Full Name
Dr. Merrill Norton, PharmD.D.Ph.ICCDPD
Practice/Company Name
University of Georgia
Speaker Bio
Dr. Merrill Norton is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy with his specialty areas to include psychopharmacology and addiction pharmacy. He has also been a faculty member of the Fairleigh-Dickinson University Postdoctoral Training Program in the Masters of Psychopharmacology, Alliant International University of San Francisco College of Psychology, University of Georgia School of Continuing Education, and Berry College in the areas of Psychopharmacology and Addiction Pharmacy. His area of specialty in addiction pharmacy is the management of chronic pain in the addicted patient.
Dr. Norton completed his undergraduate and graduate work at the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy. He accomplished a 3 year addiction medicine fellowship under the direction of Douglas Talbott MD at Ridgeview Institute and has state, national, and international credentials in the treatment of mentally ill/addicted/chronic pain individuals.
Recently, Dr. Norton received an Emmy from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Southeastern Chapter for his work on the Spanish language documentary Prescription Drugs, Legally Dangerous. The award was presented to a collaboration of experts in the field of addiction pharmacy and medicine for their participation and contributions to the production, which describes the dangers of prescription drug abuse in Latino populations. Winning in the Topical (Environmental) category, the documentary was produced by CETPA (Clinic for Education, Treatment and Prevention of Addiction), Georgia’s first and only Latino behavioral health agency providing counseling and prevention services, along with the Univision Network, the 5th largest television network in the U.S. Dr. Pierluigi Mancini, CETPA’s founder and executive producer of the documentary, expressed his gratitude to Dr. Norton for his contributions to the documentary. “Dr. Norton was able to clearly articulate the effects and dangers of prescription drugs regardless of whether the drug was administered for medical or nonmedical use. He did so in a way that our intended audience could understand. We could not have asked for a better expert."
Dr. Norton also was honored by the Georgia Addiction Counselors Association in receiving the prestigious Distinguished Service Award for 2015. The award is bestowed on individuals for recognition of their long term support and commitment to the treatment and welfare of those affected by alcohol and drug addiction in Georgia and nationally. Dr. Norton’s efforts of educating thousands of behavioral health practitioners nationally to the disease states of substance use disorders and his dedication to the early prevention and intervention of addictive disease in Georgia’s families makes him a person uniquely qualified for this award. Also, Dr. Norton was the 2009 recipient of the Georgia School of Addiction Studies (GSAS) Excellence in Addiction Treatment Individual Achievement Award “for his unselfish dedication to the treatment of addicted families, not only in the state of Georgia, but nationally.” Dr. Norton was recognized by the GSAS Board of Directors for the ongoing development of undergraduate and graduate curriculum and drug research in the area of addiction pharmacy.
His book, The Pharmacology of Psychoactive Chemical Use, Abuse, and Dependence, and his DVD series, “The Hijacking of the Brain” have been used to train thousands of mental health professionals nationally; they have become the standards of teaching excellence in the addiction treatment profession. His new books, The Pharmacology of Substance Use Disorders and The Practitioners’ Guide to Opioid Use Disorders will be released in 2018.
Dr. Norton completed his undergraduate and graduate work at the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy. He accomplished a 3 year addiction medicine fellowship under the direction of Douglas Talbott MD at Ridgeview Institute and has state, national, and international credentials in the treatment of mentally ill/addicted/chronic pain individuals.
Recently, Dr. Norton received an Emmy from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Southeastern Chapter for his work on the Spanish language documentary Prescription Drugs, Legally Dangerous. The award was presented to a collaboration of experts in the field of addiction pharmacy and medicine for their participation and contributions to the production, which describes the dangers of prescription drug abuse in Latino populations. Winning in the Topical (Environmental) category, the documentary was produced by CETPA (Clinic for Education, Treatment and Prevention of Addiction), Georgia’s first and only Latino behavioral health agency providing counseling and prevention services, along with the Univision Network, the 5th largest television network in the U.S. Dr. Pierluigi Mancini, CETPA’s founder and executive producer of the documentary, expressed his gratitude to Dr. Norton for his contributions to the documentary. “Dr. Norton was able to clearly articulate the effects and dangers of prescription drugs regardless of whether the drug was administered for medical or nonmedical use. He did so in a way that our intended audience could understand. We could not have asked for a better expert."
Dr. Norton also was honored by the Georgia Addiction Counselors Association in receiving the prestigious Distinguished Service Award for 2015. The award is bestowed on individuals for recognition of their long term support and commitment to the treatment and welfare of those affected by alcohol and drug addiction in Georgia and nationally. Dr. Norton’s efforts of educating thousands of behavioral health practitioners nationally to the disease states of substance use disorders and his dedication to the early prevention and intervention of addictive disease in Georgia’s families makes him a person uniquely qualified for this award. Also, Dr. Norton was the 2009 recipient of the Georgia School of Addiction Studies (GSAS) Excellence in Addiction Treatment Individual Achievement Award “for his unselfish dedication to the treatment of addicted families, not only in the state of Georgia, but nationally.” Dr. Norton was recognized by the GSAS Board of Directors for the ongoing development of undergraduate and graduate curriculum and drug research in the area of addiction pharmacy.
His book, The Pharmacology of Psychoactive Chemical Use, Abuse, and Dependence, and his DVD series, “The Hijacking of the Brain” have been used to train thousands of mental health professionals nationally; they have become the standards of teaching excellence in the addiction treatment profession. His new books, The Pharmacology of Substance Use Disorders and The Practitioners’ Guide to Opioid Use Disorders will be released in 2018.
Speaking At
