NIDA’s Rapaka Receives Service Award

Dr. Rao Rapaka

NIDA’s Dr. Rao Rapaka received the 2016 Distinguished Service Award at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists annual meeting and exposition held recently in Denver. This is the first time a NIDA staffer has received the award, which recognizes distinguished service in advancing the pharmaceutical sciences through service to the AAPS. 

Rapaka is chief of the Chemistry, Pharmacology and Physiological Systems Research Branch in the Division of Neuroscience and Behavior and has served as chair of the medicinal chemistry and drug design & discovery sections of AAPS. He has also served on its fellowship and program committees and journal editorial boards and has organized more than 30 AAPS symposia and AAPS-NIDA symposia. He was elected a fellow of AAPS as well as the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Rapaka has received several other awards from national and international societies, including the International Conference on the Science of Botanicals, International Cannabinoid Research Conference, International Narcotic Research Conference and the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (Michael Morrison Award).