[#DIV28SUPER] In Memoriam: Dr. David Festinger, Ph.D.

Dear colleagues 

 

It is with profound sadness that I share with you that our colleague, Dr. David Festinger, passed away suddenly earlier this month. Dr. Festinger earned his PhD in Clinical Psychology with honors from Hahnemann University in 1998 and at the time of his passing was a Professor of Psychology and the Director of Substance Abuse Research and Education at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, a Senior Research Scientist at the Public Health Management Corporation, and an adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine. His work largely focused on justice-involved persons, though in recent years he had expanded to also focus on increasing patient access to medications for opioid use disorder. He also conducted a series of research on the ethics of consent in drug use research, which laid a uniquely important foundation for the work we do today. Throughout his career he accumulated several important achievements. His research was continually funded by NIH since 1998, he was the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, and he was a valued scientific citizen who served on numerous editorial boards, grant review committees, IRBs, and more. He was also very prolific, publishing numerous peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and research bulletins, including serving as a co-editor of the book "Essentials of Research Design and Methodology". 

 

Dr. Festinger was also heavily involved with the APA organization throughout his career. He was an APA Fellow and a member of Division 28 and Division 50 (Addiction). Dr. Festinger served as the Division 28 Awards Chair from 2006-2010 and was elected as President of the Division in 2017. I served as his Program Chair during that year and found him to be a wonderful and caring leader, who was enthusiastic about disseminating science and finding creative and novel methods for improving the life of persons struggling with substance use disorder. I also admired his focus on justice-involved persons for several reasons, most notably the extreme logistical challenge of working in those settings and the direct impact that his interventions had on the individual as well as their family and friends. He worked to not only mitigate the consequences of justice involvement but to also holistically treat the patient by linking them to substance use and medical treatments. To intervene with someone at the point of incarceration and help them work to establish a positive path forward is a tremendously meaningful strategy, it creates a transformative moment that can quite literally change someone's life. In addition to creating opportunities to make real differences in the lives of our patients, his thoughtful and systematic approach to science within the context of drug court settings very likely contributed to a broader acceptance of concepts such as diversion programs and the medical treatment of SUDs within justice systems, a legacy that will continue to yield benefits for our field and our patients.  You can see him describe his research briefly here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZalHbcAJX0U 

 

It is difficult to adequately convey our gratitude for the impact that Dr. Festinger had on our science, on those of us lucky enough to have interacted with him as a scientific and professional colleague, and on the large numbers of persons who were directly helped by his research. We are thankful to have known him and send condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.

Warm regards,

Kelly Dunn

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Kelly Dunn, Ph.D., M.B.A.

President, Division on Psychopharmacology and Substance Use (Division 28)

American Psychological Association

Associate Professor
Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
5510 Nathan Shock Drive
Baltimore, MD 21224
P:410-550-2254; F:410-550-0030