Neal Benowitz, MD
Profile
Research focuses primarily on the human pharmacology of nicotine and other stimulant drugs. Dr. Benowitz's laboratory has conducted studies on the disposition kinetics, metabolism and pharmocodynamics of nicotine, with an emphasis on the role of nicotine and maintaining nicotine addiction in causing tobacco-related diseases, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. Neal Benowitz is an internist and clinical pharmacologist who conducts research on the effects of nicotine and tobacco on human health. He has studied the human pharmacology of nicotine, including metabolism, effects on the heart and circulation, and role in addiction. Dr Benowitz has been researching ways to measure exposures to second hand tobacco smoke, using breakdown products of nicotine as well as other tobacco toxins, measuring in body fluids. Dr Benowitz also studies the questions related to the safety of low tar cigarettes, safety of medications used to treat nicotine addiction, smoking and heart disease, smokeless tobacco, and the genetics of nicotine addiction. He is actively involved in the development of public health policies related to tobacco regulation.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute BS Physics University of Rochester MD Bronx Municipal Hospital Center Intern/Resident Medicine University of California, San Francisco Res. Fellow Clinical Pharmacology
- Benowitz NL, Schultz KE, Haller CA, Wu AH, Dains KM, Jacob P, 3rd. Prevalence of Smoking Assessed Biochemically in an Urban Public Hospital: A Rationale for Routine Cotinine Screening. Am J Epidemiol 2009; 170:885-91. PMC2765360
- Ho MK, Mwenifumbo JC, Al Koudsi N, Okuyemi KS, Ahluwalia JS, Benowitz NL, Tyndale RF. Association of nicotine metabolite ratio and CYP2A6 genotype with smoking cessation treatment in African-American light smokers. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2009; 85: 635-43.
- Rubinstein ML, Benowitz NL, Auerback GM, Moscicki AB. Withdrawal in adolescent light smokers following 24-hour abstinence. Nicotine Tob Res 2009; 11: 185-9.PMC2658900
- Swan GE, Lessov-Schlaggar CN, Bergen AW, He Y, Tyndale RF, Benowitz NL. Genetic and environmental influences on the ratio of 3'hydroxycotinine to cotinine in plasma and urine. Pharmacogenet Genomics 2009; 19: 388-98.
- Benowitz NL, Bernert JT, Caraballo RS, Holiday DB, Wang J. Optimal serum cotinine levels for distinguishing cigarette smokers and nonsmokers within different racial/ethnic groups in the United States between 1999 and 2004. Am J Epidemiol. 2009;169(2):236-248.
- Benowitz NL, Hukkanen J, Jacob P, 3rd. Nicotine chemistry, metabolism, kinetics and biomarkers. Handb Exp Pharmacol. 2009(192):29-60.
- Schnoll RA, Patterson F, Wileyto EP, Tyndale RF, Benowitz N, Lerman C. Nicotine metabolic rate predicts successful smoking cessation with transdermal nicotine: A validation study. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2009;92(1):6-11.PMC2657225
- Benowitz NL. Pharmacology of Nicotine: Addiction, Smoking-Induced Disease, and Therapeutics. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol. 2009; 49:57-71.
- Conti DV, Lee W, Li D, Liu J, Van Den Berg D, Thomas PD, Bergen AW, Swan GE, Tyndale RF, Benowitz NL, Lerman C. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor beta2 subunit gene implicated in a systems-based candidate gene study of smoking cessation. Hum Mol Genet. 2008;17(18):2834-2848.PMC2525499
- Jacob P, 3rd, Havel C, Lee DH, Yu L, Eisner MD, Benowitz NL. Subpicogram per milliliter determination of the tobacco-specific carcinogen metabolite 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol in human urine using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Anal Chem. 2008;80(21):8115-8121.
- Perkins KA, Lerman C, Coddington S, Jetton C, Karelitz JL, Wilson A, Jennings JR Ferrell R, Bergen AW, Benowitz NL. Gene and gene by sex associations with initial sensitivity to nicotine in nonsmokers. Behav Pharmacol. 2008;19(5-6):630-640.PMC2743299
- Piper ME, McCarthy DE, Bolt DM, Smith, SS, Lerman C, Benowitz N, Fiore MC, Baker TB. Assessing dimensions of nicotine dependence: an evaluation of the Nicotine Dependence Syndrome Scale (NDSS) and the Wisconsin Inventory of Smoking Dependence Motives (WISDM). Nicotine Tob Res. 2008;10(6):1009-1020.PMC2614360
- Mwenifumbo JC, Lessov-Schlaggar CN, Zhou Qet al. Identification of novel CYP2A6*1B variants: the CYP2A6*1B allele is associated with faster in vivo nicotine metabolism. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2008;83:115-121.
- Etter JF, Lukas RJ, Benowitz NL, West R, Dresler CM. Cytisine for smoking cessation: A research agenda. Drug Alcohol Depend 2008;92:3-8.
- Williams JM, Gandhi KK, Steinberg ML, Foulds J, Ziedonis DM, Benowitz NL. Higher nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in menthol cigarette smokers with and without schizophrenia. Nicotine Tob Res 2007;9:873-881.