Diana Wilkins

Research Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology/ Co-Director, Center for Human Toxicology

Diana G. Wilkins Title: Research Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology/ Co-Director, Center
Email address: dwilkins@alanine.pharm.utah.edu

Education and Training:

B.S., 1985, University of Utah, Medical Technology
M.S., 1988, University of Utah, Medical Laboratory Science
Ph.D., 1991, University of Utah. Health

Research Interests:

Diana G. Wilkins is currently the Co-Director of the Center for Human Toxicology at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center. She concurrently holds a faculty position as Research Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy at the University of Utah. Previously, Dr. Wilkins served as an Assistant Director, the Quality Control /Quality Assurance Manager and Senior Toxicologist at the Center for Human Toxicology. She received a B.S. (1985), M.S. (1988) and PhD. (1991) from the University of Utah. Her education included training in toxicology and pharmacology, with particular emphasis on drugs of abuse. She is a Laboratory Inspector for the National Laboratory Certification Program (NLCP) under the auspices of the Department of Health and Human Services (NIDA) and previously served as a Laboratory Assessor for the Standards Council of Canada (SCC). Dr. Wilkins was a member of the Drug Testing Advisory Board (DTAB) of the Division of Workplace Performance, Department of Health and Human Services from 1994-1997. She has also served as an Ad Hoc member of several NIDA study sections and is currently a member of the Clinical Chemistry and Toxicology Devices Panel of the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Wilkins participates in teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in clinical and analytical toxicology, pharmacology and statistics for pharmacologic research at the University. Her research interests include: 1) investigation of the disposition of drugs of abuse in human hair and other biological matrices, 2) applications of mass spectrometry in biomedical research, 3) neuro-pharmacology of the mechanism of methamphetamine tolerance, and 4) drug use in pregnancy . Dr. Wilkins belongs to several scientific associations including the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the Society of Forensic Toxicology, the International Association of Forensic Toxicologists, the California Association of Toxicologists and the Association for Women in Science.

Selected Publications:

Miller, E., Norris, H., Rollins, D., Tiffany, S., and Wilkins, D. “A novel validated method for the determination of nicotine, eight nicotine metabolites and two minor tobacco alkaloids in human plasma and urine by solid-phase extraction coupled with liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry". Journal of Chromatography B. Accepted Ocotober 30, 2009.
Hadlock, G., Baucum, A., King, J., Hormer, K., Cook, G., Gibb, J., Wilkins, D., and Fleckenstein, A. “Mechanisms underlying methamphetamine-induced dopamine transporter complex formation”. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 329 (1): 169-174, 2009.
Boileau, I., Rusjan, P. Houle, S., Wilkins, D., Tong, J., Selby, P., Guttman, M., Saint-Cyr, J., Wilson, A. and Kish, S. “Increased vesicular monoamine transporter binding during early abstinence in human methamphetamine users: Is VMAT2 a stable dopamine neuron biomarker?” Journal of Neuroscience, 28(39): 9850-9856, 2008.
Goodwin, R., Wilkins, D., Averin, O., Choo, R., Schroeder, J., Jasinski, D., Johnson, R., Jones, H. and Huestis, M. “Buprenorphine and norbuprenorphine in hair of pregnant women and their infants after controlled buprenorphine administration”. Clinical Chemistry, 53 (12): 2136-2143, 2007.
England, L., Grauman, A., Qian, C., Wilkins, D., Schisterman, E., Yu, K. and Levine, R. “Misclassification of maternal smoking status and its effects on an epidemiologic study of pregnancy outcomes”. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 9(10): 1005-1013, 2007.
Danaceau, J, Deering, C., Day, J., Smeal, S., Johnson-Davis, K., Fleckenstein, A. and Wilkins D. “Persistence of tolerance to methamphetamine-induced monoamine deficits”. European Journal of Pharmacology, 559(1): 46-54, 2007.
Truong, J., Wilkins, D., Baudys, J., Crouch, D., Johnson-Davis, K., Gibb, J., Hanson, G. and Fleckenstein, A. “Age-dependent methamphetamine-induced alterations in vesicular monoamine transporter-2 function: Implications for neurotoxicity”. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 309(2): 1087-1092, 2005.
Johnson-Davis, K., Truong, J., Fleckenstein, A. and Wilkins, D. “Alterations in vesicular dopamine uptake contribute to the neurotoxic effects of methamphetamine”. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 309(2): 578-586, 2004.
Johnson-Davis, K., Fleckenstein, A. and Wilkins, D. “The role of hyperthermia and metabolism as mechanisms of tolerance to methamphetamine neurotoxicity”. European Journal of Pharmacology, 482: 151-154, 2003.
Wilkins, D., Valdez, A. Nagasawa, P., Gygi, S., and Rollins D. "Incorporation of drugs for the treatment of substance abuse into pigmented and nonpigmented hair". Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 87(4): 435-440, 1998.
Klebanoff, M., Levine, R., DerSimonian, R., Clemens, J. and Wilkins, D. "Maternal serum paraxanthine, a caffeine metabolite, and the risk of spontaneous abortion". New England Journal of Medicine, 341: 1639-1689, 1999.
Kokoshka, J.M., Fleckenstein, A.E., Wilkins, D.G. and Hanson, G.R., 2000. "Age- dependent differential responses of monoaminergic systems to high doses of methamphetamine". Journal of Neurochemistry, 75:2095-2102, 2000.
Hubbard, D., Wilkins, D., and Rollins, D. "The incorporation of cocaine and metabolites into hair: Effects of dose and hair pigmentation". Drug Metabolism and Disposition, 28:1464-1469, 2000.
Borges, C. Wilkins, D. and Rollins, D. "Amphetamine and N-acetylamphetamine incorporation into hair: An investigation of the potential role of drug basicity in hair color bias". Journal of Analytical Toxicology, 25: 221-227, 2001.
Klebanoff, M., Levine, R., Clemens, J. and Wilkins, D. "Maternal serum caffeine metabolites and small-for-gestational-age birth". American Journal of Epidemiology, 155: 32-37, 2002.