Human Behavioral Pharmacology

Directorships
Director, Center for Substance Abuse Research and Treatment
Director, Substance Abuse Treatment Center
Director, Human Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory
Director, Behavioral Pharmacology of Drug Dependence Training Program

Areas
My research interests represent a blend of treatment-outcome and clinical-laboratory research focused on elucidating behavioral and pharmacological processes involved in substance use disorders and their treatment. I currently pursue these interests in two research clinics where I investigate novel treatments for cocaine dependence and cigarette smoking during pregnancy and a clinical laboratory where I am investigating how a period of initial smoking abstinence facilitates longer-term abstinence. Each of these projects mentioned is supported through research grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and I also supervise a NIDA-funded institutional training grant that supports predoctoral and postdoctoral training in drug abuse research.

Facilities

Human Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory (HBPL): This facility of 6,000 sq. ft., is located adjacent to the University of Vermont (UVM) campus in Burlington and is the site for laboratory research in drug self-administration, drug discrimination, and the direct effects of drugs and for treatment studies for smoking cessation.

Substance Abuse Treatment Center (SATC): This facility of 2,900 sq. ft., is also located adjacent to the UVM campus, and is our site for the development and testing of scientifically-based behavioral and pharmacological treatments for cocaine and opioid dependence as well as smoking cessation for pregnant women. For addtional information on the Substance Abuse Treatment Center3.

Accepting Students Fall 2013
Professor Higgins is potentially accepting students who enter the program in the Fall of 2013.

Representative Publications

• Higgins, S.T., Silverman, K. & Heil, S.H. (Eds.). (2008). Contingency management in substance abuse treatment. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
• Higgins, S.T., Heil, S.H., Badger, G.J., Skelly, J.M., Solomon, L.J., & Bernstein, I.M. (2009). Educational disadvantage and cigarette smoking during pregnancy. Drug & Alcohol Dependence, 104, S100-105. PMID: 19442460; NIHMS ID# 144157; Publ.ID: DAD3494.
• Yoon, J.H., Higgins, S.T., Bradstreet, M.P., Badger, G.J., & Thomas, C.S. (2009) Changes in the relative reinforcing effects of cigarette smoking as a function of initial abstinence. Psychopharmacology, 205, 305-318. PMID: 19390842
• Heil, S.H., Higgins, S.T., Bernstein, I.M., Solomon, L.J., Thomas, C.S., Badger, G.J., Lynch, M.E. (2008). Effects of voucher-based incentives on abstinence from cigarette smoking and fetal growth among pregnant women. Addiction, 103, 1009-1018. PMID: 18482424; NIHMS ID# 96837; PMC#: PMC2731575.
• Yoon, J.H., Higgins, S.T., Heil, S.H., Sugarbaker, R.J., Thomas, C.S., Badger, G.J. (2007). Delay discounting predicts postpartum relapse to cigarette smoking among pregnant women. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 15, 176-186. PMID: 17469941.
• Higgins, S.T., Heil, S.H., Dantona, R., Donham, R., Matthews, M., & Badger, G.J. (2007). Effects of varying the monetary value of voucher-based incentives on abstinence achieved during and following treatment among cocaine-dependent outpatients. Addiction, 102, 271-281. PMID: 17222282.

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