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Final Program


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Kirsten E. Smith, PhD, LMSW

Consultant
Dial Square LLC
Baltimore, Maryland

Kirsten Smith, Ph.D., L.M.S.W., is one of the nation’s leading clinical experts on kratom. She has authored over 90 peer-reviewed publications, most focused on kratom or related topics, such as kava and tianeptine. Between 2023-2025, Dr. Smith was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She joined Johns Hopkins after earning her Masters in Social Work from the University of Kentucky, Ph.D. from the University of Louisville, and after completing a 4-year postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program (NIDA IRP). At NIDA IRP Dr. Smith completed her K99-funded project that involved a national ecological momentary assessment of daily kratom use and a controlled drug administration substudy that investigated the acute effects of commercial kratom products. Her NIDA R00-funded study at Johns Hopkins University examined the pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of kratom and assessed spontaneous kratom withdrawal among chronic consumers. Dr. Smith was also awarded a NIDA R01 to investigate the safety, tolerability, and human abuse potential of kratom extract in healthy adults, which is ongoing. She has conducted numerous surveys and qualitative data projects related to kratom and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) use. Dr. Smith is currently transitioning from academia to clinical practice but consults on kratom regularly and welcomes opportunities for collaboration.

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