Harrison Elder, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Dr. Harrison Elder is a graduate of the University of Virginia where he was first introduced to the field of behavioral pharmacology as an undergraduate. He has since earned his Ph.D. in Pharmacology & Toxicology from VCU’s School of Medicine where his research focused on the co-use of fentanyl with psychostimulants, such as methamphetamine and cocaine, to determine their effects on opioid-induced respiratory depression. As a graduate student Dr. Elder conducted a variety of preclinical studies to examine the differential contributions of various monoamine receptors to methamphetamine’s bidirectional respiratory effects. Dr. Elder’s research background includes over 4 years of experience with industry sponsored clinical trials where he was involved in abuse liability assessment and pharmacovigilance monitoring of opioid and cannabinoid therapeutics. Currently, Dr. Elder is completing his postdoctoral fellowship under the guidance of Drs. Ryan Vandrey and Tory Spindle studying the various cognitive, psychomotor (e.g., driving impairment), and therapeutic effects of cannabis use in humans.