2017 Div. 28 award winners

Please join me in congratulating our 2017 Div. 28 award winners. We had many excellent candidates nominated in all three categories, and I would like to thank all the nominees and those who nominated them for their participation this year. Div. 28 has an outstanding roster of early career and senior scientists doing excellent work.The award ceremony for the 2017 winners was held at the 2017 APA Annual Convention in Washington, D.C., in August. Congratulations to all!

MED Associates Brady-Schuster Award 

Dorothy Hatsukami , PhD
Professor of Psychiatry
University of Minnesota

This award honors a mid-career or senior scientist (at least 15 years after doctoral degree) who conducts outstanding research underscoring the fundamental importance of behavioral science to psychopharmacology or substance abuse.

This year's winner is Dorothy Hatsukami, PhD. She is a professor of psychiatry at the University of Minnesota. (Minnesota takes this award two years in a row. Go Golden Gophers!) Hatsukami currently conducts research in the area of tobacco regulatory science, focusing on the impact of product standards that reduce a tobacco product's appeal, abuse liability and toxicity.

Young Psychopharmacologist Award

James Mahoney, PhD
Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry
West Virginia University

This award honors a young scientist conducting original, meritorious work in psychopharmacology and encourages excellence in research at the interface between the disciplines of pharmacology and psychology.

Mahoney's current research focus involves investigating the neuropsychological sequelae associated with opioid use disorder, including those neurocognitive deficits produced and/or exacerbated by chronic use. In addition, he is investigating potential moderating factors impacting continued opioid use and treatment outcomes.

Outstanding Dissertation Award

Elizabeth Holly, PhD
PhD in Experimental Psychology at Tufts University
Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

This award honors the best doctoral dissertation in psychopharmacology and substance abuse. 

The title of Holly's dissertation was “Corticotropin releasing factor and dopamine interactions in a heterogeneous ventral segmental area: How can aversive experiences heighten cocaine self-administration?” Holly's research as a postdoctoral fellow is now focused on how striatal GABAergic interneurons are involved in goal-directed behaviors for both sweet and social rewards.