Meetings/Conferences

NIDA hosted a two-day Blending Conference at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, Washington on October 16-17, 2006, titled "Blending Addiction Science & Practice: Bridges to the Future." This successful event brought together more than 900 clinicians and researchers to present and discuss the most recent scientific findings related to science-based drug abuse and addiction treatment. In this sixth NIDA Blending Conference, all five Blending Team products were presented in separate sessions and included: Buprenorphine Treatment: Training for Multidisciplinary Addiction Professionals; Short-Term Opioid Withdrawal Using Buprenorphine; S.M.A.R.T. Treatment Planning: Utilizing the Addiction Severity Index (ASI); Motivational Interviewing Assessment: Supervisory Tools for Enhancing Proficiency (MIA:STEP) and Promoting Awareness of Motivational Incentives (PAMI). The NIDA planning committee of this conference included Drs. Timothy P. Condon, Cindy Miner, Denise Pintello, as well as Jane Smither and Carol Krause, OSPC.

NIDA hosted a Research Training Directors Meeting on November 3, 2006 at the North Bethesda Marriott Hotel. Over 40 Research Training Directors and 40 NIDA staff attended this meeting that provided an overview of the state of NIDA's research training program and updates on the new announcement and regulations. Dr. Timothy Condon presented a broad overview of NIH/NIDA priorities and the Office/Division Directors described their research training needs and directions. The hallmark of the meeting was a set of Best Practices Topic Forums facilitated by NIDA staff. Drs. Susan Weiss, Suman Rao King, Elaine Lazar-Wesley, Beth Babecki, and Kathy Etz organized the meeting on behalf of the Research Training Committee.

Drs. Karen Sirocco, Nicolette Borek, Laurence Stanford, and Vincent Smeriglio, all of DCNBR, in collaboration with Dr. Ellen Witt from NIAAA, organized an invited expert panel workshop entitled Consequences of Marijuana Use on Brain and Behavioral Development on December 15, 2006 in Bethesda, MD. The workshop was sponsored by the Office of Science Policy and Communications (OSPC), and co-funded by NIAAA. A major purpose of the workshop was to facilitate increased quality and efficiency in ongoing and future studies by information-sharing and methodological problem-solving among researchers implementing relevant research studies.

Dr. Nicolette Borek, DCNBR, presented a talk on NIH research funding and career opportunities at the George Washington University's Clinical Psychology Seminar Series on October 16th, 2006.

Yonette Thomas, Ph.D. chaired a workshop on November 1-2, 2006 on Mapping the Environment: A Workshop on Measuring the Social Environment in Drug Abuse Research. The workshop brought together experts in epidemiology, social and behavioral sciences, and genetics who are interested in linking the social, biological/genetic, and physical environments to better understand their interactions and influences on drug use and risk behaviors.

Drs. Eve Reider, Elizabeth Robertson, Gina Hijjawi, and Vince Smeriglio, in collaboration with a NIDA working group consisting of Drs. Jessica Campbell Chambers, Redonna Chandler, Aria Crump, and Belinda Sims, convened a meeting Children of Parents in the Criminal Justice System: Children at Risk. The meeting was sponsored by NIDA's Office of Science Policy and Communication; it was held November 6, 2006 at the Marriott Bethesda North Hotel and Conference Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

The National CTN Steering Committee Meeting was held October 16-20, 2006 in Seattle, Washington. The following meetings/committees convened:

Members of the CTN 0015 (Women's Treatment for Trauma and Substance Use Disorders)
study team
Special Interest Groups: Gender, Health Services Research, Pharmacotherapy, Behavior/Psychosocial, Design and Analysis Group
CTP and PI Caucuses
Executive Committee
Research Utilization Committee
Research Development Committee
Node Coordinator Workgroup
Steering Committee - included Web conference/presentation from Dr. Nora Volkow
Members of the CTN 0020 (Job Seekers) study team
Secondary Analysis Workshop

The CCTN presented a symposium entitled: Co-morbid Pain and Addiction - Novel Treatments at the 45th Annual Meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) in Hollywood, Florida, December 3-7, 2006. Dr. Charles O'Brien chaired the session together with Dr. Petra Jacobs. This symposium reviewed new findings on the neurophysiology of pain and addiction. Presenters included Dr. David Borsook, Dr. Nathaniel Katz, Dr. Gavril Pasternak and Dr. Jon-Kar Zubieta. Dr. Walter Ling was a discussant in the panel as well.

