Cecilia L. Bergeria, PhD
- Academic Title: Associate Professor
- Primary Appointment: Psychiatry
- Additional Title: Director of Research, Division of Addiction Research and Treatment; Matthew Osborne Lead Addiction Researcher
- Email: cbergeria@som.umaryland.edu
Education and Training
- James Madison University, BS, Psychology, 2013
- University of Vermont, MA, Psychological Sciences - Human Behavioral Pharmacology, 2016
- University of Vermont, PhD, Psychological Sciences - Human Behavioral Pharmacology, 2018
- Johns Hopkins University, Postdoctoral NIH T32 Trainee - Behavioral Pharmacology, 2018-2020
Research/Clinical Keywords
Opioid Use Disorder, Substance Use Disorders, Behavioral Pharmacology, Opioid Craving, Craving, Randomized Controlled Trials, Drug Cue-Reactivity, Treatment Initiation, Translational Models of Addiction, Medication Development, Opioid Withdrawal, FDA Drug Development Tool Qualification, Patient-reported Outcomes, Human Laboratory Research, Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD), Clinical Outcome Assessments
Highlighted Publications
Bergeria, CL, Gipson, CD, Smith, KE, Stoops, WW, Strickland, JC. Opioid craving does not incubate over time in inpatient or outpatient treatment studies: Is the preclinical incubation of craving model lost in translation? Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. 2024, 160:105618. PMCID: PMC11046527.
Bergeria CL, Mun, CJ, Speed, TJ, Huhn, AS, Wolinsky, D, Vandrey, R, Campbell, CM, Dunn, KE. A within-subject, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized evaluation of the combined effects of cannabidiol and hydromorphone in a human laboratory pain model. Pain, 2025, 166(9), 175-184. PMCID: PMC12353022.
Sharma, A, Dunn, KE, Schmid-Doyle, K, Dowell, S, Kim, N, Strain, EC, Bergeria CL. Examining the severity and progression of illicitly manufactured fentanyl withdrawal: A quasi-experimental comparison. Journal of Addiction Medicine, 2025, 19(2), 172-178. PMCID: PMC12429306.
Awards and Affiliations
- 2022 - 2024 - Member-at-Large for American Psychological Association, Division 28 - Society on Psychopharmacology and Substance Use
- 2024- present - Board of Directors for the College on Problems of Drug Dependence
- 2024 - Young Psychopharmacologist Award, American Psychological Association, Division 28 - Society on Psychopharmacology and Substance Use
- 2026 - Lewis A. Opler Prize, International Society for CNS Clinical Trials and Methodology
Grants and Contracts
“Evaluating a Mechanistically-Supported Pharmacotherapy to Treat Opioid Withdrawal and Craving”
National Institute on Drug Abuse, R01 DA054101 Total Direct Costs: $2,473,597
4/1/2022 – 3/31/2027
Role: PI
“Validating an Opioid Craving Assessment for FDA Qualification as a Drug Development Tool”
National Institute on Drug Abuse, UG3/UH3DA062905 Total Direct Costs: $2,160,443
07/31/2025- 3/31/2030
Role: MPI
“Mechanistic Evaluation of Gabapentin and Opioid Polypharmacy”
National Institute on Drug Abuse, R01DA061796-01A1 Total Direct Costs: $2,438,054
6/1/2026 – 5/31/2031
Role: PI
Links of Interest
- Kahlert Website: https://kahlertinstitute.umaryland.edu/
- Participant Recruitment Pre-Screener: https://redcap.link/kahlertscreen