MUSC SCORE

In 2002, MUSC received competitive funding to establish the Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) on Sex and Gender Factors Affecting Women’s Health, focused on addictive disorders and the relationship between stress and relapse. This MUSC SCOR provided a critical impetus to engage the research community in innovative research integrating basic, clinical and behavioral approaches to gain insight into sex differences and the relationship between addictive drug use, stress and the underlying neural circuitry with emphasis on opportunities to identify novel therapeutic strategies. The SCOR was the first women’s health research initiative on the MUSC campus. The MUSC SCOR was highly productive for 15 years, coalescing a multidisciplinary group of investigators across different disciplines to work closely together to explore sex and gender differences in addictions and the relationship between stress and drug use. The 2018 renewal supported the transition of the MUSC SCOR to the next generation Specialized Center of Research Excellence (SCORE) on Sex Differences program. The SCORE was renewed again in 2023, enabling the Center’s continued service as an institutional and national resource for translational research focused on biological sex and gender differences in the field of addictions research while also reaching nationwide via cross-SCORE collaborations and community-based initiatives focused on dissemination of research of findings to improve health outcomes.

The SCORE aims to support and enhance translational scientific collaborations among investigators conducting SCORE research projects and catalyze further growth of interdisciplinary sex- and gender-based research at MUSC.  It also aims to expand foundational research training for MUSC Early Career Investigators dedicated to sex and gender-focused translational research. To address critical public health needs, the Center’s research group includes four tightly integrated research projects, new investigators, and innovative technologies. These research projects investigate sex differences in cannabis use disorders across the lifespan, with the aim of directly informing treatment development. Finally, the Center aims to develop strategic partnerships to enhance the translation and dissemination of SCORE findings and other relevant research to improve health outcomes.

Aimee McRae-Clark, PharmD, BCPP- MPI: Dr. McRae-Clark a board-certified psychiatric pharmacist, who served as the Clinical Director of the previous MUSC SCOR. Her career has focused on developing a more clinically informed understanding of addiction as a disease state, specifically investigating the role that medications and other therapeutic interventions may play in the treatment of addiction. She has been a part of the MUSC community since 1998, and she has served as Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on more than 20 clinical medication trials ranging from Phase I to Phase IV over the past 20 years. She is the current Director of the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) and holds a dual appointment in the Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience. Dr. McRae-Clark also actively participates in several mentorship activities involving trainees at various stages of career development, with a particular interest in increasing the participation of underrepresented minority (URM) clinicians in the conduct of clinical research, and she currently holds a K24 Mid-Career Award in Patient-Oriented Research from NIDA.

Kevin Gray, MD- MPI: Dr. Gray is Professor and Director of Addiction Sciences in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Assistant Vice President for Advancing Research Partnerships at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). As a physician-scientist co-leading the MUSC Youth Collaborative, he conducts National Institutes of Health supported clinical research, contributing novel advances to treatments for substance use disorders in adolescents and young adults. Dr. Gray is Principal Investigator of the National Institute on Drug Abuse/American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Physician Scientist Program in Substance Use, serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and serves on the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry. In addition to clinical, administrative, and research efforts, Dr. Gray is dedicated to education, providing didactic instruction across training programs and mentoring multiple early career faculty and trainees in clinical research.

Investigators are listed alphabetically below, along with their roles in the Center. 

Project 1 Sex Differences in the Interface between Cannabis Use & Stress among Emerging Adults

Project 2 Impact of Stress and Craving in Return to Cannabis Use in Postpartum Women

Project 3 Stress Reactivity and Cannabis Use in Cannabis-Using Older Adults

Project 4 Sex Differences in THC/CBD Self-Administration of Vulnerable Age Groups throughout the Life Span

Onder Albayram, PhD- Project 4 Co-I

Nathaniel Baker, MS- Biostatistics Research Core MPI

Andreana Benitez, PhD- Project 3 MPI

Kathleen Brady, MD, PhD- Project 2 MPI, CEC Director

Kevin Gray, MD- SCORE MPI, Project 1 MPI

Connie Guille, MD, MSCR- Project 2 MPI

Aimee McRae-Clark, PharmD, BCPP- SCORE MPI, Project 3 MPI

Brian Neelon, PhD- Biostatistics Research Core MPI

Roger Newman, MD- Project 2 Co-I

Rachel Penrod-Martin, PhD- Project 4 PI

Rachel Tomko, PhD- Project 1 MPI

Internal Evaluation Committee:

Howard Becker, PhD

Carol Feghali-Bostwick, PhD

Marvella Ford, PhD

Jakie McGinty, PhD

Lori McMahon, PhD

Suzanne Thomas, PhD

External Evaluation Committee:

Jill Becker, PhD- University of Michigan

Harriet de Wit, PhD- University of Chicago

Michelle Mielke, PhD- Wake Forest University 

Sherry McKee, PhD- Yale University

Daniele Piomelli, PhD- University of California, Irvine

Marianne Seney, PhD- University of Pittsburgh