News Release

June 18, 2007

Contact: Kristina Goodnough, 860-679-3700
e-mail: goodnough@nso.uchc.edu

Nancy Petry Wins Young Investigator Award

Farmington, Conn. - Nancy Petry, Ph.D., has been awarded the 2007 College on Problems of Drug Dependence Joseph Cochin Young Investigator Award recognizing early career excellence in the science of drug addiction. The presentation was made on Sunday at the college's 69th annual meeting in Quebec.

Petry is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Connecticut Health Center. She received her Ph.D. degree in psychology from Harvard University in 1994, and then completed post-doctoral training at the University of Vermont. She joined the UConn School of Medicine faculty in 1996.

Petry’s research focuses on the treatment of addictive disorders, including substance use disorders and pathological gambling. Her research program has been supported by grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. She has published over 130 peer-reviewed articles as well as a book on the treatment of pathological gambling.

In acknowledgement of her considerable contributions to the field of addictive disorders, Petry received the 2003 American Psychological Association Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contributions to Psychology. In addition to her research efforts, Petry serves as a consultant and advisor for the National Institute of Health and is currently on the editorial boards of several academic journals.

The Joseph Cochin Young Investigator Award is presented annually by the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, to recognize research contributions by a young scientist. The College on Problems of Drug Dependence is the largest and oldest organization for the scientific study of drug dependence and addictions.

Petry lives in Canton, Conn.

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