Todd W. Vanderah, Ph.D.

As one of the top pain and addiction researchers in his field, Todd Vanderah engages in scholarship that directly addresses America's opioid epidemic, through research centered on chronic pain and how it can be reduced by alternatives to opioids and novel cannabinoids. Vanderah also is director of the University of Arizona Comprehensive Pain and Addiction Center and a member of the BIO5 Institute.

Vanderah's research focuses on identifying novel molecular targets in the human body and novel compounds that can act on those targets to reduce chronic pain without leading to addiction. Specifically, his research looks at novel cannabinoids for chronic pain management. His work has led to a better understanding of how patients develop a tolerance to opioids, requiring them to take increasingly larger doses to continue feeling better. Vanderah is now working on developing novel nonaddictive therapeutics for pain.

Vanderah has mentored many graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty, and has also led community outreach, including at K-12 schools and community centers. Under his leadership, the Department of Pharmacology was ranked fifth in research funding from the National Institutes of Health by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. His dedication to teaching is demonstrated by his desire to direct multiple courses and earning 29 teaching awards over the past 25 years. Additionally, Vanderah started a Bachelor of Science in Medicine program  that is in its second year and has approximately 830 students.