Barbara Mason

Barbara J. Mason, Ph.D. is Director of the Pearson Center for Alcoholism and Addiction Research, Director of the Laboratory of Clinical Psychopharmacology, and Pearson Family Professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine at The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA. Dr. Mason’s work in medication development for the treatment of substance use disorder has been recognized globally. Prof. Mason conducted the seminal studies identifying nalmefene as having therapeutic potential for alcohol dependence; and also served as overall Principal Investigator for the US 21-center trial of acamprosate (Campral) for the treatment of alcohol dependence which was conducted in support of FDA approval. Prof. Mason has served on the National Advisory Councils of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). She has served as a guest expert for the U.S. Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and as a reviewer of research grants for NIH and the Medical Research Council (MRC) of the UK.