Professional Honors and Other Experience:
St Mary’s Elementary/Middle School, Dickson City PA, valedictorian, 1958.
St Peter’s High School, Scranton PA, valedictorian, 1961.
Westinghouse National Science Talent Search, Semifinalist, among top 399, 1961.
University of Scranton, Scranton PA, salutatorian, 1965.
Summer Program in Space Physics, Columbia University, 1965.
Atomic Energy Commission Fellowship in Nuclear Physics, Harvard University, 1965-66.
Graduate Fellowship, The Johns Hopkins Univ., Depts. Of Biophysics and Pharmacology, 1966-70.
Phi Beta Kappa (1970), The Johns Hopkins University.
National Institute of Mental Health Research Career Development Award, Type II (3/1/75 ‑ renewed 3/1/80 and 3/1/85)
National Institute of Mental Health Small Grants Committee (9/1/77‑ 8/31/81)
Distinguished Young Scientist in Maryland Award (1977, The Maryland Academy of Sciences)
Visiting Scientist, National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London (Summer 1978; Molecular Pharmacology Unit, A.S.V. Burgen, Director)
Consultant, Pharmacology Department, Hoffman‑La Roche, 1980‑1985
Grass Traveling Scientist, spring 1981, to Halifax, Nova Scotia
Listed among "1,000 Contemporary Scientists Most Cited 1965‑1978", Current Contents 24, 5, 1981
Daniel H. Efron Award (1984, from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology)
Mathilde Solowey Award for Research in Neuroscience, (1985 from the Foundation for Advanced
Education in the Sciences)
First Ariens Lecture (1985, The Dutch Pharmacological Society; DUPHAR)
Family Therapy Institute of Washington, DC, Part-time Family Therapy Training, 1983-1985.
Jay Haley and Cloe Madanes, Supervisors. 276 individual and group supervision hours.
Sterling Lecture (1987, Tufts Univ. School of Medicine; 1988, University of Kentucky Medical School)
Gold Lecture on Substance Abuse (1988, University of Florida Medical School at Gainesville)
Senior Executive Service Appointment (November 20, 1988, Dept. of Health & Human Services)
Administrator's Award for Meritorious Achievement (1989, ADAMHA)
Upjohn Lecture (1989, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences)
Thomas L. O'Donohue Memorial Lecture (1989, Howard University)
A. Ross McIntyre Award (1990, University of Nebraska Medical Center)
Presidential Symposium Lecturer (1990, Society for Neuroscience)
First Ivan F.W. Davidson Memorial Lecture (1990, Bowman Gray School of Medicine)
Distinguished Lecturer (1992, Stritch School of Medicine)
Otto Krayer Award (1992, American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics)
Harry Williams Lectureship Award (1992, Emory University School of Medicine)
Grass Lecture (1993, University of Kansas, MO)
Boots Distinguished Neuroscientist Lecture (1993, Louisiana State University Medical Center)
Visiting Committee, Medical Department (1993-1997, Brookhaven National Laboratory)
Consultant, Guilford Pharmaceuticals (1995)
Charles Howard Candler Professor (1995, Emory University)
Distinguished Lecturer (1996, University of South Alabama)
Eminent Scholar Award (1996, State of Georgia and Emory University)
Center for Brain Research (status appointment) Ege University, Turkey (1997- )
The Dana Alliance, Member (1997-2022)
Advisory Board, Addiction Studies Institute, Wake Forest University (1999-2009)
President, College on Problems of Drug Dependence, Inc. (1999-2000)
Testified before a Congressional appropriations subcommittee supporting the NIH budget (03/2000)
Invitation to White House on occasion of presenting the ONDCP policy on drugs (2/12/2002, and another time)
Scientific Advisory Board, Amethyst Technologies (1999-2000)
Scientific Advisory Board, Addiction Therapies, Inc. (1999-2003)
NIDA K05 Senior Scientist Award (1999-2004; 2004-2009)
NIDA Special Emphasis Panels (member or chair, 1999-2008)
Listed (by ISI) among the 250 most cited scientists in Neuroscience from 1981-2000 (rank 23rd)
Scientific Advisory Board, Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Univ of Mississippi Med School (2000-2005)
Director, Institutional Training Program in Drug Abuse, Emory University (2003-2014)
NIDA K Study Section (Ad hoc, 2003-2004; regular member, 2004-2008)
NIDA study sections, ad hoc member or chair (2008 – 2019).
Board of Directors, Aptotec, Inc. (2004-2015)
International Drug Abuse Research Society (IDARS) [First President (2004-2008)]
Establishment of the annual Michael Kuhar Travel Award for trainees at IDARS meetings (2009)
External Advisory Board, Center of Research Excellence in Natural Products Neuroscience, University of Mississippi at Oxford (2006-2022)
Wendy and Stanley Marsh Lecture in Substance Abuse and Addictive Disorders, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, 2007
Citations: over 74,000 lifetime citations (Research.com in 2023. https://research.com/u/michael-j-kuhar)
Fulbright Award for Catholic University in Chile, South America (2008)
Teaching the Dalai Lama’s Tibetan Buddhist Monks and Nuns at Dharamsala, India, through the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative (summers, 2009-2011).
Nathan B Eddy Award (for achievement in research, 2011, College on Problems of Drug Dependence)
Journal of Drug and Alcohol Research, Ashdin Press, Founding Editor-in-Chief, (2012 - 2019)
Gregory Bagby Distinguished Mentor lecture, LSU Med Sch (New Orleans), Dept Physiol, 4/2015.
Advisory Board for PrayerSpark, Inc. (2015 - )
Science Advisory Board, Chair, National Families in Action (2016 - 2023)
Reviewer for Fulbright Fellowship applications (2017 - 2025)
Establishment of the “Michael Kuhar Neuroscience Travel Award” (competitive prize for trainees) by the Emory Primate Center of Emory University (December 2019)
Board of Directors of “Loving Solutions Inc.”, a drug addiction treatment facility (May 2021).
Pioneer Award, from Frontiers in Addiction Research and Pregnancy teaching program, (January 2022).
Lifetime Achievement Award, International Drug and Alcohol Research Society (September 2022).
Scientific Integrity Award, Emory Univ School of Medicine (October 2023).
Leader Award in United States in Neuroscience - https://research.com/u/michael-j-kuhar May 4, 2026.
Seminar and Symposia invitations:
Note that Dr Kuhar has given many more lectures than mentioned above. Only the special, honorary, often named lectures are listed above under honors. Addtionally, Dr Kuhar has presented more than 300 invited seminars, symposia lectures, and special and keynote lectures since 1972 when he became an Assistant Professor. For example, in the 14-year period between 1987 and 2001, 143 presentations were given, and in 2012, 17 presentations were given. In 1980, 18 presentations were given. These invited presentations were made at various institutions from approximately 40 countries. The inviting institutions included Yale, Princeton, UCSF, Columbia, the NIH, Dupont Pharmaceuticals., and many others. There also were many lectures in symposia at major societies and special events in many countries. There have also been lectures in the community, in churches, and with various civic groups.