Rate My Professor Keith Trujillo

Keith Trujillo is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at California State University, San Marcos (CSUSM), a position he has held since joining the faculty in the fall of 1994. Prior to CSUSM, he spent eight years at the University of Michigan as a Postdoctoral Fellow, Research Investigator, and Psychology Instructor. Trujillo earned a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of California, Irvine; Bachelor’s degrees in Biological Sciences, Psychology, and Chemistry from California State University, Chico; and an Associate of Arts degree in Biological Sciences from Shasta College. As Director of CSUSM’s Office for Training, Research and Education in the Sciences (OTRES), he has spearheaded programs to enhance diversity in STEM, including URISE, MARC, RISE, LSAMP, and U-RISE@CSUSM, the latter supported by a $3.2 million National Institutes of Health grant awarded in 2020 to prepare underrepresented, low-income, and first-generation students for graduate studies in biomedical and behavioral sciences.

A psychopharmacologist and behavioral neuroscientist, Trujillo’s research examines the behavioral and neural effects of psychoactive drugs, encompassing drugs of abuse such as opiates, amphetamines, and cocaine, as well as psychotherapeutic drugs including antidepressants and antipsychotics. His interests extend to the neural basis of psychiatric disorders, drug abuse, addiction, and the neurobiology of emotion. Notable publications include “Inhibition of morphine tolerance and dependence by the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801” (Science, 1991, 1527 citations), “Inhibition of opiate tolerance by non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists” (Brain Research, 1994), “Neurotoxicity of low-level lead exposure: History, mechanisms of action, and behavioral effects in humans and preclinical models” (Neurotoxicology, 2019), and “Excitatory amino acids and drugs of abuse: a role for N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in drug tolerance, sensitization and physical dependence” (Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 1995). Trujillo has earned prestigious honors, including election as a 2017 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for distinguished contributions to science and neuroscience education and mentoring advancing diversity; the 2017 Wang Family Excellence Award in Social and Behavioral Sciences and Public Service ($20,000); the 2013 Society for Neuroscience Award for Education in Neuroscience ($5,000); the 2001 CSUSM President’s Award for Scholarly and Creative Activity; the National Award of Excellence in Mentorship from the National Hispanic Science Network on Drug Abuse; and the National Award for Research from the same network. He has mentored hundreds of underrepresented students, many advancing to Ph.D. programs at leading institutions.