Alison Oliveto

Dr. Alison Oliveto is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine, where she serves as Director of the Center for Addiction Research and Research Director of the UAMS Substance Abuse Treatment Clinic. She has maintained continuous NIH funding since 1993 and has held significant leadership roles including Vice Chair for Research in Psychiatry and Director of the UAMS CTSA-supported Clinical Trials Unit. Dr. Oliveto is also the UAMS site principal investigator for the NIDA Clinical Trials Network Big/SouthWest Node and Team Leader of the Arkansas Statewide Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup.

Dr. Oliveto earned her B.S. in Chemistry/Psychology from St. Lawrence University (1983), her Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology/Behavioral Pharmacology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1989), and completed postdoctoral training in Human Behavioral Pharmacology at the University of Vermont (1991). Her career began at Yale School of Medicine where she established and directed the Outpatient Treatment Research Program at the West Haven CT Veterans Administration Healthcare System.

As a behavioral pharmacologist, Dr. Oliveto's research focuses on translational studies of substance use disorders, particularly opioids and stimulants. She has pioneered human laboratory and clinical trial methodologies for developing treatments, including novel-response option drug discrimination procedures and relapse paradigms for stimulant use disorder. Her current work includes monitoring substance use trends through the Arkansas Statewide Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup and developing game-based prevention interventions for adolescent prescription drug misuse. Recent publications reflect her ongoing commitment to advancing treatment for substance use disorders through pharmacological and behavioral approaches.

Dr. Oliveto's scientific contributions have been recognized with numerous awards including the AACAP Outstanding Mentor Award (2019) and the RAAD Above & Beyond in Prevention Award (2022). She is a Fellow of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence and has served as a reviewer for NIDA Special Emphasis Panels.

As an educator and mentor, Dr. Oliveto has advised doctoral and professional students including Lauren Russell, PhD, and Azizi Ray, PharmD. She has been instrumental in establishing research tracks for Psychiatry residents and mentoring physician scientists. Her extensive grant portfolio includes multiple NIH-funded projects such as the NIDA Clinical Trials Network Big South/West Node (2025-2032) and several R01 and R21 mechanisms focused on tobacco use disorder, methamphetamine use disorder, and opioid use disorder.

Dr. Oliveto leads the Center for Addiction Research at UAMS, which focuses on strategic recruitment of addiction scientists and developing synergy among faculty. She also directs the Arkansas Statewide Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup, which gathers, analyzes, and disseminates substance abuse trends to inform prevention efforts across Arkansas.