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Regular Members

Fawzia A. Alshubaily, King Abdulaziz Univ,

Saudi Arabia Emanuele Alves, Virginia Commonwealth Univ, VA Brinda Bradaric, Rush University, IL Thomas Burris, Univ of Florida Sandra Calderon Montoya, Laboratorios Legrand SA,

Colombia Amanda S. Chin, Actinium Pharmaceuticals Inc., NY Luis F. Cifuentes Monje, Mundipharma, Colombia William H. Conrad, Lake Forest College, IL Kristen S. Egerton, North Central College, IL Gwendolyn Fate, Nonclinical ADME &

Pharmacokinetics Consultant, CT Christopher Ford, Univ of Colorado School of Medicine Heide Ford, University of Colorado School of Medicine Jesualdo Fuentes Gonzalez, SURA, Colombia Guang-Bo Ge, Shanghai Univ of Traditional Chinese

Medicine, China Jingkai Gu, Jilin Univ, China John C. Hackett, Florida International Univ Ege T. Kavalali, Vanderbilt Univ, TN Nalinikanth Kotagiri, Univ of Cincinnati, College of

Pharmacy, OH Mohan Krishnan, Johns Hopkins Univ, MD Tawna L. Mangosh, Case Western Reserve Univ, OH William M. Marsiglia, Univ of Alabama at Birmingham Jayshree Mishra, Texas A&M Univ Evette S. Radisky, Mayo Clinic Grad Sch of Biomed

Sci, FL Daniel Romero Urrea, Tecnoquímicas S.A., Colombia Catherina Salanga, Univ of California, San Diego Chitra Saran, Univ of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Fran Sverdrup, Saint Louis Univ, MO Richard Tschirret-Guth, Living Water DMPK Consulting,

LLC, NJ Anastasios Tzingounis, Univ of Connecticut James Wakefield, Stealth BioTherapeutics, MA Bryony L. Winters, Univ of Sydney, Australia Ashkan Zandi, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical

Sciences, Iran

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Swapna Yellanki, Alkermes Inc, VA

Postdoctoral Members

Mayank K. Singh, The National Dendrimer & Nanotechnology Center/NanoSynthons LLC, MI

Graduate Student Members

Alexus Acton, Univ of Alabama at Birmingham Oluwaseyefunmi I. Adeniran, Sefako Makgatho Hlth

Sci Univ, South Africa Mallika C. Asar, Kansas City Univ, MO Robert D. Betterton, Univ of Arizona Marvin Bowlin, Univ of Alabama at Birmingham Erik R. Butcher, Harvard Medical School, MA Alper Dagcan, Univ of Ankara, Turkey Anna M. Di Staulo, Univ of Illinois at Chicago Kyle Feldman, Univ at Buffalo, NY Rajitha Gadde, Massachusetts Coll of Pharmacy &

Hlth Sci Sneha S. Kapse, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Aleena Khalid, The Chinese Univ of Hong Kong Chan S. Kim, Univ of Alberta, Canada

Emily Leong, San Jose State Univ, CA Joseph M. Martinez, Univ of California Davis Michael Rowley, Univ of British Columbia, Canada Meena Afroze Shanta, Washington State Univ Margi Sheth, Midwestern Univ, IL Hannah N. Wilkins, Johns Hopkins Univ School of

Medicine, MD Molly E. Woodson, Saint Louis Univ, MO Daniel Wurm, Univ of Arizona

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John N. Hanson, National Institute of Health, MD Felipe Hernandez Romero, Family Compensation Fund - CAFAM, Colombia Harsha Thakkalapally, St John’s Univ, NY

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Karim Abdelhalim, Rutgers Univ, NJ Hala F. Alnajjar, Centre College, KY Sylmira Andrew, Univ of Cincinnati, OH Avery Arnold, Pacific Univ Oregon Madison R. Aust, Univ at Buffalo, NY Izabella O. Babadzhanov, Long Island Univ, NY Ashley Ban, Univ of Virginia Daniela Bermeo Grajales, Kean Univ, NJ Benjamin Brisky, Florida Gulf Coast Univ Thai M. Bui, Univ of Arizona Abigail B. Calvert, Univ of Pittsburgh, PA Catharine M. Carfagno, Louisiana State Univ-

