Andrea Hobkirk

Andrea Hobkirk, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, holding dual appointments in the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health and Public Health Sciences. She also holds an Assistant Professor position in the Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics at Penn State Cancer Institute and Neuroscience Institute. Her lab investigates addiction mechanisms, behavioral neuroscience, and social determinants of health through advanced neuroimaging and behavioral studies.

• Clinical Psychology PhD, University at Albany - State University of New York (2013)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship in HIV neurocognition and cocaine use effects, Duke University

Her research focuses on understanding how individual differences in stress, reward, and executive control systems contribute to addiction vulnerability and response to interventions. Current projects emphasize nicotine addiction, tobacco product features (particularly flavors), and health-related social needs in cancer care. She employs functional MRI, biomarkers, and behavioral assessments to explore these mechanisms.

Recent publications (2024) examine:

• Mental health symptoms in multi-substance vapers
• Physical activity's impact on chemotherapy outcomes
• Cancer care access barriers
• E-cigarette delay discounting behaviors
• Menthol tobacco product nicotine delivery

She has secured multiple NIH/NIDA grants for tobacco regulatory science, including projects on:

• Flavored ENDS reward mechanisms
• Tobacco composition toxicity
• Neuromarkers for smoking cessation

Her work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in health equity and well-being. Current collaborations span Penn State's Center for Cannabis and Natural Product Pharmaceuticals and Center for Research on Tobacco and Health.