Leadership:
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Igor Grant, M.D., F.R.C.P. (C) - Director |
| Igor Grant, M.D., is Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. Since 2000, Dr. Grant has been Director of the State of California funded Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR). He is also the Director of the HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program (HNRP), which encompasses a broad range of interdisciplinary HIV studies including the California NeuroAIDS Tissue Network (CNTN), the Translational Methamphetamine AIDS Research Center (TMARC), the HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center (HNRC), and the CNS HIV Antiretroviral Therapy Effects Research (CHARTER). Dr. Grant is the founding Editor of the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society and founding co-editor of the journal AIDS and Behavior. | |
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Thomas D. Marcotte, Ph.D. - Co-Director, Professor of Psychiatry |
| Dr. Marcotte, CMCR Co-Director, is a Professor of Psychiatry and neuropsychologist who has been affiliated with the CMCR since its inception. His primary focus has been on the impact of cannabis use on cognition and driving. This includes simulator and on-road studies, as well as the development of methods for determining cannabis-related impairment, including evaluating approaches used by law enforcement. He has served on national and state impaired-driving workgroups and presented to scientific, law enforcement, forensic toxicologist, judicial, and traffic safety advocacy groups, as well as state/national/international policymakers. His work has also explored medicinal applications of cannabis (pain, spasticity). Dr. Marcotte is lead editor of the book Neuropsychology of Everyday Functioning. | |
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J. Hampton Atkinson, M.D. - Co-Director, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry |
| J. H. Atkinson, M.D., is Active Emeritus Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. Dr. Atkinson has been Co-Director of the State of California funded Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR) since its inception in 2000. He was a prior Co-Director of the HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program (HNRP), which encompasses a broad range of interdisciplinary HIV studies. His research has investigated the pharmacological and cognitive behavioral treatment of chronic pain syndromes, principally chronic low back pain, and on neuropsychiatric aspects of HIV. | |
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Robert L. Fitzgerald, Ph.D., DABCC - Director CMCR Analytical Laboratory, Professor of Pathology |
| Robert Fitzgerald, Ph.D. is the director of the CMCR bioanalytical laboratory which uses isotope dilution liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry to quantify various cannabiniods and related metabolites in biological fluids. A focus of his research has been to help elucidate how toxicological testing can be used in combination with field sobriety tests to improve methods for identifying drivers under the influence of cannabis. | |
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Jeremiah Momper, PharmD - CMCR Reference Laboratory Director, Professor of Pharmacy |
| Jeremiah Momper, PharmD, PhD is a Professor in the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at UC San Diego. Since 2020 Dr. Momper has directed the CMCR Reference Laboratory which serves as the California Department of Cannabis Control's reference laboratory by conducting testing of cannabis goods. Dr. Momper’s research program also focuses on the application of clinical pharmacology tools – including model-based approaches – to address emerging public health issues for cannabinoids, including exposure-response relationships for impaired driving, environmental hazards of cannabis smoke, and pharmacokinetics in children, older adults, and lactating women. |
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Raymond Suhandynata, Ph.D., DABCC, NRCC (CC), ASCP (C) – Associate Director - CMCR Reference Laboratory; Associate Director of Clinical Toxicology and Chemistry UCSD Health; Assistant Professor of Pathology and Pharmacy |
| Since 2021, Dr. Suhandynata has served as the Associate Director of the CMCR Reference Laboratory, which serves as the reference laboratory for the California Department of Cannabis Control by conducting testing of cannabis goods. Dr. Suhandynata's research is focused on the development and validation of laboratory developed tests (LDTs) in the clinical laboratory, development of mass spectrometry based approaches to detect antibiotic resistant bacteria, identification of novel psychoactive substances, development of new approaches to measure biologics/proteins in clinical specimens, and development of LC-MS/MS assays for the measurement of cannabinoids, drugs of abuse, and therapeutic drug monitoring. | |
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David Grelotti, M.D. – Medical Director, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry |
| Dr. Grelotti is a Professor of Psychiatry at UC San Diego and the Medical Director of the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR). He provides medical oversight to several clinical trials of cannabis and cannabinoids at the CMCR and provides mental health care and addiction treatment at UC San Diego's Owen Clinic. He also serves as the Scientific and Program Chair for CMCR's annual symposium. | |
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Jennifer Marquie-Beck, MPH - Director of Research Operations |
| Ms. Marquie-Beck is the Director of Research Operations for the CMCR. She oversees the day-to-day operations of the CMCR and works closely with the CMCR leadership team to define and achieve the center’s goals. She works closely with CMCR investigators as relates to the use of CMCR resources, including research staff and infrastructure and provides consultation on study design and implementation and human subjects regulatory issues. Ms. Marquie-Beck has a masters degree in Public Health/Epidemiology and has been with the CMCR, and its sister center the HNRP, since 1998. | |
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Jamie Corroon, N.D., M.P.H. - Assistant Project Scientist in Psychiatry |
