Samantha Portis

Samantha Portis is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Missouri, based in McAlester Hall, Columbia, MO.

Her educational background includes:

• Postdoctoral training at the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, School of Public Health, Brown University (2020-2024)
• PhD in Medical Sciences (Neuroscience) from the University of South Florida (2020)
• BSc in Psychology from the University of North Florida (2011)

Dr. Portis is a translational neuroscientist specializing in neuropharmacological treatments for substance use disorders in older adults, with emphasis on neuroinflammatory biomarkers and harm reduction strategies.

Her core research domains encompass:

• Substance Use Disorders and Alcohol Use
• Aging and Geriatric Populations
• Neuropharmacology and Pharmacotherapy
• Neuroinflammation Mechanisms
• Clinical Trial Design
• Harm Reduction Approaches

Her publication record demonstrates consistent focus on aging-related substance use interventions, spanning preclinical nutraceutical studies in rodent models, microglial neuroimmunology in psychiatric contexts, and pandemic-era clinical trial adaptations for alcohol use disorder, culminating in recent analyses of pediatric opioid prescribing disparities.

Dr. Portis contributes to the Cognition and Neuroscience research area and teaches PSYCH 2210: Mind, Brain, and Behavior Bio.