.jpg "Kirsten E. Smith, M.S.W., PhD photo")
Postdoctoral Fellow
National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program
After receiving her Master’s degree in clinical social work from the University of Kentucky and working directly with people with substance use disorders, Dr. Kirsten Smith pivoted to a scientific career to better understand what she observed in the clinic. After earning her Ph.D. at the University of Louisville, Dr. Smith began her postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program (NDIA IRP) in the Translational Addiction Medicine Branch. At NIDA IRP, Dr. Smith continued earlier investigations into kratom using survey and social media data. She then, as part of an interdisciplinary team, expanded methodology to include ecological momentary assessment, kratom product assay, and observational laboratory studies which can inform a comprehensive bench-to-bedside line of kratom research ranging from observational work to randomized behavioral-pharmacology experiments. Dr. Smith recently concluded a clinical trial on kratom and is currently developing protocols for the study of kratom, opioids, stimulants, and opioid use disorder, which she plans to implement in her new appointment as Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine beginning August 2023.
