Kenneth Perkins

Summary

Dr. Perkins has been continually funded by NIH since 1986 to conduct research focused largely on two broad “themes”. One emphasizes translational studies, drawing on preclinical findings to examine acute effects of nicotine (and cigarette smoking) that may explain persistence of tobacco dependence in humans. That work was recognized in 2020 by American Psychological Assoc’s (APA) Med-Associates Brady-Schuster Award for outstanding behavioral research in psychopharmacology or substance abuse. The second theme aims to improve clinical treatments for smoking cessation. His recent focus has been on development, validation, and extension of an efficient crossover study design procedure to evaluate whether new medications are, or are not, efficacious for helping smokers quit, thereby informing subsequent large and formal randomized trials to confirm such efficacy. Relatedly, he co-authored a smoking cessation treatment guide for health care providers, “Cognitive-behavioral therapy for smoking cessation: a practical guide to the most effective treatments.”  For this work, he was named by the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) as 2022 recipient of the triennial Ove Ferno award for groundbreaking advances in clinical research on nicotine and tobacco use. Today, Dr. Perkins is author of nearly 300 publications, with a citation index (h) above 75 and nearly 20,000 total citations.  He was also elected SRNT president in 2001 and a Fellow of APA, SRNT, and the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM).  Finally, he has contributed to the missions of the Univ of Pittsburgh medical school and Psychology department by teaching and mentoring graduate students and medical students.