Newswise PHILADELPHIAHenry R. Kranzler, MD, a professor of Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania whose work has contributed to the identification of genetic risk factors and pharmacological treatments for drug and alcohol dependence, has been named the Director of the Center for Studies of Addiction.

Dr. Kranzler received his medical degree from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and completed a psychiatric residency and a fellowship in alcohol research at the University of Connecticut Health Center. He came to Penn Medicine in 2010 after a lengthy career at the University of Connecticut, where he was an Associate Scientific Director of the Alcohol Research Center, Program Director of the Lowell P. Weicker General Clinical Research Center, and Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Research. Since 1987, Dr. Kranzlers research has been funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

His contributions to the field of alcohol research include advancing clinical trials methodology as it relates to pharmacological treatment, the identification of interactive effects of serotonergic medications with alcoholism subtypes, the use of a targeted approach to naltrexone treatment of heavy drinkers, and the development of long-acting naltrexone as a treatment option.

In addition, his work has contributed to the identification or characterization of specific genes influencing the risk for dependence on alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, and opioids; the potential mechanism of the effects of alcohol through mediators such as neuroactive steroids, and genetic moderators of the response to alcohol treatment.

He has authored or co-authored more than 400 journal articles, book chapters, and other publications. He chaired the NIAAA Clinical and Treatment Subcommittee, has been a frequent journal reviewer, and is a member of the editorial boards of five journals.

The Center for Studies of Addiction, which was established in 1971 as a clinical research and treatment center for addictive disorders, consists of a multidisciplinary group of faculty and staff that conducts research on the etiology and pathogenesis of addictions, as well as clinical trials of pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic treatments for a variety of addictive disorders.

For the past 40 years, the Center has received funding from the NIDA and the NIAAA. It has played a pivotal role in the development of a number of widely used assessments and medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat addictive disorders. In addition to its successful research and research training efforts, the Center has developed highly regarded clinical training programs for medical students, psychiatric residents and addictions fellows.

The Perelman School of Medicine has been consistently ranked among the top 5 nationally by the US News and World Reports for Drug and Alcohol Abuse.

Dr. Kranzler will replace Charles P. OBrien, MD, the founding Director of the Center for Studies of Addiction and one of the foremost addiction psychiatrists in the world. Under Dr. OBriens leadership, the Center, which began at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center and expanded to its current prominent position at Penn, has served as a national resource for the empirical validation of assessment and treatment methods and training in these methods, and in the dissemination of knowledge to the addictions treatment and research communities.

Dr. OBrien will continue his funded research and will serve as a collaborator and mentor to his many colleagues in the Center.

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Henry R. Kranzler, MD, Named Director of Penn's Center for Studies of Addiction

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