Shreveport Monsetrratt Castillo, Univ of Illinois at Chicago Maygha Chaudhuri, SUNY Buffalo, NY Sinead L. Claffey, Univ of Maryland-College Park Faythe Cooper, Oberlin College, MD Sage M. Crosby, Univ of Arizona Alexis M. Daniels, Washington State Univ Andrew Decker, Michigan State Univ Mohamed Diagne, Univ of Virginia Jacob C. DiStasio, SUNY-Buffalo, NY Kayla S. Dixon, Colby College, GA Samantha A. Dye, Albion College, MI Chloe M. Edwards, Univ of California San Diego Kaitlyn Fang, Cornell University, NJ Valerie Fortouna, Rutgers Univ, NJ Sophie Gao, Rutgers Univ, NJ Gabriela N. Garcia Quinones, Univ of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez Benjamin Gelfand-Titiyevskiy, Rutgers Univ, NJ Marla R. Gravino, Rockford Univ, IL Johana Guci, Case Western Reserve Univ, OH Daniela M. Guerrero, New York Univ, PA Ana G. Gutierrez, Texas Tech Univ Brandon Hall, Michigan State Univ Madailein M. Hayes, Univ of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Boyu Huang, Univ of California Berkeley Riley Hurr, Univ of Chicago Fizra Ihsan, Univ of Kentucky Erol D. Ikiz, University of Illinois at Chicago Chacko Jacob, Rutgers Univ, NJ Evan Johnson, Michigan State Univ Andrew Jung, Univ of Texas at San Antonio Varsha Karthikeyan, Oregon State Univ Eleni Karypis, Grinnell College, MN Murtuza Khan, Univ of Texas at San Antonio Mohammed Khedr, Rutgers Univ, NJ Lance Knipper, Univ of Tennessee Nivedita Krishnakumar, Rutgers Univ, NJ Kevin W. Kuang, Univ of Virginia Melissa J. Kudlak, Rutgers Univ, NJ Maggie E. Landherr, Univ of Michigan Kat T. Le, Pacific Univ, OR Sung Jae Lee, Rutgers, The State Univ of New Jersey Alexandra N. Lewis, Michigan State Univ Alfredo A. Lopez Carrero, Univ of Illinois at Chicago Daniel Luo, Pharm, Rutgers Univ New Brunswick, NY Pilar Maestre Fernandez-Flores, Catholic Univ of

Valencia, Spain Jena A. Malone, Univ of Kentucky Jaiden E. Martin, Pacific Univ, OR Abigail A. Masri, SUNY Stony Brook Univ, NY Hayden McArdle, William & Mary, VA Naieemah A. Mershon, California State Univ Abigail Muccilli, Rowan Univ, NJ Michel Nafash, Penn State Univ, PA Mohamad H. Naser Eddin, Rutgers Univ, NJ Grace R. Nelson, Kansas State Univ Ngoc Nguyen, Knox College, IL Micaila R. Oberle, I, Univ of Kentucky Alden Ordaniel, Rutgers Univ, NJ Krysten Cassandra Padasdao, Pacific Univ, OR Allison Paschack, The College of Wooster, MI Sunjal Patel, University of Virginia Duy Pham, Univ of North Carolina Taylor I. Rabanus, Michigan State Univ Yashwini Ravinthiran, Univ of Arizona Sanjida Z. Riea, Univ at Buffalo, NY Nathaniel A. Roethler, Loras College, IA

Abigail G. Rose, Univ of Texas Health Science Center

San Antonio Perel Rose, Pharm, Rutgers Univ, NJ Emma Rudolph, Westminster College, CA Kevin Ryu, Purdue Univ, CA Julianna Saez, Rowan Univ, NJ Nebeeka Saha, McGill Univ, CT Isabel Sala, Connecticut College Kelly A. Salinas, Our Lady of the Lake Univ, TX Shreya M. Salwi, Univ of Michigan Nate J. Sanford, Univ of Cincinnati, OH Caleb A. Seekins, Univ of Arizona Tong Shen, Case Western Reserve Univ, OH Megan Shuck, Michigan State Univ Roman Slowinski, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and

