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The Distinguished
Faculty Research Award is presented annually to a faculty member whose
research has made an impact on a broad field of science by contributing to
the solution of a significant scientific problem, or whose work shows
ingenuity and originality in the application of novel techniques to an
important area of science. This
year we are honoring:
Kathryn A. Cunningham received her B.A. from the University of St. Thomas,
Houston in 1976 and her Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuropharmacology/Learning
Processes from the University of South Carolina, Columbia in 1985. She came to UTMB as a post-doctoral fellow in 1985, was appointed
assistant professor of pharmacology and toxicology in 1988 and rapidly
rose to the rank of professor in 1996. During that time, she also became a member of the faculty of the
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
Dr.
Cunningham’s area of research is neuropsychopharmacology; more
specifically, the neuroscience of drug dependence and the mechanisms of
action of psychostimulants, particularly cocaine. In a related area, Dr.
Cunningham studies the circuitry/regulation of serotonin transmission; and
the role of serotonin and it’s interactions with ovarian hormones in
affective disorders. Having
held research funding continuously since her appointment to the faculty,
Dr. Cunningham is currently the principal investigator on two NIH research
grants, and co-principal Investigator of a third.
She is also the principal investigator on a training grant in drug
abuse and is the U.S. principal investigator on a grant awarded by the
U.S.-Poland Joint Commission. In
1990, she received the Young Psychopharmacologist of the Year Award
presented by the American Psychology Association. Her work puts her at the forefront of research in the area of
drug abuse and addiction, as indicated by her many invited presentations
in national and international symposia, and by her membership on national
committees devoted to the problems of drug abuse.
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Kathryn
Cunningham, Ph.D.
Professor Pharmacology and Toxicology
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