Carrie R Ferrario

Dr. Carrie R. Ferrario is a dual-appointed Associate Professor at the University of Michigan, holding positions in both the Medical School's Department of Pharmacology and the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Department of Psychology. She leads the Ferrario Lab, which investigates the neurobiological intersections of obesity and drug addiction, focusing on glutamatergic transmission in the striatum.

• Education: Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Michigan Medical School (2012) and Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (2008)

Research Focus: Her work integrates addiction neuroscience, learning theory, and feeding behavior to explore how sugary/fatty foods alter brain function, particularly in relation to individual susceptibility to obesity and parallels between eating urges and substance abuse mechanisms.

Scientific Awards:

• 2023 John J. Abel Award in Pharmacology

Collaborations: Co-Director of the NIDA-funded Biology of Drug Abuse Postdoctoral T32 program, with affiliations in the Domino Addiction Research Center, Neuroscience Graduate Program, and Multidisciplinary Training Program in Basic Diabetes Research. Her lab employs advanced behavioral and neurochemical analyses to study motivation and plasticity in obesity and addiction contexts.