Preston, Kenzie L., Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Main Office Address

Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
4940 Eastern Ave
C 260
Baltimore, MD 21224

Phone: 410-550-1639
Fax: 410-550-1528

E-mail: kpreston@intra.nida.nih.gov 

Administrative Assistant

Janis Diven
E-mail: jdiven@intra.nida.nih.gov
Phone: 410-550-1640

Education

Professional Interests

My primary professional interest is to develop and test the efficacy and safety of new treatments for drug abuse.  My primary focus is on evaluating treatments for cocaine and opioid abuse, including both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic (psychosocial and behavioral) treatments.  Interactions between pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments are of particular interest.  Recently the research group has initiated HIV-focused studies evaluating the effects of pharmacological treatments in HIV-infected substance abusers.  The group is also developing new screening and assessment tools (questionnaires, laboratory models, drug screening methods) for testing potential treatment medications.  In addition, the effects of various environmental factors and patient characteristics on compliance, treatment outcome, duration in treatment, and other clinically relevant variables are assessed.

Selected Publications

Preston, K. L., Bigelow, G. E., Bickel, W. K., and Liebson, I. A.  Drug discrimination in human post-addicts: Agonist-antagonist opioids.  Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 250, 184-196, 1989.

Preston, K. L., Sullivan, J. T., Strain, E. C., and Bigelow, G. E.  Enhancement of cocaine's abuse liability in methadone-maintenance patients.  Psychopharmacology, 123, 15-25, 1996.

Silverman, K., Higgins, S. T., Brooner, R. K., Montoya, I. D., Cone, E. J., Schuster, C. R., and Preston, K. L.  Sustained cocaine abstinence in methadone maintenance patients through voucher-based reinforcement therapy.  Archives of General Psychiatry, 53, 409-415, 1996.

Preston, K. L., and Bigelow, G. E.  Effects of agonist-antagonist opioids in humans trained in a hydromorphone/not hydromorphone discrimination.  Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 295, 114-124, 2000.

Preston, K. L., Umbricht, A., and Epstein, D. H.  Methadone dose increase and abstinence reinforcement for treatment of continued heroin use in methadone maintenance patients.  Archives of General Psychiatry, 57, 395-404, 2000.