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Boris Tabakoff was trained as a molecular pharmacologist; he also received training in behavioral genetics. Dr. Tabakoff received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Colorado in 1970. His research over the years has followed a track in which experiments on the molecular mechanisms of drug action have been melded with assessments of genetic and environmental influences on behavior. His studies of drug actions (particularly, alcohol's actions) have concentrated on the examination of neural systems on which the drugs act to produce intoxication, tolerance, and physical dependence.
Dr. Tabakoff's research endeavors have received significant peer recognition. He has been the recipient of The William Peck Scientific Research Award, The Research Society on Alcoholism Scientific Excellence Award, and the Jellinek Memorial Award for Major Contributions to Alcoholism Research, and the Florence Rena Sabin Award for Exceptional Contributions to the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, among others.
Dr. Tabakoff has provided leadership within the alcohol research community by his active role as President of the Research Society on Alcoholism, and President of the International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism. Dr. Tabakoff's activities in neuropsychopharmacology, on an international level, have also been highlighted by his appointment as a member of the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) Expert Advisory Panel on Drug Dependence and Alcohol Problems, and as Scientific Director of the W.H.O. sponsored Multi-Center Study on State and Trait Markers in Alcoholism. Dr. Tabakoff has, in addition, played the leadership role in U.S.A. Federal Government alcoholism research efforts through his past position as Scientific Director for NIAAA's Intramural Research Programs, and in his past role as Acting Deputy Director for NIAAA. Currently, Dr. Tabakoff is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
In his role as Chairman of the Department of Pharmacology and through his own current research endeavors, Dr. Tabakoff has encouraged the application of the most modern technology to studies of alcoholism and other drug abuse. An example of this can be seen in the structure of the Integrative Neuroscience Initiative on Alcoholism (INIA) which is sponsored by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Dr. Tabakoff is part of the organizing committee and scientific advisory committee for INIA, and he has championed the utilization of gene expression arrays, NMR and x-ray crystallography, proteomics and mass spectrometry, as well as novel approaches in informatics as means of solving the complex problems of alcohol dependence and craving. Dr. Tabakoff is also the founder and President of Lohocla Research Corporation, which is dedicated to the development of diagnostic tools and treatments for alcoholism, drug abuse, and mental disorders. This corporation has played an important role in introducing target structure based drug design into the alcoholism medications development area, and has produced genetically-based diagnostic tools in the areas of alcoholism and depression. Through his research career, Dr. Tabakoff has published well over 300 research reports, reviews, and commentaries in the areas of alcohol addiction, other drug addictions, and mental health. |