The Department of Psychiatry Welcomes Mei-Chuan (Holden) Ko, PhD, to the Faculty
Pitt Psychiatry extends a warm welcome to new faculty member Mei-Chuan (Holden) Ko, PhD (Professor of Psychiatry).
Dr. Ko received his PhD in biopsychology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he additionally completed postdoctoral research training in the Departments of Anesthesiology and Pharmacology. Before joining the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Ko held academic appointments at the University of Michigan and Wake Forest University. Dr. Ko has additionally held scientific positions within the Department of Veterans Affairs to conduct research for the Department of Defense.
Dr. Ko is an expert in research on the use of pharmacotherapy to treat substance use disorders. At the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Ko aims to facilitate the development of non-addictive analgesics and the validation of novel pharmacotherapy for opioid addiction by using translational non-human primate models. In particular, he focuses on pharmacotherapy for pain, itch, and substance use disorders by investigating the functional profiles of novel compounds as compared to clinically used drugs to facilitate development of medications.
Dr. Ko has led 25 research projects funded by agencies including the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Department of Defense, and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal & Skin Diseases. He has been invited to present his research nationally and internationally, and has published more than 100 peer-reviewed studies in influential journals.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Ko!