Kenny Receives Jacob P. Waletzky Award
SAN DIEGO — The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) presented Paul Kenny, PhD, with the Jacob P. Waletzky Award at Neuroscience 2010, SfN’s annual meeting and the world’s largest source of emerging news on brain science and health. Established in 2003 and supported by the Waletzky family, which includes a $25,000 award, and is given to a scientist who has conducted research or plans to conduct research in the area of substance abuse and the brain and nervous system.
“The Society applauds Dr. Kenny for his innovative work on drug abuse,” said Michael E. Goldberg, MD, president of SfN. “His investigations into the molecular and cellular effects of drugs on the brain’s reward systems have been instrumental in highlighting the dangers of addiction.”
Over the last decade, Paul Kenny has made important contributions to neuropharmacology with molecular studies of the neural adaptation involved in addiction. His research is shedding light on nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes that may increase vulnerability to nicotine addiction. Additionally, Kenny is working to uncover the role of noncoding RNAs in addiction, which may play a critical role in the development of compulsive cocaine use by regulating molecular signaling in the brain. His laboratory is also contributing to the development of novel treatments for substance abuse disorders.
Kenny earned his PhD from King’s College London and is currently an associate professor at The Scripps Research Institute–Florida.
The Society for Neuroscience is an organization of more than 40,000 researchers and clinicians who study the brain and nervous system.
