Episode #107 High Truths on Drugs and Addiction with Dr. Nora Volkow on NIDA

Episode 107 January 09, 2023 01:11:42
Episode #107 High Truths on Drugs and Addiction with Dr. Nora Volkow on NIDA
High Truths on Drugs and Addiction
Episode #107 High Truths on Drugs and Addiction with Dr. Nora Volkow on NIDA

Jan 09 2023 | 01:11:42

/

Show Notes

Will NIDA get rid of the word "Abuse" and go from National Institute on Drug Abuse to National Institute on Drugs and Addiction? Should people get a prescription to buy a vape pen? What is the science on label for marijuana products? Dr. Nora Volkow, director of NIDA shares her hopes for 2023 and discusses the science behind drug addiction.

Nora D. Volkow, M.D., is Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health. NIDA is the world’s largest funder of research on the health aspects of drug use and addiction.

Dr. Volkow's work has been instrumental in demonstrating that drug addiction is a brain disorder. As a research psychiatrist, Dr. Volkow pioneered the use of brain imaging to investigate how substance use affects brain functions. In particular, her studies have documented that changes in the dopamine system affect the functions of frontal brain regions involved with reward and self-control in addiction. She has also made important contributions to the neurobiology of obesity, ADHD, and aging.

Dr. Volkow was born in Mexico and earned her medical degree from the National University of Mexico in Mexico City, where she received the Robins Award for best medical student of her generation. Her psychiatric residency was at New York University, where she earned a Laughlin Fellowship from The American College of Psychiatrists as one of 10 outstanding psychiatric residents in the United States.

Much of her professional career was spent at the Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York, where she held several leadership positions including Director of Nuclear Medicine, Chairman of the Medical Department, and Associate Director for Life Sciences. Dr. Volkow was also a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Associate Dean of the Medical School at The State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Dr. Volkow has published more than 800 peer-reviewed articles, written more than 100 book chapters, manuscripts and articles, co-edited "Neuroscience in the 21st Century" and edited four books on brain imaging for mental and addictive disorders.

She received a Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Government Service, was a Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal (Sammies) finalist and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Association of American Physicians. Dr. Volkow received the International Prize from the French Institute of Health and Medical Research for her pioneering work in brain imaging and addiction science; was awarded the Carnegie Prize in Mind and Brain Sciences from Carnegie Mellon University; and was inducted into the Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) Hall of Fame. She was named one of Time magazine's "Top 100 People Who Shape Our World"; one of "20 People to Watch" by Newsweek magazine; Washingtonian magazine’s "100 Most Powerful Women"; "Innovator of the Year" by U.S. News & World Report; and one of "34 Leaders Who Are Changing Health Care" by Fortune magazine.

 

Other Episodes

Episode 63

March 07, 2022 00:57:57
Episode Cover

Episode #63 High Truths on Drugs and Addiction with Dr. Brian Hurley and Addiction Medicine

  Brian Hurley, MD, MBA, DFASAM is an addiction physician and the Medical Director of the Division of Substance Abuse Prevention and Control in the...

Listen

Episode 184

July 01, 2024 00:59:09
Episode Cover

Episode #184 High Truths on Drugs and Addiction with Melissa Baldwin and Human Trafficking

Melissa Baldwin is a storyteller at heart.  She received her degree in theatre and spent over 20 years performing and teaching.  In addition, she...

Listen

Episode 220

March 10, 2025 01:07:30
Episode Cover

220. Allison Wagner and Dr. Matthew Fedoruk | U.S. Anti-Doping Agency

Dr. Matthew Fedoruk currently works as the Chief Science Officer leading the Science & Research team at the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Dr. Fedoruk...

Listen