Staff Highlights

Staff Honors and Awards

In recognition of visionary contributions in the establishment and continued development of the society, Dr. Charles Sharp, DBNBR, received the 2007 Society for Neuroimmune Pharmacology (SNIP) Herman Friedman Founder's Award, which was named in honor of Herman Friedman. Dr. Friedman was Professor and Chair of the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology from 1978 to 2003, and then became Emeritus Professor and Distinguished University Professor at USF. He was an effective leader for 25 years, building a successful, well-funded, and widely recognized faculty, whose NIDA-funded work on the effects of cannabinoids and other abused substances on immune function and infection established his department as one of the major groups in the field. Dr. Friedman had a long and distinguished career as a research scientist.

Dr. Marilyn Huestis, IRP, has recently been appointed to the World Anti-doping Agency's (WADA) Prohibited List Committee. The Prohibited List was first published in 1963 under the leadership of the International Olympic Committee. Since 2004, as mandated by the WADA Code, the list of prohibited substances and methods in elite sports, including the Olympics, is reviewed, revised as necessary and published each year by the Prohibited List Committee. The List is a cornerstone of the Code and a key component of harmonization.

Dr. Marilyn Huestis recently was selected for the American Association of Clinical Chemistry's Outstanding Contributions in a Selected Area of Research award for 2008. This award recognizes especially meritorious research contributions by an individual in a specific area of clinical chemistry. The clinical chemists who have received this award have achieved national and international status for their pioneering efforts in an area of research considered fundamental to the science and have been considered among the world's foremost experts in that specific discipline.

Dr. Lula Beatty, Director, SPO, received the Susan Rosenberg Zalk award for mentoring from the Society for the Psychology of Women, American Psychological Association, in September 2007.

Dr. Lula Beatty received the Public Service Award from the Science Directorate, American Psychological Association, in October 2007.

Staff Changes

Dr. Kristopher Bough joined the Medications Research Grants Branch of DPMCDA in February 2008. Dr. Bough came to NIDA from the FDA, where he was a primary drug reviewer for two years in the Office of Generic Drugs. Prior to joining the FDA, Dr. Bough was in academia where his work encompassed a wide breadth of behavioral, electrophysiological and genetic neuroscience research aimed at elucidating the mechanistic underpinnings of an alternative treatment for epilepsy. His published work includes 11 first-author papers, one invited manuscript, two reviews and three book chapters. As a Project Officer within the MRGB, Dr. Bough will be responsible for managing a portfolio of clinical research grants for drug abuse and dependence. Kristopher holds a B.S. degree in Biology from Gettysburg College and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Biology from Georgetown University.

Dr. Bethany Griffin Deeds joined DESPR's Epidemiology Research Branch in February 2008. Her program area is the social epidemiology of drug use including drug markets, violence and HIV. She received her B.A. in Biology at the University of Dayton and an M.A. in Biology at The College of William Mary before managing HIV prevention services and research in the Division of Adolescent Medicine at the University of Maryland Medical School for five years. She also holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of Maryland Graduate School with a research focus on adolescent violence and substance use. Prior to joining NIDA, she was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Maryland Medical School for four years where she directed Connect to Protect: Baltimore, one of 13 national sites investigating how community partnerships can reduce adolescent HIV incidence and prevalence by making structural changes to the environment.

Dr. LeShawndra Price joined DESPR's Epidemiology Research Branch in December 2007. Her program areas include childhood psychopathology, health disparities, and the impact of child abuse & neglect, living in poverty, and parental incarceration as precursors for drug use. Prior to joining NIDA, Dr. Price was Chief of both the Stress and Trauma Program and the Disruptive Behavior Program at the National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. Price's academic background includes a B.A. in Psychology from Wake Forest University and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dr. Jeff Schulden joined DESPR's Epidemiology Research Branch in February 2008. Prior to joining NIDA, Dr. Schulden served as a medical epidemiologist with the Behavioral and Clinical Surveillance Branch of the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, CDC. He worked on a range of projects to improve access to HIV testing and services among high-risk and hard-to-reach populations. From 2002-2004, he served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer with CDC's Division of Violence Prevention. He received his B.A. from Duke University and his M.D. from Harvard Medical School. He completed residency training in psychiatry at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Cornell University.

The CCTN is pleased to welcome Dr. Steven Sparenborg. Dr. Sparenborg has extensive experience working in preclinical and clinical neuroscience/pharmacology areas in the U.S. Army, FDA, NIH, and private industry. Dr. Sparenborg has a degree in biological psychology and has worked in clinical research and clinical trials. From 1995-1999, he served as a Health Scientist Administrator (Commissioned Corp) at NIDA in the then Medications Development Division (now DPMC) and was appointed the Acting Chief, Regulatory Affairs Branch shortly before he left NIDA. During his tenure at MDD/NIDA, he was involved in programs and projects aimed at developing anti-cocaine addiction pharmacotherapies. In the past nine years, Dr. Sparenborg served as a managing consultant with Hoyle Consulting, Inc. in Maryland, where he advised and supported clinical trials research, development, and registration of FDA-regulated pharmaceuticals and biologics. Within the CCTN, he will be part of our Psycho-Pharmacology Team.

NIDA's Office of Extramural Affairs (OEA) is pleased to have new colleagues from DEAS joining us: Lisa Gerring, Sonya Freeman, and Grace Murgolo.