Marc Potenza, PhD, MD, Steven M. Southwick Professor of Psychiatry and professor in the Child Study Center and of neuroscience, has received a Lifetime Achievement Award for the Study of Behavioral Addictions from the International Society for the Scientific Study of Behavioral Addictions.
The award was presented in August 2026 at the Society’s 11th International Conference on Behavioral Addictions in Istanbul. It honors a scientist for pioneering research and exceptional lifetime commitment advancing the field of behavioral addictions.
Potenza is an internationally recognized expert in addiction psychiatry. His research has focused on the neurobiology and treatment of substance and non-substance addictions, as well as other disorders characterized by impaired impulse control. He has focused on internet use behaviors and disorders such as gambling and gaming disorders and problematic pornography use, as well as compulsive sexual behavior disorder, binge eating disorder, problematic usage of social media, and food addiction.
“I am honored to have received the award and am grateful for the many colleagues who contributed to collaborations and work over the years,” Potenza said.
Potenza leads the Division on Addictions in Yale’s Department of Psychiatry and directs the Center of Excellence in Gambling Research at Yale, the Yale Program for Research on Impulsivity and Impulse Control Disorders, and the Women and Addictive Disorders Core of Women’s Health Research at Yale.
Nationally and internationally, he has consulted to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the National Registry of Effective Programs, the National Institutes of Health, the American Psychiatric Association, and the World Health Organization on matters of addiction.