Mark Gold, MD
Scholar, Distinguished Professor, Inventor, Pioneering Researcher – Dr. Mark S. Gold’s expansive career in translational neuroscience began in 1972. Since then, he has become a world-renowned expert on addiction-related diseases and has worked for 40+ years developing models for understanding the effects of opioid, tobacco, cocaine, and other drugs, as well as food, on the brain and behavior.
Dr. Gold has more than 1,000 peer-reviewed publications since beginning his academic career at the University of Florida College of Medicine and Yale University School of Medicine, and is best known for developing the pioneering translational laboratory to human research methods of discovery for addiction and psychiatry. He has over 30,000 academic research citations and an H index of 93, and continues to make impactful contributions to neuroendocrinology, radiation oncology, transplant biology, orthopedic surgery, public health, pain, psychiatry, obesity medicine, and substance use disorders. He is the 13th most impactful researcher in addiction medicine and psychiatry in the world.
Today, Dr. Gold continues his research, teaching, and consulting as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University in St Louis.
Browse Scholarly Articles & Blogs
Mark S. Gold, MD, is a world-renowned expert on addiction-related diseases and prolific author of research, books, articles, and more publications on understanding the effects of opioid, tobacco, cocaine, and other drugs, as well as food, on the brain and behavior.
Speedballing: The Current Fourth Wave of the Overdose Crisis
Combining fentanyl with cocaine or methamphetamine.KEY POINTS The United States is in its fourth wave of the opioid crisis. Speedballing is highly prevalent and killing users. The current polydrug use norm challenges existing treatment models. We are in the midst of a...
Ask The National Institute on Drug Abuse Expert
An interview with methamphetamine and cocaine expert, NIDA's Jean Lud Cadet, MD.KEY POINTS Researchers have found important racial disparities in substance use disorders, yet they are often ignored. The amount/frequency of methamphetamine use affects possible brain...
Addicted to Food
When sugar and processed foods take over the brain.KEY POINTS The brain is activated by how foods taste, and highly processed foods are particularly attractive. Some medications effectively treat obesity, especially GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro. GLP-1s may...



