Denise B. Kandel, PhDNobel Conference 51

Denise B. Kandel, PhD, is known for her pioneering studies on the developmental phases of drug use and her identification of the specific risk factors for adolescent initiation into each major stage. This work provided the basis for the Gateway Hypothesis. In addition to the epidemiology of substance dependence and the interplay between substance use and psychiatric disorders, an important part of her work has included exploring developmental pathways of problem behavior in adolescence. Her current work focuses on smoking and nicotine dependence in adolescence and she has begun looking at the molecular basis of the Gateway Hypothesis with Dr. Eric Kandel and Dr. Amir Levine from the Center for Neurobiology and Behavior.

Dr. Kandel graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1952. She then earned her master’s degree as a President's Scholar in 1953 and her PhD as a National Institutes of Mental Health research fellow in 1960, both from the Department of Sociology at Columbia University. After post-doctoral training in mental health at Harvard Medical School, she trained as a research associate in Harvard University's Graduate School of Education and the Columbia University Department of Psychology. Dr. Kandel joined the faculty at the Columbia University School of Public Health in 1978 and is currently professor of sociomedical sciences in the Department of Psychiatry.

Dr. Kandel has published over 180 research papers and 8 books. She has received numerous awards, including both the Pacesetter Award and the Research Scientist Award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. In 2002, she was identified as a Highly Cited Researcher by the Institute for Scientific Information in Philadelphia. Throughout her career, Dr. Kandel has been called upon for her expertise by numerous government panels and review committees.