Gold receives Nelson J. Bradley lifetime achievement award

Mark Gold, M.D., a distinguished professor and chief of addiction medicine with UF's McKnight Brain Institute, received the Nelson J. Bradley lifetime achievement award from the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers.

"As a person who has spent 30 years in addiction medicine, receiving an award from the nation's leading treatment professionals and from representatives of centers such as the Betty Ford Center is a great honor," Gold said. "It's particularly exciting and gratifying that recovery professionals feel my research has been valuable and has helped make a difference in how they care for patients."

Gold is recognized for changing the medical field's understanding of how opiate drugs and also cocaine hijack the human brain. His work has led to new treatments for addicts, tests for drug intoxication and understanding of how heroin, other opiates and cocaine cause dependence and withdrawal. His research has also shed light on the dangers of secondhand exposure to smoke and other drugs.

A faculty member in the psychiatry department since 1990, Gold follows in a long line of innovators who have received the prestigious award since it was first issued in 1983.