I have been a Professor of Psychology at the University of Kentucky since 1999. My research in human behavioral pharmacology examines how alcohol alters basic cognitive and behavioral processes that underlie impulsive behavior and contribute to the escalation of substance use. The studies are primarily laboratory-based clinical trials that involve the administration of alcohol to adults under controlled conditions. The research explores how acute and chronic impairments of cognitive and mental processes, particularly during intoxication, can contribute to excessive, binge drinking, and ultimately to alcohol use disorders. These studies also examine at-risk populations, such as DUI offenders and those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). My research has been funded by NIH for over 25 years and has generated over 180 research publications as well as various book chapters and reviews. I serve as an active member of several societies, including the Research Society on Alcohol and as a Fellow of the American Psychological Association.
I have a long history of commitment to the training of graduate students in research on alcohol and alcohol-use disorders. Through this training experience my students become productive scientists capable of significant developments and discovery in the etiology, prevention, and treatment of alcohol and drug use disorders. I am also co-director of the NIH-funded T32 Predoctoral training grant that supports research training of graduate students in the study of alcohol abuse, and I serve as a mentor and co-sponsor of several NIH career-development awards for graduate students at UK and at other institutions throughout the country.
M.A. Psychology University of Waterloo, 1990
B.A. Psychology University of New Brunswick, 1988
- Drug Addiction
- Alcohol Use Disorders
- Human Behavioral Pharmacology
- Psychology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuroscience