Assistant Professor
Johns Hopkins University
Westminster, Maryland
Kirsten Smith, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit (BPRU) within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. After earning her Masters in Social Work from the University of Kentucky and Ph.D. from the University of Louisville, Dr. Smith completed a 4-year postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program in the Translational Addiction Medicine Branch. There, Dr. Smith lead a Phase II clinical trial examining the opioid withdrawal-suppressing effects of an experimental partial mu opioid agonist (TRV734). She also completed her NIDA K99-funded project that involved a national ecological momentary assessment of daily kratom use and a controlled kratom self-administration substudy that examined acute effects of commercial kratom products. Her current NIDA R00-funded study at BPRU is characterizing the pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of kratom and kratom withdrawal among chronic consumers. Dr. Smith been studying real-world kratom use since 2017 and has assessed kratom-related physical dependence and addiction since 2021. Dr. Smith has recently launched a human laboratory pilot study investigating PK/PD and behavioral pharmacology of kratom extract products and an online survey and qualitative study about the use of novel, semi-synthetic kratom-derived products. Dr. Smith plans to continue her kratom research by investigating the safety, tolerability, and human abuse potential of kratom in healthy adults using both standardized whole-leaf formulations and isolated alkaloids.
Complexities and Controversies in Assessing, Diagnosing, and Managing Kratom Use
Friday, April 25, 2025
10:30 AM – 11:45 AM
Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose
