William Stoops, PhD, MA
Connect
(859)-257-5383william.stoops@uky.edu
Positions
- Dr. William R. Willard Professor in Behavioral Science, Department of Behavioral Science with Joint Appointments in the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology
- Faculty, Center on Drug and Alcohol Research
- Associate Director for Clinical Research, Substance Use Priority Research Area
- Director, Regulatory Knowledge and Support Core, Center for Clinical and Translational Science
- Associate Vice President for Research Integrity, Office of the Vice President for Research
College Unit(s)
Biography and Education
Biography
Dr. William Stoops, Dr. William R. Willard Professor in Behavioral Science, is a faculty member in the Departments of Behavioral Science, Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of Kentucky. He earned his Bachelor鈥檚 degree in Psychology from Davidson College in Davidson, NC and his Master鈥檚 degree and PhD in Experimental Psychology from the University of Kentucky. His research, continuously funded by NIH since 2008, evaluates the behavioral and pharmacological factors that contribute to drug use disorders, focusing primarily on stimulant drugs. He recently completed a clinical trial evaluating non-abstinence outcomes in cocaine use disorder. He is also leading human laboratory studies determining the role of various neurotransmitter systems (e.g., serotonin, glutamate, orexin) in the behavioral pharmacology of a range of drugs of abuse from stimulants to opioids to alcohol. Dr. Stoops received a Presidential Citation from the American Psychological Association in 2021 for his contributions to the field and was named the Researcher of the Year by the Kentucky Psychological Association in 2024. Dr. Stoops directs the Clinical Research Support Office at the University of Kentucky and is Associate Director for Clinical Research of the University of Kentucky Substance Use Priority Research Area. He is Treasurer of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence and the Association for Clinical and Translational Science and chaired the NIDA-K study section.
Education
Ph.D. Psychology-Experimental Psychology, University of Kentucky
M.A. Psychology-Experimental Psychology, University of Kentucky
A.B. Psychology, Davidson College
Research
Current NIH funding as Principal Investigator/Multiple Principal Investigator:
Influence of Orexin Antagonism on Motivation for Alcohol (R01AA030775). National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Funded March 2024 to February 2027.
Glutamatergic Mechanisms in Opioid and Cocaine Co-Use (R33DA049130). National Institute on Drug Abuse. Funded August 2022 to August 2025. Multiple Principal Investigator: Cassandra D. Gipson-Reichardt.
Influence of 5-HT1b Activation on the Abuse Related Effects of Cocaine (R01DA052203). National Institute on Drug Abuse/National Institute on General Medical Sciences. Funded August 2021 to July 2025.
Advancing Troriluzole as a Treatment for Methamphetamine Use Disorder: A Human Laboratory Study (R01DA060632). National Institute on Drug Abuse. Funded April 2025 to February 2029.
Targeting Immune Inflammation in Cocaine Use Disorder: A Human Laboratory Study with Pentoxifylline (R01DA063069). National Institute on Drug Abuse. Funded July 2025 to February 2028.
Research Training in Drug Abuse Behavior (T32DA035200). National Institute on Drug Abuse. Funded August 1998 to June 2028. Multiple Principal Investigator: Craig R. Rush.
NRSA Training Core (TL1TR001997). National Center for Advancing Translational Science. Funded August 2016 to June 2026. Multiple Principal Investigator: Lauren N. Whitehurst.
Data Management (C5345): KORE/SOR IV (TNBU) Contingency Management Initiative (1000200168). Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Funded July 2025 to June 2026.
Selected Publications
Stoops, W.W. (2022). A Brief Introduction to Human Behavioral Pharmacology: Methods, Design Considerations and Ethics, Perspectives on Behavioral Science, 45, 361-381.
Regnier, S.D., Shellenberg, T.P., Koffarnus, M.N., Cox, D.H., Lile, J.A., Rush, C.R. and Stoops, W.W. (2023). Cocaine Abstinence During the 鈥淐ritical Period鈥 of a Contingency Management Trial Predicts Future Abstinence in People with Cocaine Use Disorder. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 253, 111030.
Bergeria, C.L., Gipson, C.D., Smith, K.E., Stoops, W.W. and Strickland, J.C. (2024). Opioid Craving Does Not Incubate Over Time in Inpatient or Outpatient Treatment Studies: Is the Preclinical Incubation of Craving Model Lost in Translation? Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 160, 105618.
Stoops, W.W., Shellenberg, T.P., Regnier, S.D., Cox, D.H., Adatorwovor, R., Hays, L.R., Anderson, D.M., Lile, J.A., Schmitz, J.M., Havens, J.R. and Segerstrom, S.C. (2024). Influence of Cocaine Use Reduction on Markers of Immune Function. Journal of Neuroimmunology, 397, 578470.
Stoops, W.W., Shellenberg, T.P., Regnier, S.D., Cox, D.H., Adatorwovor, R., Hays, L.R., Anderson, D.M., Lile, J.A., Schmitz, J.M., Havens, J.R., Sexton, T.R. and Fisher, M.B. (2025). A Single-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Contingency Management Trial on Physiological Indices and Biomarkers of Cardiovascular Health in People with Cocaine Use Disorder. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 271, 112642.
A full list of Dr. Stoops' publications can be found here: