Peter Hendricks

Peter Hendricks, Ph.D., is Professor and Director of Research in the Department of Health Behavior of the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). His research centers on the development of novel and potentially more effective treatments for substance dependence, with specific areas of focus on cigarette, cocaine, cannabis, opiate, and polysubstance dependence in vulnerable populations (e.g., individuals in the criminal justice system). Since 2014 Dr. Hendricks has published approximately 20 peer-reviewed manuscripts relating to psychedelics, including population studies suggesting that psychedelics may be effective in preventing and treating substance use, criminal recidivism, psychological distress, and suicidality. Recently he proposed that the emotion awe represents the psychological mechanism underlying the effects of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. He is currently Principal Investigator of on ongoing pilot trial of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for cocaine dependence.