State Univ Sara Snyder, Pacific Univ, OR Ines Studer, Univ of Arizona Jillian N. Sullivan, Univ of Pittsburgh, PA Rachel Sun, Rutgers Univ, NY Emily Sutton, SUNY at Buffalo, NY Maureen Tanner, Florida Atlantic Univ Suja Thakali, Kalamazoo College, MI Lucas J. Tittle, Univ of Michigan William Tran, Case Western Reserve Univ, OH Adam E. Trupp, Northwestern State Univ of Louisiana Cole Turner, Colby College, NH Tam Vo Do Gia, Michigan State Univ Melanie Vocelle, Univ of Michigan Shine W. Wang, Rutgers, The State Univ of New Jersey Grace Ward, Emory Univ Lauren Wieczenski, Penn State Univ, PA Seth Wilcox, Washington State Univ Mark Williams, Univ of Pittsburgh, PA Jason Won, Univ of Notre Dame, PA Katelyn Wyatt, Pacific Univ, OR Emily Xu, Univ of Michigan Medical School Caroline Youdes, Univ of Kentucky Betia Zeng, Rutgers, The State Univ of New Jersey

In Memoriam

ASPET notes with sympathy the passing of

Roy W. Pickens, PhD, 1939-2022

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In Memoriam

Roy W. Pickens, PhD, 1939-2022

Submitted by Jonathan L. Katz

Roy W. Pickens died peacefully on May 25, 2022, at his home in Glen Allen, Virginia, where he and his wife, Dace Svikis have lived since 1999. Dr. Pickens was one of the principal conceptual and innovative pioneers in the experimental analysis of drug taking behavior first in animal subjects and subsequently extending that research to human volunteers. His studies helped establish behavioral pharmacology as a quantitative experimental subdomain of pharmacology. Dr. Pickens subsequently translated the basic findings of drug reinforcement in animals to human subjects and turned to genetic influences on drug dependence in patients at treatment facilities in Minnesota. Dr. Pickens moved in 1985 to the National Institute on Drug Abuse where he promoted research on the genetics of drug abuse and headed the NIDA AIDS/HIV program. He subsequently directed the NIDA intramural Research Program and a laboratory on genetics of drug abuse within the NIDA IRP. After leaving NIDA, Dr. Pickens returned to academia at Virginia Commonwealth University where he was involved in promoting new interdisciplinary research initiatives and cultivated interest in both basic and clinical women’s health research. He retired from VCU in 2011.

Dr. Pickens received his doctoral degree in psychology from the University of Mississippi in 1965, with a thesis that examined the conditioning of locomotor effects of d-amphetamine (supervised by William F. Crowder). He then accepted a post-doctoral fellowship in a USPHS Psychopharmacology Training Program (directed by Drs. Travis Thompson, Gordon Heistad and Frederick Shideman) at the University of Minnesota. That program was the preeminent program of its time, and one through which many of the next generation of behavioral pharmacologists were to come. He joined the University of Minnesota faculty in 1966 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, with adjunct appointments in the Departments of Pharmacology and Psychology. The early emphasis of his research at Minnesota was drug dependence, specifically examining the reinforcing effects of abused drugs (or drug self-administration). The time was ripe for these types of studies with the first only having been published a few years earlier. Dr. Pickens, with Dr. Travis Thompson, were Co-Principal Investigators on a NIMH grant studying morphine self-administration and shortly thereafter Dr. Pickens was awarded a grant for the study of behavioral dependence on non-narcotic drugs. These were two of the earliest grants funded by the NIDA when it was established in 1974.

Possibly the most influential of the papers published during that time systematically examined the effects of cocaine dose and schedule of reinforcement on cocaine self-administration (Pickens and Thompson, 1968). Within that paper was a series of studies directed at what seemed to be unique aspects of cocaine as a reinforcing stimulus. At intermediate to high doses there was an inverse relationship between cocaine dose and response rate, an outcome unexpected if cocaine dose was thought to be reinforcer magnitude. However, Pickens and Thompson established that food reinforcement under conditions resembling those used with cocaine also yielded an inverse relationship between reinforcement magnitude and response rate.

