Katie Witkiewitz, PhD, was awarded a Presidential Citation for her early career accomplishments, dedication to advancing the science and treatment of addictive behaviors, and service to the field.
Like her mentor, Alan Marlatt, PhD, Witkiewitz is a trailblazer in the study of addiction. In 2004, she proposed a dynamical systems model of relapse which has since been supported by empirical studies and lauded by clinicians. She has challenged conventions in the analysis of alcohol treatment outcomes by incorporating newer quantitative methodology to better understand mechanisms of behavior change. Witkiewitz has emerged as an enthusiastic leader, mentor and colleague, with exemplary service to the American Psychological Association as the program chair/co-chair for Divisions 12 (Society of Clinical Psychology), 28 (Society for Psychopharmacology and Substance Use) and 50 (Society of Addiction Psychology), and as an associate editor for Psychology of Addictive Behaviors®. As associate professor of psychology in the Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Addictions at the University of New Mexico, she is an inspirational role model for her students and an excellent research collaborator with her colleagues.