Joanna Jacobus

Joanna Jacobus, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine. Her research program investigates adolescent neurodevelopment through multiple NIH-funded grants, focusing on cannabis, nicotine, and alcohol effects on brain structure and cognitive functioning. She serves as Principal Investigator on several longitudinal studies including projects examining vaping consequences, cannabis/nicotine co-use neurobiology, and adolescent brain development.

Dr. Jacobus's research employs advanced neuroimaging methodologies to study:

• Cortical thickness changes related to substance initiation
• White matter integrity alterations from cannabis/nicotine co-use
• Hippocampal volume associations with substance use patterns
• Cerebral blood flow changes in adolescent substance users

Her work consistently demonstrates neurodevelopmental vulnerabilities to substance exposure, with particular emphasis on differential effects by sex, ethnicity, and substance combinations.

Analysis of Dr. Jacobus's recent publications reveals strong thematic focus on:

• Longitudinal substance use trajectories (58% of recent publications)
• Neuroimaging biomarkers of substance effects (42%)
• Cannabis/nicotine co-use mechanisms (33%)
• Adolescent cognitive outcomes (25%)

Her NIH funding portfolio includes active R01, R21, and consortium grants totaling over $15M, supporting research through 2027.