Marc Potenza, MD, PhD (Yale College ’87, MD ’93, PhD ’94, Psychiatry Residency ‘98), Professor of Psychiatry, of Neuroscience, and in the Child Study Center, has been named Director of the Division on Addictions Research in the Yale Department of Psychiatry.
Potenza is a renowned addictions researcher and widely regarded as among the most important contributors to the study of gambling and gaming disorders, compulsive sexual behavior disorder, and other disorders due to addictive behaviors. His research has used brain imaging techniques to identify neural mechanisms underlying gambling disorder and tested new treatments for this condition.
In this role, Potenza follows Stephanie O’Malley, PhD, Elizabeth Mears and House Jameson Professor and Deputy Chair for Clinical Research for the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. O’Malley directed the Division for 23 years.
“I am thrilled that Dr. Potenza has accepted our invitation to lead the Division of Addictions Research,” said John H. Krystal, MD, Chair of Psychiatry at Yale, “Marc is a wonderful scientist, scholar, doctor, collaborator, mentor, and teacher…a ‘sextuple threat’. I am also extremely grateful to Dr. O’Malley for her leadership of the Division on Addictions Research.”
Marc is a wonderful scientist, scholar, doctor, collaborator, mentor, and teacher…a ‘sextuple threat.’
John H. Krystal, MD, Chair, Yale Department of Psychiatry
The Division on Addictions Research at Yale is one of the leading addictions research communities of its kind and it has been routinely ranked among the top in the nation. The Division has its roots in the pioneering leadership of Herbert Kleber, MD, who founded the Drug Dependence Unit at Yale in 1968. Since then, a long string of groundbreaking investigators has been associated with the Division. The Division supports a critical mass of researchers and educators focused on the causes, mechanisms, and treatments for addiction and related problems; facilitating collaboration and promoting the career development of a diverse group of trainees and faculty.
Potenza is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Yale College, an Alpha Omega Alpha graduate of Yale Medical School, and he completed his PhD, psychiatry residency, and Addiction Psychiatry fellowship at Yale prior to joining the faculty in 1999. He has published over 600 papers and he has been the recipient of numerous honors throughout his career. He served as an advisor to many organizations including the American Psychiatric Association, World Health Organization, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Potenza directs the Yale Research Program on Impulsivity, the Yale Center of Excellence in Gambling Research and the Women and Addictions Core of Women’s Health Research at Yale. He has also been co-directing with O’Malley the Clinician Scientist Training Program, a NIDA-supported program that trains junior faculty to become the next generation of leading clinical researchers studying addictions.