Stephen Higgins, PhD, director of the Vermont Center on Behavior and Health, professor, and vice chair of psychiatry has been selected by the Society of the Advancement of Behavior Analysis (SABA) as the recipient of the 2022 SABA Award for Scientific Translation. This award recognizes Dr. Higgins’ work using behavior science principles and methods to address the relationship between drug use and addiction with other maladaptive behaviors and outcomes. The notification letter from SABA CEO Maria Malott, PhD, stated “your work in the science of drug dependence has made you not only a leader, but indeed a standard-bearer in this area. Your impact as a researcher has been felt in the field of behavior analysis and beyond, via your hundreds of publications, multiple research grants, and many leadership and editorial positions.”

The SABA Award for Scientific Translation is given in one of the following categories: (1) impact of science on application, (2) technology transfer, or (3) social impact. Those recommended in the impact of science on application category should demonstrate experimental or theoretical innovations in behavior analysis that have had significant impact on applications. Past award winners include Warren Bickel, PhD, George Bigelow, PhD, and most recently, Allen Neuringer, PhD.