Angela Bryan, PhD
Professor, Psychology and Neuroscience
Associate Chair, Faculty Development
Co-Director, CUChange
University of Colorado Boulder
Title of Presentation: Effects of Edible Cannabis Use on Pain, Sleep, and Mood
Bio: Dr. Angela Bryan is a Professor and Associate Chair for Faculty Development in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder. She is co-director of the CU Center for Health and Neuroscience, Genes, and Environment (CUChange). Dr. Bryan’s research focuses on a transdisciplinary approach to the study of health and risk behavior, and the development of theory-based interventions to improve health behaviors including physical activity and healthy diet and reduce risk behaviors including unsafe sexual behavior and substance use. Recently, she and her colleagues have been heavily focused on the study of the public health implications of cannabis legalization. Funded by NIH, they study harm reduction in the context of high potency concentrates, possible impacts of cannabis use on health behaviors like diet and physical activity, as well as potential benefits of cannabis for pain, anxiety, and sleep.
Rachel Tomko, PhD
Associate Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Medical University of South Carolina
Title of Presentation: Rethinking Cannabis Use Disorder Treatment: Individualized Risks, Benefits, and Care
Bio: Dr. Rachel Tomko is a clinical psychologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Tomko’s research focuses on individual differences in response to cannabis to determine who is at risk of developing cannabis use disorder (CUD) as a result of non-medical use. Ongoing work is examining sex and gender-specific recommendations for low-risk non-medical cannabis use, the influence of ovarian hormones on ability to reduce cannabis use during CUD treatment, whether cannabidiol can reduce stress reactivity during cannabis withdrawal, and individual differences in subjective response to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Methodologically, her research is focused on removing barriers to conducting rigorous and generalizable research through the development and evaluation of screening assessments, outcome measures, and tools to measure adherence with treatment and trial procedures.
Sara Jane Ward, PhD
Associate Professor, Neural Sciences
Center for Substance Abuse Research
Temple University
Title of Presentation: Developing Cannabis-Based Treatments for Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy
Bio: Dr. Sara Jane Ward is a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Neural Sciences and Center for Substance Abuse Research at the Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine. Current research in her laboratory focuses on investigating the therapeutic potential of non-psychoactive cannabinoids and terpenes using animal models of pain, neuroinflammation and substance use disorders. Her work on the protective effects of cannabidiol (CBD) in rodent models of chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain has been supported by the NIH since 2014 and has inspired the implementation of at least two clinical trials in this area.