Wide Ranging Leadership.
Universal Expertise.
IAS is the nation’s first university-wide transdisciplinary addiction science institute. We are a comprehensive, transdisciplinary, and collaborative unit that compliments school/departments.
Our Institute-Wide Leadership Team
Sarah Axeen, PhD
Addiction Policy and Health Economics Co-Leader / Keck School of Medicine
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Jessica Barrington-Trimis, PhD
Training Consortium Co-leader / Keck school of Medicine
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Ricky Bluthenthal, PhD
Director of Community Engagement and Health Equity / Keck School of Medicine
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Alice Cepeda, PhD
Community Engagement and Dissemination Co-leader / Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
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Terry Church, PhD
Director of Education / Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
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Rachel Ceasar, PhD
Community Engagement and Dissemination Co-leader / Keck School of Medicine
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John Clapp, PhD
Center Co-Director Emeritus and Senior Advisor / Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
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Daryl Davies, PhD
Director of Basic Translational Science / Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
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Jungeun Olivia Lee, PhD
Priority Populations and Health Equity Co-leader / Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
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Rosalie Liccardo Pacula, PhD
Addiction Policy and Health Economics Co-Leader / Sol Price School of Public Policy
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John Monterosso, PhD
Mechanisms and Treatment Development Co-leader / Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences
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Adam M. Leventhal, PhD
Executive Director / Institute for Addiction Science
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Eric Pedersen, PhD
Director of Social Behavioral Research, Keck School of Medicine
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Vickie Williams, MPH
Chief Programs and Communications Officers
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Loba Ojo, MBA
Chief Financial Administration Officer
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Christian Hendershot, PhD
Director of Clinical Research
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IAS Administrative Team
Lilit Aladadyan, PhD
Director of Administration Regulatory Science Programs
Delia Beck, MPH
Project Manager
Regulatory Science Programs
Jillian Boelke, MS, LMFT
Education and Program Implementation Specialist / Institute for Addiction Science
Nikhita Datar
Student Assistant / Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Jinah Kim
Student Assistant / Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
April Norambuena
Senior Administrative Project Specialist / Institute for Addiction Science
Katelyn Jimenez
Administrative Assistant
Organizational Structure
IAS is the nation’s first university-wide transdisciplinary addiction science institute. We are a comprehensive, collaborative unit that compliments broad spectrum of schools, colleges, and academic departments at USC.
IAS provides a home for different types of disciplines to come together and connect, unifying across professions. We support initiatives that otherwise would not happen without the Institute through seed funding, mechanisms for human interaction, infrastructure that makes science and education more efficient, and various core resources specialized for advancing addiction science.
We do not prioritize any one specific research area, but we do place substantial value on producing evidence with real-world impact that saves lives or science that is so innovative that it represents a paradigm shift. We define impact by work that transforms standards of clinical practice, changes policy, counteracts stigma, reverses health inequities, produces low-burden, scalable tools that can be readily used in the community, and invests in the next generation of addiction scientists.
Education Programs
We offer world-class addiction science education programs that empower students and faculty to capitalize on their potential. We foster future generations of addiction professionals who value rigor and real-world impact and are uniquely equipped to lead efforts that prevent addiction epidemics.
Master of Addiction Science
Minor in Addiction Science
Training Programs
Addiction Science Courses
Addiction Counseling Certification
Student & Trainee Spotlight