Nora Volkow facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nora Volkow
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| Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse | |
| Assumed office April 15, 2003 |
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| President | George W. Bush Barack Obama Donald Trump Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Glen Hanson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 27, 1956 Mexico City, Mexico |
| Spouse | Stephen Adler |
| Relations | Zinaida Volkova (grandmother) Leon Trotsky (great-grandfather) Olga Kameneva (great-great-aunt) Samuel Bronston (granduncle) William Bronston (second cousin, once removed) |
| Education | National Autonomous University of Mexico (MD) |
| Known for | TEDMED |
Nora D. Volkow (born March 27, 1956) is a Mexican-American psychiatrist, which is a doctor who specializes in mental health. She is the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). NIDA is a part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), a top center for medical research.
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Early Life and Family
Nora Volkow was born in Mexico City. She comes from a very famous family. Her great-grandfather was Leon Trotsky, a well-known Russian revolutionary. Volkow grew up in the same house in Coyoacán where Trotsky was later killed. Today, that house is a museum.
She went to the Modern American School in Mexico City. After high school, she studied to become a medical doctor at the National University of Mexico. Later, she moved to the United States and trained to be a psychiatrist at New York University.
Volkow has said that her family's history inspired her to go into science. She wanted to use science to make a positive difference in people's lives.
A Career Studying the Brain
Dr. Volkow has spent her career studying the human brain. She is famous for using a special technology called positron emission tomography (PET) scans. PET scans are like powerful cameras that can take pictures of the brain while it's working.
What Her Research Found
By using PET scans, Dr. Volkow made important discoveries about how the brain is affected by unhealthy habits. Before her work, many people thought that struggling with these habits was a choice or a weakness. Dr. Volkow's research showed that it's actually a medical condition that changes the brain.
Her studies found that certain substances can damage the prefrontal cortex. This is the part of the brain that helps you make good decisions, focus on goals, and control your impulses. When this area is affected, it becomes very difficult for a person to stop harmful behaviors, even if they want to.
Her work helped change how doctors and the public think about these issues. It showed that people need medical help and support, not blame.
Leadership Roles
Before leading NIDA, Dr. Volkow worked at Brookhaven National Laboratory. There, she was a top scientist and director. She also taught at Stony Brook University. In 2003, she was chosen to be the director of NIDA, a role she still holds today.
In 2013, she visited the Dalai Lama in India. They talked about science and how the mind works. She was the first person from the NIH to officially visit him.
Awards and Recognition
Dr. Volkow has received many awards for her groundbreaking work. Here are a few of them:
- She was named "Innovator of the Year" by U.S. News & World Report in 2000.
- Time magazine included her in its 2007 list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
- Washingtonian magazine has called her one of the most powerful women in Washington, D.C.
- She received an Emmy Award in 2007 for her part in an HBO television special about brain health.
- The Child Mind Institute honored her for her important research on how the brain develops.
These awards recognize her for pioneering the use of brain imaging and for helping the world understand that dependency is a disease of the brain.
Personal Life
Nora Volkow is married to Stephen Adler. He is a physicist who also works in science at the National Cancer Institute.
Images for kids
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Dr. Volkow with a patient next to a PET scanner, a tool she used for her research.
See also
In Spanish: Nora Volkow para niños
