# Behavioral Pharmacology of Human Drug Use Disorders

> **NIH NIH T32** · UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT & ST AGRIC COLLEGE · 2024 · $208,557

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The purpose of this application is to continue the University of Vermont’s highly successful 30-year T32 training
program in the human behavioral pharmacology of drug use disorders. During the past 15 years, we trained 16
predoctoral and 22 postdoctoral fellows. Among those 38 fellows, all but two remain involved in research-related
careers. Twenty-five have completed the training phase of their careers. Among those 25, 14 (58%) have
primary university faculty/research-institute positions, six (24%) have been principal investigators (PI) on one
or more NIH research awards, seven (28%) are employed by government agencies, two (8%) work in industry,
and collectively they have more than 500 peer-reviewed publications on addiction. In addition to being a
productive training program, the training our fellows receive in human behavioral pharmacology fills a unique
niche in addiction research. Our fellows learn to identify basic behavioral and pharmacological processes
underpinning addiction and to translate that knowledge into effective clinical interventions and policy. We
propose to continue our emphasis on human behavioral pharmacology in the next funding period, continuing
our expansion into tobacco regulatory science and the impact of addictive behavior on health outcomes. Since
the last T32 renewal, we renewed our U54 Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science (TCORS) and P20 Center
of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) awards in behavior and health, and obtained a new UD9 Center
Award in Rural Addiction. These Centers add value to our training program via access to additional seminars,
guest lectures, interactions with additional fellows and guests, and new research and career opportunities.
Indeed, three of our T32 fellows have taken research scientist positions with FDA’s division on tobacco
regulation. We propose to continue supporting four predoctoral and four postdoctoral training slots with this T32
award. The eight members of the proposed training faculty consist of seven PhDs and one MD. These faculty
members are PIs on three NIH/HRSA center grants, five R01s, two R33/34s, two R21s, and one private-
foundation award creating a rich range of training opportunities in addiction research. All faculty and fellows are
located at a single, on-campus site composed of 8000 sq. ft of newly renovated space. Fellows are selected
based on scholastic excellence and commitment to a career in addiction research. Predoctoral fellows are
enrolled in the Department of Psychological Science PhD programs in experimental or clinical psychology
where they complete required coursework including those developed for this training program, and complete
master’s and doctoral theses. Postdoctoral fellows primarily focus on conducting and supervising independent
research, with additional opportunities to further their education via coursework. Each fellow has a primary
mentor from the training faculty. Fellows attend weekly seminars in addiction resea...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10828771
- **Project number:** 5T32DA007242-34
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT & ST AGRIC COLLEGE
- **Principal Investigator:** Sarah H Heil
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $208,557
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1990-09-30 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10828771

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10828771, Behavioral Pharmacology of Human Drug Use Disorders (5T32DA007242-34). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10828771. Licensed CC0.

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