2021 Award Recipients for the SoAP!

2021 Award Recipients for the SoAP!
Sherry McKee, Chair, Fellows and Awards Committee
Members: Sara Jo Nixon & Carlos DiClemente

The SoAP Fellows and Awards Committee is pleased to announce the following 2021 Award Recipients.

Michael Sayette: Distinguished Scientific Contributions

Dr. Sayette is the richly deserving 2021 recipient of the Distinguished Scientific Contribution award. Dr. Sayette is Professor at the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition at the University of Pittsburgh & Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Sayette’s research over the past 30 years has made seminal theoretical and empirical contributions to the etiology, prevention, and treatment of SUDs, while also offering insights about human cognition, emotion, and social functioning. Dr. Sayette elegantly designed studies on alcohol and tobacco have led to groundbreaking findings regarding craving and drug motivation. His landmark study examining the effects of alcohol on social interaction has fundamentally increased our understanding of the effect of alcohol on social bonding and affective processes. An impressive publication record, mentorship of early career colleagues, and exemplary editorial service to the field all contribute to Dr. Sayette’s exceptional and distinguished scientific contributions.

Judith Arroyo: Distinguished Career Contributions to Education and Training

Dr. Arroyo is the 2021 recipient of the award for Distinguished Career Contributions to Education and Training. Dr. Arroyo is a Minority Health and Health Disparities Coordinator at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Dr. Arroyo has been an outspoken advocate for alcohol research to be more beneficial, inclusive, and equitable for diverse and often marginalized communities. From her earliest scientific contributions on health disparities and her years of mentoring of minority scientists, Dr. Arroyo has shown the utmost dedication to enhancing diversity at all levels of our field and thereby contributing to the education and training of our future addiction scientists. Dr. Arroyo’s efforts have been reflected in a myriad of programs, funding opportunities, and technical assistance opportunities to enhance the quality and quantity of alcohol health disparities research and to the training of investigators nationwide who are pursuing research in these areas. Dr. Arroyo’s dedication to mentoring minority scientists and spearheading efforts to recruit and retain minority scientists makes her an ideal recipient of this award.

Mary Beth Miller: Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions

Dr. Miller is the 2021 recipient of the award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions. Dr. Miller received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the Oklahoma State University in 2015. She then completed an NIAAA-sponsored T32 Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship at Brown University’s Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies. Dr. Miller is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Dr. Miller’s research has focused on evaluating the efficacy of brief interventions for heavy alcohol use, the experience of drinking to blackout, and most recently, developing interventions to treat alcohol use and sleep dysfunction. Dr. Miller is a highly productive young scientist, with more than 70 peer-reviewed publications and demonstrated success in obtaining grants from NIAAA. Dr. Miller is a distinguished early career scientist who is richly deserving of this award.