Kenneth Silverman
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Dr. Kenneth Silverman received his Ph.D. in developmental and child psychology from the University of Kansas in 1984. As a postdoctoral fellow at Kansas he conducted research in the area of child language, and at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine he conducted research in behavioral pharmacology. He joined the Hopkins faculty in 1991 as an instructor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; he attained the rank of professor in 2004. He is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Since 1996 he has directed the department’s Center for Learning and Health, which he founded. Dr. Silverman applies principles of operant conditioning to understanding and treating substance use disorders. His research topics include the behavioral pharmacology and abuse liability of caffeine; the efficacy of contingency management interventions with severely dependent, inner-city intravenous cocaine abusers; and the development of a therapeutic workplace model that integrates contingency management procedures with vocational training and paid employment to provide long-term rehabilitation to chronically unemployed, severely dependent individuals. His research extends behavior analysis to publication venues that reach researchers, scholars, and practitioners in other disciplines, and his humility and humanity make them listen. He has been highly successful in securing many millions of dollars of extramural support for his research and practice as well as for his mentorship of junior faculty members, post-doctoral trainees and interns, pre-doctoral students, and undergraduates in practica and internships. Dr. Silverman has provided significant professional service on behalf of scientific journals, conferences, advisory committees for the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and university programs.