2019 Award Recipients for the SoAP!

2019 Award Recipients for the SoAP!

Sherry McKee, Chair Fellows and Awards Committee

Members: Sara Jo Nixon & Carlos DiClemente

The SoAP Fellows and Awards Committee is pleased to announce the following 2019 Award Recipients.

Kim Fromme: Distinguished Scientific Contribution

Dr. Fromme is the richly deserving 2019 recipient of the award Distinguished Scientific Contribution. Dr. Dr. Fromme is Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas (Austin). Dr. Fromme’s research over the past 30 years has provided critical insights into the etiology and consequences of alcohol abuse and risk-taking behaviors among adolescents and young adults. Her seminal longitudinal investigations of college students innovatively combine prospective behavioral data, genetic data, and laboratory-assessed alcohol response endophenotypes. Dr. Fromme’s findings have facilitated the early identification of individuals at high risk for developing alcohol use disorder and have identified key targets for intervention. An impressive publication record, mentorship of junior colleagues, and exemplary service to the field all contribute to Dr. Fromme’s exceptional scientific contributions.

Kenneth Sher: Distinguished Career Contributions to Education and Training

Dr. Sher is the 2019 recipient of the award for Distinguished Career Contribution to Education and Training. Dr. Sher is the Curators' Distinguished Professor, Department of Psychological Science, University of Missouri-Columbia. Dr. Sher’s contributions to the advancement of education and training in the addictions field are unparalleled. As Director of the NIAAA-funded Alcohol Research Training Summer School, geared towards training undergraduate students interested in the psychological science of alcohol use and dependency, Dr. Sher has launched hundreds of careers in the addiction field. Notably, his prior graduate and post-doctoral fellows are leaders in the field. In collaboration with APA, NIAAA, and NIDA, Dr. Sher organized a continuing education series to provide psychologists and psychology students with cutting-edge information about SUDs and addictive behaviors. Dr. Sher’s career has clearly been devoted to excellence in the education and training of psychologists, making him an ideal recipient of this award.

Michael Amlung: Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions

Dr. Amlung is the 2019 recipient of the award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions. Dr. Amlung received his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of Georgia in 2013. He completed an NIAAA-sponsored T32 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Missouri in 2015 and is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at the McMaster University Peter Boris Centre for Addiction Research. Dr. Amlung’s research applies behavioral, neuroimaging, and neuro-economic approaches to address fundamental questions that are highly relevant to both our scientific understanding of the nature of addiction (e.g., the role of craving and decision-making processes such as delay discounting, elevated drug-reward valuation) and to public policy (e.g., the role legal cannabis price in decision to purchase illegal cannabis, risk factors for drug impaired driving). Dr. Amlung is a highly productive young scientist, with 54 peer-reviewed publications and demonstrated success in obtaining grants from NIAAA. Dr. Amlung is a distinguished early career scientist who is richly deserving of this award.

Sanjay Gupta: Outstanding Contributions to Advancing the Understanding of Addictions

Dr. Gupta is the 2019 recipient of the award for Outstanding Contributions to Advancing the Understanding of Addictions. Dr. Gupta is Assistant Professor of neurosurgery at the Emory University School of Medicine and is the chief medical correspondent for CNN. Dr. Gupta has had a long-standing interest in advancing the public understanding of addictions. His efforts include numerous news stories and advocacy regarding the neurobiology and treatment of addiction, the opioid crisis, and medical marijuana. Dr. Gupta’s documentary “WEED” focused on medical marijuana, has received several awards including the Alfred I. du Point-Columbia Award. For this award, Dr. Gupta is an exceptional candidate.