October 07, 2011

by Cathryn Westra

Professor Mark Smith

Professor of Psychology Mark Smith has been elected to "Fellow" status in the world's largest organization for professional psychologists, the American Psychological Association (APA).

Smith was nominated by the APA Division for Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse by three previous division presidents based on three criteria: a minimum of 30 publications, success in seeking outside funding for research, and a research history that indicates an impact on the field. In addition to those nominations, Smith's election as a Fellow required a review of his curriculum vitae and evidence of outstanding contributions to the field.

Fellow status is an honorary position held by only five percent of the more than 90,000 APA members. "It was a pleasant surprise to have been nominated, and a pleasant surprise to have been elected," Smith said.

Smith, a 12-year member of the APA, conducts studies with rats to determine whether exercise can reduce the desire for cocaine. In 2009 he received a $1 million grant from the National Institute of Drug Abuse to continue that research through 2014.

His research to this point demonstrates that exercise can reduce cocaine self-administration. Rats who regularly exercise respond less for cocaine, and stop responding for cocaine earlier, than rats denied exercise.

His current work is aimed at a more precise exploration of exercise benefits in various stages of addiction. He seeks to answer questions such as: Can exercise help people avoid beginning drug use? Will it lessen the amount of drugs new users employ? Can it help people kick an existing habit? Can it help reformed users avoid a relapse into addiction? And does exercise cause any physiological changes in the brain that "immunize" a person against drug abuse?

"We're looking at exercise as both a preventative and treatment intervention," Smith said. The funding has also allowed him to hire full time lab technician Elizabeth Pitts '11.

Smith has been as active in his APA division as in the lab. He served as a member of its executive committee, and was committee secretary for three years. This year he is program chair for the division, responsible for organizing events at next year's division convention in Orlando, Fla.

Davidson is a highly selective independent liberal arts college for 1,900 students located 20 minutes north of Charlotte in Davidson, N.C. Since its establishment in 1837 by Presbyterians, the college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently regarded as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country. Through The Davidson Trust, the college became the first liberal arts institution in the nation to replace loans with grants in all financial aid packages, giving all students the opportunity to graduate debt-free. Davidson competes in NCAA athletics at the Division I level, and a longstanding Honor Code is central to student life at the college.

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