Kathleen Kantak
Professor Emerita
- Arts & Sciences – Psychological and Brain Sciences
Research Areas
Addiction Science
Why Women’s Health?
I have worked in the SUDs field from a preclinical perspective at BU since the early 1980’s. Most of my research was conducted in male subjects, but over the past 7-8 years, I turned my attention to understanding sex differences. I primarily worked with cocaine and was stuck by how females engaged in more drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior than males and typically were less responsive than males to experimental treatments for their cocaine dependence. Molecular changes in the brains of females also were impacted differently than males to cocaine and the experimental treatments. I believe that focused research efforts are critically needed to advance the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of SUDs in women. As I am retired and no longer have a lab, I see my role as advisory. Over the years, I have been involved in studies with various clinical investigators to translate some of my preclinical findings in rats to human subjects. I am interested in advising clinical researchers keen on translating ideas from preclinical SUD research, as well as in advising preclinical researchers interested in back-translation of ideas from clinical SUD research.