A career of unlocking the genetic drivers of addiction
Henry Kranzler has driven the national conversation on addiction research, but his journey began in anthropology.
As director of the Center for Studies of Addiction at the University of Pennsylvania, Henry Kranzler, MD has spent decades exploring how genetic risk factors influence vulnerability to alcohol use disorder (AUD), how those insights can inform targeted approaches to care, and preventing the adverse effects of heavy alcohol consumption.
One notable study explored the connection between alcohol consumption and brain volume, providing compelling evidence that long-term alcohol use may contribute to alcohol-related brain shrinkage—a finding with implications for both public health policy and the public conversation around the impact of alcohol.
Kranzler has recently been recognized with major awards in his field for his far-reaching impact. However, it’s a career that almost didn’t happen.
A career pivot toward discovery
After earning his medical degree, Kranzler entered a psychiatry residency at the University of Connecticut (UConn), planning to pursue a career exploring the intersection of culture and mental health. However, when his intended mentor left the institution, Kranzler pivoted—an unexpected turn that launched his decades-long career in addiction science.
Kranzler was offered an opportunity to conduct research in an Alcohol Research Center, established by Roger Meyer, MD, former chair of Psychiatry at UConn. “I was able to spend much of my time as a psychiatric resident conducting alcohol research.”
That formative experience, coupled with collaboration with psychiatric geneticists like Joel Gelernter, MD, helped Kranzler build one of the field’s most respected careers. At UConn, he developed a research program focused on the pharmacological treatment of alcohol use disorder, later serving as Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Research.
In 2010, he joined the faculty at Penn, in 2014 became director of the Center for Studies of Addiction, and in 2023 was appointed the Karl E. Rickels Professor in Psychiatry.
Driving innovation at Penn
Founded in 1971, Penn’s Center for Studies of Addiction is a national hub for addiction medicine and behavioral health research. It brings together a multidisciplinary team—including behavioral scientists, psychiatrists, psychologists, and public health experts—focused on understanding the root causes of addiction and evaluating promising new treatments.
Kranzler’s research spans both the neuroscience and clinical aspects of addiction, including clinical trials of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) options for AUD. Over the course of his career at Penn, he has helped evaluate how a person’s genetic makeup can influence their response to treatment—key work in the growing field of personalized addiction treatment.
“Since I arrived at Penn, the enormity of data available has given us expanded resources for research,” Kranzler said. “Biobanks provide massive troves of biological samples and phenotypic data, and technological advances let us quickly scan thousands of DNA samples for genetic variants linked to addiction.”
These tools allow Kranzler and his team to explore how genetic and environmental factors influence genetic markers and in the next decade will likely help clinicians diagnose addiction earlier and offer individualized care plans tailored to each patient’s biological profile.
Despite this progress, challenges remain. While medications like naltrexone, acamprosate, and disulfiram are approved for treating AUD, the last new drug approval came nearly two decades ago. And for other substance use disorders—such as cocaine, methamphetamine, or cannabis—there are no FDA-approved pharmacologic treatments.
“There’s still a tremendous need for pharmacological treatment options,” Kranzler noted. “The ultimate goal is to bridge the gap between genetic discovery and real-world clinical care.”
Making progress on pain
While addiction remains at the center of his work, Kranzler is increasingly focused on another major public health challenge: chronic pain.
Often misunderstood and undertreated, chronic pain affects more than one-quarter of U.S. adults and is frequently linked to opioid misuse and disability. Kranzler’s team is investigating the genetic basis of chronic pain, aiming to understand why some individuals are more vulnerable to developing it—and how treatments might be better matched to each patient’s needs.
“We’re looking at the cellular and neural level to understand the full picture,” he said. “As with addiction, genomic medicine may be the key to developing more effective, non-opioid therapies for pain.”
This line of research also reflects growing concern among clinicians and public health leaders about the intersection of pain and addiction—and the urgent need for safe, science-based alternatives.
A trusted voice
Kranzler’s contributions to addiction science have earned him international recognition, including the Boris Tabakoff Research Award from the International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism in 2024, and the Henri Begleiter Excellence in Research Award from the Research Society on Alcohol (RSA) and the David Mrazek Award in Psychiatric Pharmacogenomics from the American Psychiatric Association in 2025.
After decades of discovery, Kranzler shows no signs of slowing down. He continues to conduct NIH-funded research, publish in top scientific journals, and mentor the next generation of scientists working to address some of the most complex issues in behavioral health and addiction medicine.
Despite his personal accomplishments, Kranzler added that his “greatest pleasure” is in seeing the students, fellows, and early-career faculty whom he mentors receive their own grants and publish their innovative research in high-impact journals.