David Pennington PhD

Dr. Pennington is also a Psychologist Clinician Investigator, Associate Director of the Addiction Research Program, Program Lead for the Rural Native Veteran Allied Health Outreach (RNV-AHO) program, and an Associate Professor in Residence in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). His clinical research focuses on investigating the neurobiological and cognitive mechanisms associated with recovery from substance use disorders and traumatic brain injury and identifying novel interventions (cognitive bias modification and virtual reality-based cognitive behavioral and mindful practices) targeting these neurocognitive mechanisms. As a Latinx, Indigenous person who grew up in rural New Mexico, Dr. Pennington is also honored to be able to take part in initiatives to foster bi-directional communication and cultivate relationships between our VA Healthcare System and our Rural and Native/Indigenous Veteran community.

Dr. Pennington received his PhD in Clinical Psychology from Palo Alto University and completed his clinical internship at the Salt Lake City VA Health Care System in 2009. He returned to San Francisco to complete a postdoctoral clinical residency in substance use disorder treatment at the SFVAHCS and research fellowship in biomedical neuroimaging in the Department of Radiology, at UCSF. He is a past recipient of a VA Clinical Science Research and Development Career Development Award II, NARSAD Young Investigators Award, and Investigator on multiple VA, National Institute Health, and UCSF awards. Dr. Pennington also directs our Advanced Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for new clinical investigators in  Mental Health Service.