Grantee Honors

Dr. Benjamin F. Cravatt, professor of Chemical Biology at the Scripps Research Institute, has been awarded the 2008 Tetrahedron Young investigator award (Tetrahedron publications) in Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry. His work involves chemical proteomics and the characterization of enzymatic pathways in mammalian biology, including those that regulate the cellular levels and signaling of the endocannabinoids 2-arachidonylglycerol and anandamide. Dr. Cravatt is a NIDA grantee and principal investigator on an NIH/NIDA Eureka grant award.

Dr. Victor Hruby was awarded the 2009 Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award of the American Chemical Society. Professor Hruby is being recognized for his outstanding work in pioneering the use of chemical synthesis, conformational constraint, design and structural analysis of synthetic molecules with lasting impact in chemical biology. The Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award is one of the top ACS awards. Established in 1984, the award recognizes outstanding achievement in the field of organic chemistry, the significance of which has become apparent within the five years preceding the year in which the award is considered. Professor Hruby will accept the Award at the National ACS Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah in March of 2009 and will deliver the Award address at the Arthur C. Cope Symposium at the ACS Meeting in Washington, D.C. in August of 2009.

Dr. Laura E. O'Dell of the University of Texas, El Paso received the 2007 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) for her insights into the neurobehavioral mechanisms that mediate adolescent tobacco use, as well as for her mentorship of minority students interested in pursuing careers in science. Selection for this award is based on the combination of innovative research and community service demonstrated through scientific leadership and community outreach. Laura and the other PECASE awardees were honored in a ceremony at the White House with President George W. Bush on Friday, December 19, 2008.

Dr. Johnny He, Indiana University, was awarded the "Excellence in Public and Community Service" Award from China National Society on Drug Dependence, China National Society for Pharmacology and Toxicology, and China National Committee on Drug Abuse, Prevention and Treatment.

Dr. Margaret Brandeau of Stanford University was presented with the President's Award during the national conference of INFORMS (Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences), October 13, 2008, in Washington, D.C. Dr. Brandeau has played a central role in advanced HIV/AIDS modeling research, including expanded HIV testing.

Dr. Maziak and the Syrian Center for Tobacco Studies have been selected as the winner of the 2008 Hamdan Award for the Best Medical College/Institute or Centre in the Arab World. This very prestigious award is presented by the Deputy Ruler of Dubai, for research excellence and training that is now broadening its outreach to train researchers in the Arab region. The center was initiated in 2002 with a grant from the National Institutes of Health to the University of Memphis (UM), in collaboration with the Syrian Society Against Cancer, Aleppo University, and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).

Dr. Barbara Gerbert, Professor and Director of the Center for Health Improvement and Prevention Studies at the University of California San Francisco, received the 2008 UCSF School of Dentistry, Research and Clinical Excellence Day, Faculty Research Award. As part of this honor, Dr. Gerbert presented a lecture entitled "Research and Clinical Excellence."

Dr. William Stoops, Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral Science at the University of Kentucky, was the recipient of the "2008 Wyeth Young Psychopharmacologist Award" from Division 28 of the American Psychological Association (August 2008).

Dr. Daniel R. Kivlahan, (Pacific Northwest Node) University of Washington Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and the Director of the Center of Excellence in Substance Abuse Treatment and Education (CESATE) for the Department of Veterans Affairs located at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle, was selected as the recipient of the 2008 Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Public Interest by Division 50 (Addictions Division) of the American Psychological Association. This award is conferred on a Division 50 member who has made "distinguished contributions to the advancement of public interest in the addictions field. This contribution might include research or advocacy leading others to view national policies differently, research demonstrating the importance of the application of scientific methods and theory to public policy, or research clarifying the ways scientific knowledge of human behavior informs public interest about the addiction field." The award was officially presented at the APA's conference in Boston in August 2008.

Three CTN-affiliated CTPs were named recipients of the 2008 SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) Science and Service Awards: Maryhaven in the Ohio Valley Node, Residence XII in the Pacific Northwest Node, and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic - Addiction Medicine Services in the Appalachian Tri-State Node. There were only 5 recipients in each of the two categories in which the CTPs were included.

Dr. Shelly F. Greenfield, (Northern New England Node Co-PI) was recently appointed to the newly created position of Chief Academic Officer at McLean Hospital. Dr. Greenfield was also the recipient of the first annual Jack H. Mendelson Memorial Research Award at McLean Hospital on October 6th for her contributions to substance abuse research and addiction psychiatry.