Roy Pickens (left) and Travis Thompson in 2016 in San Diego as they accepted the ASPET P.B. Dew Lifetime Achievement Award for Research in Behaviorial Pharmacology.

In the mid-1970s Dr. Pickens, along with Drs. Thompson, Leonard Heston and Elke Eckert, established a research ward at the University of Minnesota Hospital to study human drug dependence. In that controlled environment they examined the translational potential to human participants of the basic findings of drug reinforcement in animals. This research extended the research on drug-dependent humans conducted at the Public Health Service hospital in Lexington, Kentucky (the Addiction Research Center) to integrate the emerging techniques used to study drug self-administration. Additionally, the research led to a NIDA supported treatment program focused on alcohol and sedative dependence in women, which focused on behavioral and pharmacological variables controlling human sedative self-administration (e.g., Pickens et al., 1977). One part of the program was a focus on the effectiveness of contingency management in reducing sedative drug use. Other studies focused on benzodiazepines (e.g., Healey and Pickens 1983), presaging a period when the abuse potential of these drugs would come under intense scrutiny.

Dr. Pickens also conducted some of the first studies directed at an experimental analysis of tobacco smoking. He and his colleagues concentrated first on the topography of smoking, examining puff volumes and nicotine yield (e.g., Gust and Pickens, 1982). The research progressed to studies characterizing the nicotine withdrawal syndrome (Hughes et al., 1984; Hatsukami et al., 1984), environmental aspects determining whether nicotine in gum formulation would serve as a reinforcer, and further to treatment modalities for smoking cessation and the reduction of withdrawal symptomology (Pickens et al., 1983).

After stepping down as Director of the NIDA IRP in 1994, Dr. Pickens assumed the position of Chief of the Clinical Neurogenetics Section where he continued to pursue his research on the behavioral and molecular genetics of drug dependence. His analysis of data collected from the studies at Hazelden continued and he initiated new laboratory studies focusing on individuals with different allelic status of the dopamine D2 receptor gene.

In 1999, Dr. Pickens was appointed Professor of Psychiatry and Associate Vice President of Research at Virginia Commonwealth University. His primary objective at VCU was the development of largescale interdisciplinary new research initiatives, and to enhance federal funding at the University. He cultivated interest in both basic and clinical women’s health research, spearheading VCU’s launch of a NIH-funded training program dedicated to Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health. As PI of the program, Dr. Pickens formed multidisciplinary research teams on sex/gender differences and women’s health with VCU faculty members committed to training and mentoring a new generation of independent research scientists. He was also involved in the re-building of the VCU system for protecting human research subjects as well as the program for animal care and use. He retired from VCU in 2011.

During his career Dr. Pickens received several awards, including notably a USPHS Special Recognition Award in 1989 and in 1992 the Presidential Meritorious Rank Award (the second highest award in government service) given for his extramural clinical research, his work on AIDS, as well as his administration of the NIDA IRP. Additionally, he was given the Michael Morrison Award from the College on Problems of Drug Dependence for his government service in 1999. In 2016 Drs. Pickens and Thompson were reunited in sharing the P.B. Dews Lifetime Achievement Award for Research in Behavioral Pharmacology awarded by the Behavioral Pharmacology Division of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.

As a mentor Dr. Pickens was unsurpassed. He had the ability to express complexities with clarity which made him an extraordinarily effective teacher. He was generous with his time and ideas and, possibly most importantly, always worked to create opportunities for his students, and later the more junior scientists at NIDA. He conveyed his commitment to those students and colleagues, which was returned in their many contributions to the science of drug abuse and service to public health which are part of his enduring legacy. He will be greatly missed by those whose lives he touched.

Dr. Pickens is survived by his wife of 34 years, Dace Svikis and his children, Robert, Sharon, Marks, and Kristopher; sister, Bawana Cullen; ex-wife, Patricia Claycomb; niece, Sally Dukes; as well as five grandchildren and two great grandchildren.