William Kowalczyk joined CHEST in 2008 as a Project Director, responsible for administration of a new treatment grant. Currently Bill is working to complete a Ph.D. in Neuropsychology at CUNY’s Graduate Center. Under the mentorship of Dr. Sarit Galub, William’s dissertation research focuses on the connection between neuropsychological functioning, decision-making, HIV medication adherence, and substance abuse. His dissertation work will also use several neuropsychological tests to examine HIV-related dementia.

Prior to joining CHEST, William spent six years working in the laboratory of Dr. Sandra Comer at Columbia. There, he gained a strong background in behavioral pharmacology, studying a wide variety of opiate related issues including opiate tolerance in normal healthy controls; sex differences in pain perception; heroin addiction; and the growing problem of prescription opiate abuse. While working for Dr. Comer Bill presented several times at the College for Problems on Drug Dependence, winning a Women and Gender Travel Award in 2005.

Bill has also worked in the laboratory of Dr. Benjamin Kest where he spent three years working with mice on the pharmacological mechanisms for pain, and formulating a model for spontaneous withdrawal. As part of his work at Dr. Kest’s lab Bill has presented data at the annual Society for Neuroscience Conference.

Bill’s research interests currently include the treatment of substance use and its relation to HIV transmission, medication adherence and sexual behavior, the pharmacological action of agents used to interrupt substance use and relieve pain, and the neurological action of the HIV virus.

Academic Publications:
Kowalczyk W. J., Evans S. M., Bisaga A.B., Sullivan M. A., and Comer, S.D.: Sex differences and hormonal influences on response to cold pressor pain in humans. Journal of Pain. 2006 March; 7(3): 151-160.

Comer, S.D., Sullivan M.A., Whittington R.A., Vosburg S.K., and Kowalczyk, W.J. Abuse Liability of Prescription Opioids Compared to Heroin in Morphine-Maintained Heroin Abusers. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2007 June 20, E-publication ahead of press.

Presentations:
Kowalczyk W. J., Comer S. D., Sullivan M. A., and Vosburg S. K.: Reinforcing effects of oxycodone and morphine: progressive ratio and drug vs. drug choice. College of Problems on Drug Dependence, Quebec City, Canada 2007.



Conference Abstracts:
Kowalczyk W. J., Klein G., Juni A. and, Kest B.: A model for quantitative assessment of spontaneous morphine withdrawa l in the mouse. Society for Neuroscience, San Diego, CA, 2004.

Kest B., Juni A., Klein G. and, Kowalczyk W. J.: Morphine hyperalgesia in the mouse is not blocked by naltrexone. Society for Neuroscience, San Diego, CA, 2004.

Kowalczyk W. J., Comer S.D., and Evans S. M.: Sex differences in analgesic and subjective responses to morphine in humans. College of Problems on Drug Dependence, Orlando, Fl, 2005.

Kowalczyk W.J., Juni A., Klein G., Mogil J.S., Hruby V., Kest B.: Female-specific mediation of morphine hyperalgesia by the melanocortin-1 receptor. Society for Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, 2006

Kowalczyk W. J., Stevens S.S., Sullivan M. A., and Vosburg S. K., Evans S.M., Foltin R.W.,and Comer S. D.: A preliminary examination of tolerance to oxycodone in humans. College of Problems on Drug Dependence, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2008.