Story and award photo developed by University Communications.

W hen Dr. Danielle Davis, ’14, came to Georgia College & State University, she majored in psychology so she could become a therapist. 

“I always knew I wanted to help people in some way,” she said.

Then, Davis discovered her love for research. The culmination of her undergraduate research led to several research posters she co-authored and presented at local and regional conferences. Her work was so impressive, she won the Department of Psychological Science Award for Outstanding Psychology Student three years in a row. Winning these awards validated that she was on the right track toward her career goal.

Davis’ strong drive to research continues today. She is an assistant professor at the department of psychiatry in the Yale School of Medicine. She oversees and conducts basic and applied research, assessing tobacco product regulation and cessation among youth and adults.

Davis oversees several research studies. On any given day, she could be writing research papers, contemplating new research studies and doing lab work. 

“I love to think of research questions and find ways to answer them, which is a big part of my job,” Davis said. “It's just fun to work on science that’s actually being used to hopefully change laws to improve public health.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration funds much of her work, which informs the development of regulations for tobacco products. The abundant resources of the federal government enable Davis to work with researchers from a wide range of specialties.

“Collaborating with team members ensures our science is relevant and within scope,” Davis said. “It also helps with FDA funding. I work on other people's projects, and they work on mine, which places many different experts on each project.”

She’s currently working on a study, in which her team uses different techniques to motivate youths to quit vaping. If participants can abstain from vaping for multiple days in a row, they receive monetary rewards. Plus, her team encourages cognitive behavioral therapy during that time.

“We hope these two things will replace the nicotine reward,” Davis said. “This therapy will work together to hopefully help them achieve long-term success and product abstinence.”

Recently, Davis and her team have started thinking about how to expand this work to include cannabis use.  

Another recent undertaking puts Davis alongside chemists running a pilot study on the effects of adjusting the water content in E-cigarettes. They alter the amount of E-cigarette liquid by adding sterilized water. Participants then sample the product.

“We're doing this study, because the liquid found in E-cigarettes can be toxic,” Davis said. “If E-cigarettes aren’t going to come off the market, we at least want to find ways to make them safer. So, we're testing this in humans to see if it changes the sensory effects, and if they will still use the product if it feels less irritating and potentially less harmful.”  

Davis has published her addiction-focused research in top-tiered, peer-reviewed journals, including “Nicotine & Tobacco Research,” “Drug and Alcohol Dependence” and “Addictive Behaviors.” She’s also contributed to a few books, highlighting different treatment therapies. Plus, Davis co-authored articles on contingency management therapy, the technique she and her team used in the youth E-cigarette cessation study.

When Davis learned almost half a million people die directly from cigarette smoking each year, she was alarmed. This fact inspires her to lower the incidence of drug use and abuse every day.

“This is still a huge number, even though we have so many people who have successfully quit smoking” Davis said. “We still have so many people who’d like to quit but are unable to. If there's something, even something small, that I can contribute to help people feel empowered to quit or feel like they're able to take control of their substance use—that’s important to me.”

Recently, GCSU recognized Davis' accomplishments by awarding her the 2023 College of Arts & Sciences Young Alumnus of the Year Award.

“Danielle Davis embodies Georgia College’s mission of pursuing knowledge and truth for the public good,” said Dr. Kristina Dandy, professor of Psychology. “Her focus on research to improve public health outcomes related to drug use and abuse makes her more than deserving of this award. I have no doubt she will continue to succeed in her field of study, serving not only the scientific community, but the public at large.”