Ziva Cooper, PhD

Dr. Cooper is the Research Director of UCLA’s Cannabis Research Initiative in the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences. Dr. Cooper has been overseeing and publishing studies investigating cannabis neurobiology and dependence for over 10 years, including studies examining the effects of these drugs on experimentally induced pain. After receiving her Ph.D. in Biopsychology in 2007 in the field of preclinical psychopharmacology, she moved to Columbia University to focus on translating preclinical studies of psychoactive substances to the clinic using controlled human drug-administration studies. Dr. Cooper’s current research involves understanding the neurobiological, pharmacological, and behavioral variables that influence both the therapeutic potential and adverse effects of cannabis and cannabinoids. She previously served on the National Academies of Sciences Committee on the Health Effects of Cannabis that recently published a comprehensive consensus report of the health effects of cannabis and cannabinoids. Dr. Cooper is a member of the Editorial Board of Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.