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F Joseph McClernon

Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Medicine & Neurosciences
3527, Durham, NC 27710
2400 Pratt St., 6th Floor, Durham, NC 27705

Overview


Joseph McClernon, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and founder/director of the Center for Addiction Science and Technology (CfAST). He is the Associate Director of the Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI).  During his tenure with CTSI, his leadership has been critical to building a culture of evaluation and continuous improvement, in strengthening the institute’s partnership with North Carolina Central University and other regional partners, and in planning strategy and development for the institute. 

Dr. McClernon earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 2001 from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Duke in 2002. He served as Director of the Addiction Division in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences from 2012-2020. His research is focused on increasing our understanding of tobacco use, developing new and more effective interventions to treat nicotine dependence, and informing the FDA’s regulation of tobacco products. He has served as a site-PI and Co-I for more than ten years in the Center for the Evaluation of Nicotine in Cigarettes (CENIC)— a national consortium that has provided the bulk of evidence to the FDA for informing national policies that will reduce nicotine in cigarettes to non-addictive levels, thus saving millions of lives. Dr. McClernon is now leading efforts to transition CENIC’s focus to public health interventions that ensure the new policy will be implemented in ways that enable equitable outcomes for marginalized groups. Other regulatory science research has evaluated the effects of nicotine in cigarettes on a model of cigarette experimentation, the impact of flavors in cigarettes and e-cigarettes, and the influence of product characteristics and policy on multiple tobacco product use. He has led other groundbreaking research on the influence of drug-associated environments on drug use, relapse, and treatment; tobacco use disparities among individuals with comorbid psychiatric (e.g., ADHD, serious mental illness) and health (e.g., HIV; chronic pain) problems.

Dr. McClernon has actively mentored early career individuals from high school students through early career faculty. His former postdoctoral fellows are faculty or staff scientists at academic medical centers, government agencies, and research institutes. He has been continuously NIH-, FDA-, and foundation- funded since 2002. He has authored/co-authored more than 170 peer-reviewed publications, has two patents, has served as chair of NIH grant review panels, and is the recipient of numerous awards including the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco Jarvik-Russell New Investigator Award. In 2024 he was recognized for excellence in mentoring when he was awarded the Career Mentoring Award in Clinical Research by the Duke University School of Medicine.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences · 2021 - Present Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Medicine & Neurosciences, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Member of the Center for Brain Imaging and Analysis · 2009 - Present Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Institutes and Centers
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute · 2013 - Present Duke Cancer Institute, Institutes and Centers
Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences · 2021 - Present Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, University Institutes and Centers

In the News


Published September 26, 2024
How Using Cannabis and Tobacco for Pain May Make Things Worse
Published December 19, 2023
Duke Co-Hosts National Forum on the Role of Health Professionals in Responding to Misinformation
Published November 6, 2023
Pain Drives Dual Tobacco and Cannabis Use, Study Shows

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Recent Publications


U.S. Cannabis Use Trends at the Intersection of Serious Psychological Distress and Race/Ethnicity, 2008-2019.

Journal Article J Racial Ethn Health Disparities · March 3, 2025 OBJECTIVE: Mental health conditions and race/ethnicity are independently associated with cannabis use. However, the current prevalence of and trends in cannabis use at the intersection of serious psychological distress (SPD) and race/ethnicity are unknown. ... Full text Link to item Cite

Bidirectional relationships between pain and patterns of cannabis and tobacco use in a US nationally representative sample.

Journal Article Pain · March 1, 2025 One-fifth of US adults experience chronic pain, which is associated with increased tobacco and cannabis use. Although bidirectional relationships between tobacco and pain have been demonstrated, pathways between pain, cannabis use, and co-use of cannabis a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Ecological momentary assessment of cigarette smoking behavior and pain intensity among individuals with chronic back pain who smoke.

Journal Article J Pain · March 2025 Chronic pain affects ∼20% of the adult population and is associated with smoking. Smoking and pain worsen each other in the long term, but short-term temporal associations between smoking and pain throughout the day are unclear. Understanding these relatio ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Neural correlates and behavioral impact of withdrawal-induced hyperalgesia among people who smoke with and without chronic pain

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2025 - 2030

NCCU Duke - Substance Use Research & Education (ND-SURE)

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by North Carolina Central University · 2024 - 2029

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Education, Training & Certifications


Southern Illinois University · 2001 Ph.D.