Nora Volkow

The great-granddaughter of Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky, Nora Volkow directs the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Pioneering the use of brain imaging to investigate the effects and addictive properties of drugs, she has made significant contributions to our understanding of addiction as a disease of the brain. For her achievements she was named one of Time Magazine's “Top 100 People Who Shape Our World,” and in 2000 she was named “Innovator of the Year” by U.S. News and World Report. Updated 2012