Addiction Treatment and Medication Development Division

Research Areas

Faculty in the Addiction Treatment and Medication Development Division are conducting studies pertaining to a broad spectrum of addictive disorders, including alcohol, alcohol/cocaine, cocaine, nicotine, and opiate dependence.

Individual faculty in the Division focus on specific areas of interest:

  • Kyle M. Kampman, MD, has conducted research on the treatment of addictive disorders, including the evaluation of pharmacotherapies for the treatment of cocaine dependence, alcohol dependence and opiate dependence. His current research interests include the evaluation and treatment of cocaine withdrawal symptoms. He is currently evaluating the usefulness of topiramate for the treatment of cocaine and alcohol dependence, quetiapine for the treatment of alcohol dependence and a vaccine for the treatment of cocaine dependence.
  • David W. Oslin, MD, has conducted research aimed at improving access to behavioral health interventions and improving treatment outcomes for addictive disorders, and has been involved in the study of pharmacogenetics.

The Division has been funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA - P50 DA 12756) for a P50 grant titled “Innovative Approaches for Cocaine Pharmacotherapy” (PI - Helen M. Pettinati, PhD). The P50 Center serves as one of NIDA’s Medication Development Units (MDU) and is a national and regional resource for information on cocaine dependence. The theme of the research is testing innovative medication combinations for managing “hard-to-treat” cocaine + alcohol-dependent patients.  Click on the link below to view some recent papers that have resulted from the P50 grant.

 

Pain and Chemical Dependency Research Program

The mission of the Pain and Chemical Dependency Research Program is to offer a forum for research and education in the area of pain and chemical dependency, and to develop effective treatment programs for individuals afflicted with chronic pain and addiction.

The core areas of focus are educational, clinical trials of both pharmacologic and cognitive behavioral interventions, and research in the area of pain and chemical dependency. Key research issues include “Are pain patients more susceptible to becoming addicted when exposed to opioid analgesics? What are the risk factors for the development of addiction in patients suffering from chronic pain? What is the most effective way of treating chronic pain and co-occurring addiction?"

The research program relies upon a strong, collaborative effort involving the University of Pennsylvania Center for Studies of Addiction, the Caron Foundation Residential Treatment Program and The Reading Hospital and Medical Center, with several NIH funded research programs ongoing.


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