Marvin Krank, PhD.

Professor of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Okanagan

Dr. Krank received his Honors BA in Psychology and Mathematics at Indiana University and his Ph.D. in Psychology from McMaster University. He has taught at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Mount Allison University, and the University of Toronto. He has been an Adjunct Professor at the Claremont Graduate University, Oregon Health Sciences University, and the University of Washington.  Dr. Krank joined the University of British Columbia, Okanagan campus as Dean of Graduate Studies and Professor of Psychology in 2005.

Dr. Krank has an active research program in substance use with an emphasis on adolescents. He has published numerous articles and presents for professional conferences, invited symposia, and community groups. The focus of Dr. Krank’s research is the psychological determinants of drug use and drug effects including seminal work on the drug tolerance, drug withdrawal and cognitive models of substance use trajectories in adolescents.

Dr. Krank is currently pursuing a number of projects examining ways to support healthy thinking and choices to reduce substance abuse in youth. These projects include assisting in the delivery and evaluation of Preventure, a personality-based intervention, and developing Healthy Automatic, Intentions, and Thoughts (HABIT) as a program for Grade 6 and 7 students. The goals include reducing the initiation and escalation of substance use in early teens (ages 12 – 16) and the reduction of substance abuse in youth 17-24. These projects target changing risky cognitions that arise from social influences and are associated with changes in substance use. The approach uses what we know about cognitive processing to modify cognitive biases that lead to higher risk substance use.