Dr. Wilson M. Compton serves as the Deputy Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), where he provides senior scientific leadership for the world’s largest funder of research on drug use and addiction. In this role, he helps guide the institute’s strategic direction, advancing research that strengthens prevention, treatment, and understanding of the health consequences of substance use, including substance‑related HIV/AIDS.

​

From 2002 to 2013, Dr. Compton directed NIDA’s Division of Epidemiology, Services and Prevention Research, overseeing national and international research on drug use trends, prevention strategies, and treatment delivery. He led the development of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health study (PATH), a landmark longitudinal study jointly sponsored with the FDA, designed to inform U.S. tobacco regulatory science through extensive survey and biological data.

​

Earlier in his career, Dr. Compton was a tenured faculty member at Washington University in St. Louis, where he directed the Master in Psychiatric Epidemiology Program and served as Medical Director of Addiction Services at Barnes‑Jewish Hospital. A widely published scientist with more than 300 peer‑reviewed publications, he has contributed to DSM‑5 development and is recognized with numerous national awards for his leadership in public health epidemiology, addiction research, and scientific collaboration.