The Special Populations Office, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) hosted a research development workshop titled: Substance Abuse, Criminal Justice and HIV in African Americans in Silver Spring, Maryland on Dec 11 - 12, 2006. The two-day workshop, which was attended by over 300 people, was designed to address the unique concerns that arise when conducting research in criminal justice populations and systems. The workshop is part of a NIDA initiative to address the disproportionate occurrence of criminal justice involvement and HIV/AIDS among African Americans as a consequence of substance abuse. The workshop consisted of panels, discussions and roundtables, which were led by key researchers in the field and a host of NIDA staff.

The Special Populations Office convened a two-day meeting of NIDA's African American Researchers and Scholars Workgroup in Gaithersburg, Maryland on October 10-11, 2006.

The Special Populations Office convened a two-day meeting of NIDA's Native American and Alaskan Native Researchers and Scholars Workgroup in Gaithersburg, Maryland on November 28-29, 2006. Dr. Nora Volkow gave a welcoming presentation to the workgroup.

The Special Populations Office, along with the Division of Epidemiology Services and Prevention (DESPR), sponsored a presentation by Gail Wyatt, Ph.D. on Wednesday, November 15, 2006. The presentation, titled "Health, Mental Health and Drug Abuse Disparities for African American and Latina Women at Risk for Living with HIV," was part of the DESPR Seminar Series.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon, Deputy Director, NIDA, presented "Methamphetamine: How It Influences the Brain and Behavior of Users and Treatment Implications" at the Addiction Studies Program for State Legislatures on September 13, 2006 in Portland, Oregon.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon presented a training entitled "It's a Brain Disease: Beyond a Reasonable Doubt - The Neuroscience of Addiction & Judicial Decision Making" to the Circuit Court of Cook County on September 28, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon presented a keynote address, "Advances in Drug Abuse and Addiction from NIDA: Implications for Treatment," at the California Society of Addiction Medicine's Addiction Medicine Review Course 2006 on October 6, 2006 in San Francisco, California.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon presented "An Update on NIH/NIDA Activities" at the Research Training Directors Meeting on November 3, 2006 in North Bethesda, Maryland.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon presented on the "Neurobiology of Addiction" at the 52nd Annual St. Paul's Hospital Continuing Medical Education Conference on November 14, 2006 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon presented "Addiction as a Brain Disease: New Implications for Research and Practice" at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime/UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Program on November 30, 2006 in Los Angeles, California.

Dr. Cindy Miner, Deputy Director, OSPC gave a keynote presentation "Improving Addiction Treatment: NIDA's Blending Research and Practice Initiative" at the NAADAC Annual Conference on September 29, 2006 in Burbank, California.

Dr. Cindy Miner co-chaired a "NIDA/NIMH Grantwriting Workshop" at the 53rd Annual meeting of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychology on October 25, 2006 in San Diego, California.

Dr. Cindy Miner facilitated a Best Practices Forum: "Components of Successful Program Evaluation and Tracking" at the Research Training Director's Meeting on November 3, 2006 in Bethesda, Maryland.

Dr. Cindy Miner presented "Next Steps in the Grant Funding Process" at the Enhanced State Capacity to Foster Adoption of Science Based Practices Meeting on November 21, 2006 in Bethesda, Maryland.

Dr. Cindy Miner assisted with the planning and execution of the 2nd National Leadership Conference on Medical Education in Substance Abuse on November 30 - December 1, 2006 in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Gayathri Dowling, SPB, OSPC, gave a presentation entitled "Methamphetamine: The Science of Addiction and Recovery" as part of a panel, "Addressing Meth and Substance Abuse Comprehensively," at the West/Southwest Methamphetamine Legislative and Policy Planning Conference, convened by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Office of Justice Programs/Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws, in Salt Lake City, UT on October 5-6, 2006.

Dr. Ruben Baler, OSPC, made a presentation at the School of Public Health and Health Services, Department of Exercise Science, at George Washington University on October 10, 2006. The presentation was part of the "Drug Awareness" course offered every semester to incoming freshmen, and included a formal lecture entitled "Addiction is a Brain Disease" that highlighted the neurobiology of drug addiction, as well as NIDA's mission, strategies and achievements.

Mr. Brian Marquis, PILB, OSPC, attended a public forum in the state of New Hampshire. The forum entitled "Is Rockingham County and New Hampshire Losing the War on Drugs?" was hosted to discuss the growing problem of drugs in Rockingham County and how legislators can help solve it. Nine panelists, each with differing experiences in drug treatment, enforcement and surveillance, summarized their experiences and preferred strategies for combating drug abuse in front of 260 New Hampshire (Rockingham County) citizens. NIDA also provided copies of Principles of Drug Abuse Treatment for Criminal Justice Populations: A Research-Based Guide and a video message from Dr. Volkow addressing the citizens of New Hampshire.

Dr. Donald Vereen, M.D., M.P.H., Special Assistant to the Director, NIDA, gave the keynote address and ran a research dissemination workshop at the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association (IADDA) annual meeting in Chicago, IL on September 19, 2006.

