Robert A. Zucker, Ph.D., A.B.P.P.

Dr. Zucker's major career focus has been the lifespan etiology and course of alcohol and other drug involvement, and the development of screening, early identification, and early intervention programming for high-risk populations via the Michigan Longitudinal Study. His current research involves collaborations focusing on long term predictors of behavioral course, the genetics of alcoholism, brain mechanisms regulating addictive behavior, the mechanisms underlying epigenetic effects on clinical outcome, and the development of screeners to identify elevated risk for substance abuse in middle childhood.

Dr. Zucker has been one of the major contributors to the understanding of alcoholism as a developmental disorder and has been involved in the translational ramifications of this work as a member of two NIH/NIAAA action committees to identify and screen for early substance abuse (NIAAA Initiative on College Drinking; NIAAA Initiative on Early Screening). He is the author of over 300 publications, the editor/author of 10 books, is a diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) in clinical psychology, a member of the Polish Society of Psychiatrists’ Hall of Fame, and a recipient of the Research Society on Alcoholism’s Distinguished Researcher Award. He is also a past-president of the Society on Addiction Psychology. Since 2002 he has also directed a Fogarty International Center/NIDA/NIAAA supported program to develop substance abuse research infrastructure in Eastern Europe, initially focused on Poland, later including Slovakia and Ukraine. Current work is in Ukraine.