Addictions: How Can a Habit Become an Addiction?
How do we develop habits? How do habits become reinforced? Why do certain individuals eventually become addicted, either to chemicals or alcohol or to behaviors such as sex, gambling, shopping, or eating? Dr. Bankole Johnson will take us on a behavioral exploration of addictions.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Alumni Hall
211 Emmet Street South
Charlottesville, VA 22903
Professor Bankole Johnson accepted an appointment to serve as Alumni Professor and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia beginning on September 1, 2004. He is also a Professor in the Department of Neuroscience and a Professor in the Department of Medicine.
Professor Johnson graduated in Medicine from Glasgow University in 1982, and trained in Psychiatry at the Royal London and Maudsley and Bethlem Royal Hospitals. Additional to his medical degree, he trained in research at the Institute of Psychiatry (University of London), and conducted studies in psychopharmacology for his doctoral thesis (degree from Glasgow University) on the Medical Research Council unit at Oxford University. Most recently, in 2004, Professor Johnson earned his Doctor of Science degree in Medicine from Glasgow University. This is the highest degree that can be granted in science by a British university. His primary area of research expertise is the psychopharmacology of medications for treating addictions. Professor Johnson is a licensed physician and board-certified psychiatrist throughout Europe and in the U.S. He is the Principal Investigator on National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded research studies utilizing neuroimaging and molecular genetic techniques. Professor Johnson’s clinical expertise is in the fields of addiction, biological, and forensic psychiatry. Honors include service on numerous NIH review and other committees including special panels. Professor Johnson is the 2001 recipient of the Dan Anderson Research Award for his “distinguished contribution as a researcher who has advanced the scientific knowledge of addiction recovery”. He received the Distinguished Senior Scholar of Distinction Award in 2002 from the National Medical Association. Professor Johnson also is an inductee of the Texas Hall of Fame in 2003 for contributions to science, mathematics, and technology, and in 2006 he received the American Psychiatric Association’s Distinguished Psychiatrist Lecturer Award. Professor Johnson is on the editorial board of The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology and reviews for over 20 journals in pharmacology, neuroscience, and the addictions. He has over 200 publications. Professor Johnson also has edited two books: Drug Addiction and Its Treatment: Nexus of Neuroscience and Behavior and Handbook of Clinical Alcoholism Treatment.
Online articles:
Prof. Shares Addiction Research in HBO Special, The Cavalier Daily, March 2007
Topiramate: A Clinical Trial for Alcoholism, HBO: Addictions
Medication Shows Promise in Treating Alcoholism, NPR, December 2005