This application requests support for a NIDA Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01) to promote the development of the applicant, Marc Mooney, Ph.D., as an independent clinical researcher with expertise in the area of clinical trials and medication development for smoking cessation. Dr. Mooney is currently a post-doctoral fellow at the Substance Abuse Research Center in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Texas, Houston. He has developed a specific interest in the potential of combining non-nicotine pharmacotherapies with different mechanisms of action, to enhance treatment outcomes and to better understand the effects of medication on cessation-related processes, such as withdrawal. The proposed research plan will enable Dr. Mooney to develop competency in three specific areas: (1) double-blind, randomized, pharmacotherapy trials of non-nicotine agents for smoking cessation;(2) laboratory measures of cognitive processes and impulsivity that may be incorporated into clinical trials;and (3) sophisticated statistical and methodological techniques for longitudinal clinical trial designs. Under the sponsorship and guidance Drs. Joy Schmitz and John Grabowski, Dr. Mooney will participate in the design, execution, and data analysis of clinical trials of potential pharmacotherapies for multiple drugs of abuse. He will conduct a clinical and laboratory trial evaluating the joint effectiveness of bupropion and naltrexone for smoking cessation. His research training will be supported with didactic training, obtained via course work and also through individualized training with expert consultants. Courses and training will help Dr. Mooney to master statistical techniques for longitudinal research, as well as to gain knowledge of findings and methods in cognitive psychology, impulsivity, and clinical trials methodology. In achieving mastery in these areas, Dr. Mooney will be prepared to become a successful independent investigator of pharmacotherapies for nicotine dependence and other substance use disorders.
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