The recent death of actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman has cast light on the growing epidemic of heroin addiction in the U.S.

Bankole Johnson, DSc, MD, Professor and Chairman, Department of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine is available to speak with news media about this issue. His recent studies have included published research on the first medicine approved to treat both alcohol and cocaine addiction.

Professor Johnson’s clinical expertise is in the fields of addiction, biological, and forensic psychiatry. He graduated from the University of Glasgow in Scotland in 1982 with a Medicinae Baccalaureum et Chirurgie Baccalaureum degree, (MB.Ch.B), the qualifying degree for a physician in the United Kingdom. From there, he trained in Psychiatry at the Royal London and Maudsley and Bethlem Royal Hospitals. In 1991, Professor Johnson earned his Master of Philosophy degree (M.Phil.) in neuropsychiatry from the University of London. He then went on to conduct doctoral research at Oxford University, and obtained the Medicinae Doctorem (M.D.) degree in biomedical sciences from the University of Glasgow in 1993. In 2004, Professor Johnson earned a Doctor of Science degree (D.Sc.) in medicine, the highest doctoral degree offered by a British university, from the University of Glasgow, specializing in neuroscience and neuropharmacology.

Professor Johnson’s primary area of research expertise is the psychopharmacology of medications for treating addictions. Professor Johnson is a fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacologists, a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, and a fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. He is the principal investigator on NIH-funded research studies using neuroimaging, neuropharmacology, and molecular genetics techniques.

The University of Maryland School of Medicine has a broadcast facility.

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