Amy Hauck Newman is an American

medicinal chemist Medicinal or pharmaceutical chemistry is a scientific discipline at the intersection of chemistry and pharmacy involved with designing and developing pharmaceutical drugs. Medicinal chemistry involves the identification, synthesis and developmen ...

who is the scientific director of the

intramural research program The NIH Intramural Research Program (IRP) is the internal research program of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), known for its synergistic approach to biomedical science. With 1,200 Principal Investigators and over 4,000 Postdoctoral Fello ...

at the

National Institute on Drug Abuse The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is a United States federal government research institute whose mission is to "advance science on the causes and consequences of drug use and addiction and to apply that knowledge to improve individual ...

. She researches the design, synthesis, and evaluation of

central nervous system The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting primarily of the brain, spinal cord and retina. The CNS is so named because the brain integrates the received information and coordinates and influences the activity o ...

(CNS) active agents as potential treatment medications for

substance use disorder Substance use disorder (SUD) is the persistent use of drugs despite substantial harm and adverse consequences to self and others. Related terms include ''substance use problems'' and ''problematic drug or alcohol use''. Along with substance-ind ...

s, with an emphasis on selective

ligand In coordination chemistry, a ligand is an ion or molecule with a functional group that binds to a central metal atom to form a coordination complex. The bonding with the metal generally involves formal donation of one or more of the ligand's el ...

s for the

dopaminergic system Dopaminergic pathways (dopamine pathways, dopaminergic projections) in the human brain are involved in both physiological and behavioral processes including movement, cognition, executive functions, reward, motivation, and neuroendocrine contro ...

Life

Newman completed a B.S. in chemistry at the

Mary Washington College University of Mary Washington (UMW) is a public liberal arts university in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Established in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Fredericksburg, the institution later became known as Fredericksbu ...

. Newman received her Ph.D. in

medicinal chemistry Medicinal or pharmaceutical chemistry is a scientific discipline at the intersection of chemistry and pharmacy involved with drug design, designing and developing pharmaceutical medication, drugs. Medicinal chemistry involves the identification, ...

from the

Medical College of Virginia The VCU Medical Center (VCU Health), formerly known as the Medical College of Virginia (MCV), is the medical campus of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), located in downtown Richmond, Virginia, United States. As MCV, VCU Medical Center merged ...

under the mentorship of Richard A. Glennon. For her postdoctoral studies, she joined the laboratory of Kenner C. Rice at the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...

(NIH). She conducted total opiate synthesis through a

National Research Service Award The Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (usually referred to as NRSA) are a family of grants provided by the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) for training researchers in the behavioral sciences and health sciences. ...

funded by the

(NIDA). Newman is the chief of NIDA’s Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, and director of the NIDA

Intramural Research Program The NIH Intramural Research Program (IRP) is the internal research program of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), known for its synergistic approach to biomedical science. With 1,200 Principal Investigators and over 4,000 Postdoctoral Fello ...

(IRP) Medication Development Program. She researches the design, synthesis, and evaluation of

(CNS) active agents as potential treatment medications for

s, with an emphasis on selective

s for the

. Her laboratory explores the creation of amide-based compounds that interact with glutamate receptors, which are also implicated in substance abuse. In 2014, she received the Marian W. Fischman Lectureship Award from the

College on Problems of Drug Dependence The College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) is a professional society in the United States addressing problems in addiction and substance use. History CPDD was originally established in 1929 by the Bureau of Social Hygiene as a 'Committee ...

. In 2016, she was the first woman to receive the Philip Portoghese Lectureship Award, awarded by the Division of Medicinal Chemistry and the ''

Journal of Medicinal Chemistry The ''Journal of Medicinal Chemistry'' is a biweekly peer-reviewed medical journal covering research in medicinal chemistry. It is published by the American Chemical Society. It was established in 1959 as the ''Journal of Medicinal and Pharmaceuti ...

''. In 2018, she was honored as a “Remarkable Woman in Medicinal Chemistry” at the 255th

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...

National Meeting. In 2019, Newman received the NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein Mentoring Award from the NIH Office of the Director. On November 22, 2020, Newman became the NIDA IRP scientific director. She had been acting in the role for the previous two years.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Newman, Amy Hauck Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) University of Mary Washington alumni Medical College of Virginia alumni National Institutes of Health people American medical researchers American women medical researchers American organic chemists American women chemists 21st-century American chemists 21st-century American women scientists