Khalsa Retires After 30 Years Of Service to NIDA
Dr. Jag Khalsa, chief of the Medical Consequences of Drug Abuse and Co-occurring Infections Branch in the Division of Therapeutics and Medical Consequences, has retired after 30 years at the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
During his tenure, he collaborated with many scientists at NIDA and developed several highly important programs of clinical research including maternal drug abuse and fetal consequences, adolescent drug abuse and, finally, medical consequences, which have included nearly all biochemical and physiological systems impacted by substance abuse and co-occurring infections such as HIV, HCV, STIs, TB and others.
Prior to joining NIDA, Khalsa worked on drug development at SmithKline, environmental toxicology at Stanford Research Institute, mining safety at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, and in food additives and drug safety at the Food and Drug Administration. He has published in pharmacology, toxicology, epidemiology and medical journals and has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Addiction Medicine, HIV/AIDS-Research and Palliative Care, Frontiers of Neuroscience and Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Khalsa holds bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and pharmacy, a master’s degree in pharmacology and pharmacognosy, and a Ph.D. in neuropharmacology. When asked what he will miss most about NIDA, he said, “Working on its mission to find evidence-based prevention/treatment interventions for people with substance use disorders with comorbidity that includes co-occurring infections, as well as outstanding collegiality among its scientists and staff. It is one of the best research institutes at NIH, which, in the words of its former director Dr. [Elias] Zerhouni, is the crown jewel of the United States.”