco/nicotine, caffeine, GHB, alcohol, triazolam, and ramelteon, psilocybin, dextromethorphan, and salvinorin A.

Div. 28 of APA has served as an academic and professional home base for me for a long time. I have attended and presented research at the annual convention for 15 of the past 16 years. I have served the division in a number of ways over the years. I was the 2010 convention program chair for our division, I have served as member-at-large (2012 - 2014), I represented the division at the 2013 APA Education Leadership Conference, and currently serve as the fellows chair for the division. In 2011, I received the Div. 28 Wyeth Young Psychopharmacologist Award, and in 2016 was awarded fellow status in the division.

I am committed to advancing the field of psychology and its role in society, especially in the realm of psychopharmacology and substance abuse. I also support the important role that APA should play in delineating ethical guidelines for our profession. I would be honored to serve as president of the division if elected. Regardless, I look forward to working with Div. 28 for years to come.