Speaker Series: Dr. Warren Bickel

Resolving a Contradiction in Addiction and Obesity Science

Warren K. Bickel, PhD

Fralin Biomedical Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion

A contradiction exists in addiction and obesity science.  The severity of the outcomes and the intransigence of addiction and obesity to many interventions support the power of those commodities among the afflicted.  However, the power of these commodities is contradicted by research demonstrating that abstinence or weight loss can be readily achieved in substance-dependent and obese individuals, respectively, when a relatively small amount of money is made contingent on that outcome. Here I present a novel framework that resolves the contradiction, describes the function of these commodities and the limits of their power, and suggests an innovative method to conceptualize treatment.

Dr. Bickel is an accomplished scholar and researcher in addiction and health behavior research. He received his Ph.D. in developmental and child psychology from the University of Kansas and completed post-doctoral training at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.  He has led research programs at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the University of Vermont, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He currently leads NIH-funded research programs at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors including the 2016 Nathan B. Eddy Award for Outstanding Research. Dr. Bickel has co-edited five books and published over 400 papers and chapters.  His work is frequently cited and receives national and international recognition.

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