Carl Hart, PhDNobel Conference 51

Carl Hart, PhD, is associate professor of psychology in both the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology at Columbia University and was the first tenured African–American professor of sciences at Columbia University. As a neuropsychopharmacologist and social activist, he is known for his research in drug abuse and drug addiction. A major focus of Dr. Hart’s research is to understand complex interactions between drugs of abuse and the neurobiology and environmental factors that mediate human behavior and physiology. Currently, Dr. Hart is interested in investigating the behavioral and neuropharmacological effects of psychoactive drugs in human research participants. A major focus of this laboratory-based research is to understand factors that mediate drug self-administration behavior and to develop effective treatments.

Dr. Hart received a bachelor of science in psychology and a master of science in psychology and neuroscience from the University of Maryland in 1991 and 1994, respectively. He went on to obtain his PhD in psychology and neuroscience from the University of Wyoming in 1996. His post-graduate work includes work at both Yale University (1997–1998) and the University of California–San Francisco (1996–1997) researching substance abuse. Currently, Dr. Hart is director of the Residential Studies and Methamphetamine Research Laboratories at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, as well as an associate professor at Columbia University, where he conducts research and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in neuroscience, psychology, and pharmacology.

Dr. Hart is the recipient of the 2013 Visionary Leadership Award from the Brooklyn Family Defense Practice, the 2014 Humanitarian Award from Mothers Against Teen Violence, and the 2014 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award for his book High Price. He was recently elected to fellow status by the American Psychological Association (Division 28) for his outstanding contribution to the field of psychology, specifically psychopharmacology and substance abuse. Dr. Hart is the author or co-author of dozens of peer-reviewed scientific articles in the area of neuropsychopharmacology, co-author of the textbook Drugs, Society, and Human Behavior, and a member of a National Institutes of Health review group.