Div. 28 President

Matthew W. Johnson, PhD, is an experimental psychologist who studies the behavioral mechanisms of addiction and the effects of psychoactive drugs in the human laboratory. In the field of behavioral economics, his research has applied microeconomic concepts to understand drug consumption, addiction and sexual risk decisions associated with certain drugs. He has conducted human studies with numerous drugs including cocaine, methamphetamine, tobacco/nicotine, caffeine, GHB, alcohol, triazolam and ramelteon, psilocybin, dextromethorpha, and salvinorin A. Div. 28 of APA has served as Johnson’s academic and professional home base for many years. Johnson has attended and presented research at the APA annual convention for 15 of the past 16 years. He was the 2010 convention program chair for Div. 28, served as member-at-large (2012 - 2014), represented the division at the 2013 APA Education Leadership Conference and recently served as the fellows chair for the division. Johnson is committed to advancing the field of psychology and its role in society, especially in the realm of psychopharmacology and substance abuse. He also supports the important role that APA should play in delineating ethical guidelines for our profession.

Wendy Lynch, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia. Lynch is a preclinical psychologist who studies the neurobiological basis of addiction using animal models with a specific focus on sex differences. Lynch’s laboratory uses behavioral, pharmacological and molecular techniques to delineate the neurobiological basis of addiction. Lynch has been active in Div. 28 for several years. In 2000, she attended her first meeting and organized and ran Div. 28’s hospitality suite. In 2007-2008, she served as program chair and developed a translational program on drug abuse that included both preclinical and clinical researchers in each symposium. She frequently attends the annual APA convention and has served as a program reviewer, program chair and member-at-large for Div. 28. Lynch received the Div. 28 Wyeth Young Psychopharmacologist Award in 2004 and was awarded fellow status in 2012. Lynch will serve as president-elect for Div. 28 through 2019.

Mark Smith, PhD, is a professor in the department of psychology at Davidson College. Smith's primary line of research focuses on the behavioral effects of opioids and cocaine, and identifying the variables contributing to differences in drug sensitivity across individuals. Div. 28 has been his scientific home within APA for over a decade. Div. 28 has recognized his contributions to the field, first by awarding him with a young investigator travel award to attend his first APA convention in 2004 and recently by electing him to fellow status in 2011. Smith has served on the Executive Committee of Div. 28 almost continuously since 2007, serving as secretary (2007-11), liaison to the Science Directorate (2011-12) and program chair (2011-13). He also served a three-year term as member-at-large (2015-17). He began his term as president of the division in 2018 and serves as past president in 2019.