Phil Skolnick, Ph.D., D.Sc.

Dr. Skolnick received his Ph.D. from the Department of Pharmacology, George Washington University School of Medicine and was awarded a D.Sc., honoris causa from Long Island University and the University of Wisconsin-Milwalkee. With more than 45 years of pharmaceutical experience, and leadership positions in academia, government and industry, Dr. Skolnick is currently the Chief Scientific Officer of Opiant. He served as the Director of the Division of Therapeutics and Medical Consequences at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2010-2017) and President (2007-2009) of DOV Pharmaceutical, Inc. Throughout his career, he coauthored more than 580 papers in the fields of molecular and clinical neuropsychopharmacology.

Dr. Skolnick focused his career in the psychopharmacology of depression and anxiety disorders, as well as addiction medicine. His research at the National Institutes of Health laid the groundwork for the development of glutamate-based antidepressants such as ketamine. He is currently spearheading the Opiant partnership with the National Institute for Drug Abuse and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to develop innovative pharmacological approaches for the reversal of opioid overdose.