Our friend and colleague, Roger M. Brown, passed away June 13 shortly after learning he had cancer. He was an administrative member of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology from 1991 until his death. Roger was a pharmacist and a research neuropsychopharmacologist who was largely responsible for building the neuroscience program at NIDA.

Roger received his B.S. in Pharmacy in 1965 from the University of Kansas and earned a M.S. in Pharmacology from the same institution in 1967. He earned his Ph.D. under Dr. Lewis Seiden at the University of Chicago in 1972. Roger was especially proud of the research he conducted during the 2 years he spent at the Farmakologiska Institutet at Goteborg, Sweden, working in the laboratory of Dr. Arvid Carlsson, a current winner of the Nobel Prize. When he returned, he joined the neuropsychology laboratory of Dr. Patricia Goldman-Rakic at the NIMH Intramural Research Program as a senior staff fellow, where he examined biogenic amine distribution and activity in the brains of developing and aging Rhesus monkeys. Following his tenure at NIMH, Roger joined NIDA in 1979 as a staff pharmacologist in what was then known as the Biomedical Branch of the Division of Research. While at NIDA, he served as a program officer (1979–1984), an executive secretary in the Office of Extramural Review (1981), and as a supervisory pharmacologist and chief of the Neuroscience Research Branch from 1983–2000. Since 2000, he has served as the associate director for neuroscience in the Division of Neuroscience and Behavioral Research at NIDA. He was a member of the Society for Neuroscience, the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, and the College on the Problems of Drug Dependence. Roger was particularly proud of recognizing the importance of the dopamine system in drug abuse and fostering a large, successful research program that is the foundation of our program in neurosciences today. Last year, he received the J. Michael Morrison Award from the College on the Problems of Drug Dependence in recognition of his outstanding administration skills and leadership.

Roger was a person with many interests. His fascination with the Mayan culture led him to acquire property in Belize, which gave him a chance to practice his Spanish. He often spoke of retiring there so that he could begin a business growing orchids. Roger's interest in orchids was matched, or even exceeded, by his interest in herbal medicines. Everyone who knew him also knew that he was most fond of his German shorthair pointers, Crackers and Runty. Roger was also a talented painter, and his friends looked forward to receiving his annual hand-painted Christmas card. Roger's experiences with the medical community in the past year curtailed his consumption of pretzels, cookies, and meatloaf, but he was avid in finding new recipes to accommodate his changing diet. He loved old-time music and Disney movies (or any movie with a G rating), and a good (or not-so-good) joke. He was enthusiastic about the science he helped to foster so successfully, took his responsibilities at NIDA seriously, and was interested in educating people about drug abuse, as well as being our institutional memory. He will be missed. Figure 1

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Roger M. Brown

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