| Jamie Corroon, ND, MPH, is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor and Assistant Project Scientist at the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR) in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Family Medicine at UCSD, funded by a T32 grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. His work examines the impact of cannabis use on cardiovascular health, as well as the broader clinical and public health implications of society’s increasing acceptance of cannabis. Dr. Corroon earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Southern California, a master’s degree in Public Health (Epidemiology) from San Diego State University, and a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine degree from Bastyr University. | |
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Clint Cushman - Director of Information Systems |
| Mr. Cushman is the Director of Information systems for the CMCR. He oversees the development and maintenance of all data management and information systems including web-based data management and reporting tools and hardware/software resources. His team is responsible for the CMCR Data Repository, a valuable database combining a data from a variety of CMCR studies dating back to 2000. Mr. Cushman has been with the CMCR since it’s inception, and its sister center, the HNRP, since 1996. | |
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Leyhda Acol - Director of Business Affairs: |
| Ms. Leyhda Acol serves as the Director of Business Affairs and is responsible for overseeing the fiscal integrity of the center. She leads a team that manages financial reporting and monitors center-wide expenditures, including those related to the CMCR Grant Program. This program involves issuing and tracking funding to partner institutions across California. Ms. Acol brings over 35 years of financial management experience in both the private sector and the University of California system. | |
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Debra Cookson - Laboratory Manager |
| Ms. Cookson oversees the CMCR’s clinical laboratory functions. These functions include obtaining biospecimens and laboratory results for clinical studies conducted at the CMCR. Importantly, she is responsible for management of the CMCR Biorepository, which contains biospecimens dating back to the CMCR’s inception. She maintains standard operating procedures for laboratory process and provides consultation on study design and implementation in this area. Ms. Cookson has a masters degree in Public Health/Epidemiology and has been with the CMCR since 2008. | |
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Felicia roston - Project Coordinator |
| Ms. Roston provides essential support to the CMCR in carrying out its day-to-day operations. She is responsible for tracking the use of CMCR resources, trainees, collaborations and publications and assists with reports to regulatory agencies. She is a critical member of the planning committee for the annual CMCR Symposium, and in this role is responsible for organizing speakers, meeting materials and meeting logistics. Ms. Roston has been with the CMCR, and its sister center, the HNRP, since 2002. | |
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Carla Ingle - Project Coordinator |
| Ms. Ingle is the lead coordinator for the CMCR Grants Program, and in this role is responsible for maintain and issuing the request for proposals and application materials, communicating with applicants, performing an administrative review of applications received, organizing scientific review of submitted grants, collecting ongoing progress reports from recipients. Ms. Ingle is a key member of the CMCR Annual Symposium planning committee. Ms. Ingle has been with the CMCR, and its sister center, the HNRP, since 2001. |
CMCR Investigators (*Steering Committee Member):
| Investigator | Institution | Position |
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| *Ronald J. Ellis, M.D., Ph.D. | UCSD | Professor of Neurosciences |
| *Ji Sun, Pharm.D., Ph.D. | UCSD | Director of Pharmacy |
| *Mark Wallace, M.D. | UCSD | Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology |
| Nicholas Bernthal, M.D. | UCLA | Professor and Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery |
| Nicholas Butowski, M.D. | UC San Francisco | Professor of Neurological Surgery |
| Kristin Cadenhead, M.D. | UCSD | Professor of Psychiatry |
| Catherine Cahill, Ph.D. | UCLA | Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences |
| Mariana Cherner, Ph.D. | UCSD | Professor of Psychiatry |
| Ziva Cooper, Ph.D. | UCLA | Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences |
| Giordano de Guglielmo, Ph.D., PharmD | UCSD | Assistant Professor of Psychiatry |
| Nicholas DiPatrizio, Ph.D. | UC Riverside | Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences |
| Guido Frank, M.D. | UCSD | Professor of Psychiatry |
| Staci Gruber, Ph.D. | Harvard Medical School | Associate Professor of Psychiatry |
| Zhi-Ling Guo, M.D., Ph.D. | UC Irvine | Project Scientist, Department of Medicine |
| Brook Henry, Ph.D. | UCSD | Assistant Researcher of Psychiatry |
| Jaime Inman, Ph.D. | Lawrence Berkeley National Lab | Research Scientist, Dept of BioEngineering & BioMedical Sciences |
| Jennifer Iudicello, Ph.D. | UCSD | Assistant Professor of Psychiatry |
| Scott Letendre, M.D. | UCSD | Professor of Medicine |
| Edythe London, Ph.D. | UCLA | Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences |
| Arpi Minassian, Ph.D. | UCSD | Professor of Psychiatry |
| Erin Morgan, Ph.D. | UCSD | Assistant Professor of Psychiatry |
| Alysson Muotri, Ph.D. | UCSD | Professor of Pediatrics and Cellular & Molecular Medicine |
| Rudy Ortiz, Ph.D. | UC Merced | Professor of Physiology and Endocrinology |
| William Perry, Ph.D. | UCSD | Professor of Psychiatry |
| Jeremy Pettus, M.D. | UCSD | Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology |
| Daniele Piomelli, Ph.D., PharmD | UC Irvine | Distinguished Professor of Anatomy & Neurobiology |
| Veena Ranganath, M.D. | UCLA | Associate Professor of Medicine-Rhuematology |
| Nathaniel Schuster, M.D. | UCSD | Associate Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology |
| Michelle Sexton, N.D. | UCSD | Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology |
| Gabe Silva, Ph.D. | UCSD | Professor of Bioengineering and Neurosciences |
| Michael Taffe, Ph.D. | UCSD | Professor of Psychiatry |
| Charles T. Taylor, Ph.D. | UCSD | Associate Professor of Psychiatry |
| Jennifer Thomas, Ph.D. | San Diego State University | Professor of Psychology |
| Doris Trauner, M.D. | UCSD | Professor of Neurosciences |
| Jared Young, Ph.D. | UCSD | Professor of Psychiatry |
| Fadel Zeidan, Ph.D. | UCSD | Professor of Anesthesiology |
Founding Directors:
Igor Grant, M.D.
Tom Coates, Ph.D.
Andrew Mattison, Ph.D. (Deceased)