About Yasmin
Dr. Yasmin Hurd is an internationally recognized neuroscientist whose research is focused on understanding and treating drug addiction. She is a professor and the Ward-Coleman Chair of Translational Neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. Yasmin also directs the Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai, which serves one of the largest addiction populations in the United States. Her groundbreaking work explores the brain’s complex biology to understand why some people are more vulnerable to addiction. Using a wide range of scientific methods, including genetics, neuroimaging, and molecular biology, she studies how drugs affect the brain and behavior over time. A key part of her research looks at epigenetics—how life experiences, like drug use, can change how our genes work and increase the risk for psychiatric issues. Yasmin’s most notable work involves cannabidiol (CBD), a non-addictive compound found in cannabis. She has conducted pioneering studies on CBD as a potential treatment for opioid addiction, which could lead to new ways to help people recover. For her significant contributions, she has been inducted into the National Academy of Medicine.
