Kirsten E. Smith

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT KIRSTEN E. SMITH

After receiving my Master’s degree in clinical social work from the University of Kentucky & working directly with people with substance use disorders, I pivoted to a scientific career to better understand what I observed in the clinic. After earning my Ph.D. at the University of Louisville, I began my postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program (NDIA IRP) in the Translational Addiction Medicine Branch. I worked in the Real-world Assessment Prediction and Treatment Unit studying opioid use and use disorder (OUD), OUD treatment, and the bioactive plant, kratom. During this time, I also served on the National Institutes of Health Institutional Review Board. I first began investigating real-world use of kratom in 2017 using survey methods. At NIDA IRP, I continued to investigate kratom via self-report and social media data, but later expanded methodology to include ecological momentary assessment, kratom product assay, & observational laboratory substudy (made possibly by an NIDA K99). The data collected during the K99 award phase can inform an interdisciplinary line of kratom research ranging from observational work to randomized behavioral-pharmacology experiments. I strongly believe kratom research requires interdisciplinary study & that it will take significantly increased funding, focus, & rigor to elucidate kratom\'s effects in humans, including both adverse effects & (eventual) potential therapeutic effects for addressing pain & treating substance use disorders for opioids, stimulants, & alcohol. Until we know more about kratom alkaloids I have been outspoken about the need for clinicians to better assess & document kratom use, use disorder, & physical dependence. Understanding the variability & differing potential for risk of commercial kratom products is increasingly needed. Prior to focusing on kratom, I served as the Lead Associate Investigator on a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial examining the withdrawal-suppressing effects of a partial opioid agonist in humans with OUD. In my new role as Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins University I plan to conduct more rigorous behavioral pharmacology PK/PD investigations into kratom with continued interdisciplinary and international collaboration, beginning with an R00 award & future R01s. I enjoy educating & interacting with clinicians, researchers, industry, policymakers, and even lay people unfamiliar with kratom. I welcome opportunities to discuss kratom and kratom-derived products based on the current and growing science.