Dr. Don Vereen accepted the "Celebration of Recovery Community Service Award for Dr. Nora Volkow from Vanguard Services Unlimited, a longstanding drug treatment provider based in Arlington, VA on September 27, 2006.

Dr. Don Vereen gave the Dean's Hour presentation at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dr. Joe Frascella gave an overview of NIDA's brain imaging research and a technical assistance seminar. Both met with representatives of the University Health Services to discuss college drug use, American Indian drug and alcohol use, and treatment research. Ongoing dialogues were started on future neuroscience projects, research training for Native Americans (Dakotas), and clinical research training. All presentations and meeting took place in Grand Forks, North Dakota on October 4 - 6, 2006.

Dr. Don Vereen gave a presentation on drug abuse and addiction and it's treatment at the Optimal Health Conference at Howard University School of Medicine in Washington, DC on October 21, 2006.

Dr. Don Vereen presented at the Annual Meeting of the U.S. Department of Education's Safe and Drug Free Schools grantees in Arlington, VA on October 22, 2006.

Dr. Don Vereen gave presentation on drug abuse and addiction research and recovery to the treatment and recovery community of Pittsburgh at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine on October 26, 2006.

Dr. Don Vereen presented to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (a SAMHSA sponsored group) in Boston, MA on November 6, 2006.

Dr. Don Vereen gave a joint presentation with Drs. Lula Beatty and Dionne Jones on drug abuse, addiction, AIDS, and the criminal justice system at the Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association in Boston, MA on October 7, 2006.

Dr. Don Vereen gave the keynote address at the annual Minnesota Safe and Drug Free Schools Conference in St. Cloud, MN on October 8, 2006.

Dr. Don Vereen presented on minority drug abuse and addiction at the Howard University School of Medicine Mental Health Conference in Washington, DC on October 14, 2006.

Dr. Don Vereen gave the keynote address at the annual meeting of the South Carolina Association of Drug Counselors in Myrtle Beach, SC on October 29, 2006.

Dr. Don Vereen presented an overview of drug abuse research to The Public Defender Service of Washington, DC on December 4, 2006.

Dr. Don Vereen gave a presentation on drug abuse, addiction, and treatment principles to the DC Drug Court staff in Washington, DC on December 6, 2006.

Dr. Don Vereen gave a presentation to parents and students of the Alice Deal Junior High School in Washington, DC on January 18, 2007.

Lula Beatty, Ph.D., Chief, Special Populations Office (SPO), participated in the meeting of the Committee on Women in Psychology of the American Psychological Association in Washington, DC in September 2006.

Dr. Lula Beatty attended the Health Disparities Conference sponsored by the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research in Bethesda, MD in October 2006.

Dr. Lula Beatty participated as a moderator in two scientific meetings planned by the Division of Epidemiology, Services, and Prevention Research in November 2006: "Children of Parents in the Criminal Justice System: Children at Risk," and "Trajectories of Drug Use among African Americans."

Dr. Lula Beatty presented a talk titled "Developing Research and Researchers to Address Drugs and Criminalization in African Americans" at the convention of the American Public Health Association in Boston in November 2006.

Pamela Goodlow, SPO, chaired a two-day Special Populations Research Development Seminar Series, an ongoing research grants development technical assistance workshop for new minority investigators, on October 1-2, 2006 in Rockville, Maryland.

Dr. Laurence Stanford, DCNBR, is a member of the Neuroscience Blueprint Neurodevelopment Project Team and served as the NIH Liaison to the Developmental Plasticity Group at the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research Workshop on Neurodevelopment held in Bethesda, MD in November 2006.

Dr. Laurence Stanford presented talks on grant writing strategies at the NIDA Special Populations Office Research Development Seminar Series in October, 2006 and at the NIDA Substance Abuse, Criminal Justice and HIV in African-American Research Development Seminar Series in December 2006.

Dr. Kevin Conway, DCNBR, attended and delivered a talk at the Study of the Social Contexts of Pathways into Crime Conference at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, December 5-8, 2006.

Dr. Kevin Conway attended and delivered a talk at the American Society of Criminology conference in Los Angeles, California, November 1-4, 2006.

Dr. Nicolette Borek presented two talks on NIDA research priorities at the 53rd annual meeting of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, October 24-28, 2006 in San Diego. Dr. Borek also moderated a session organized by Dr. Ivan Montoya, DPMCDA, on "Cannabis Use in Adolescents: Onset and Outcome of Psychotic Disorders".

Dr. Nicolette Borek presented talks and coordinated training on collecting substance use and exposure data at the Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study (PHACS) Training meeting, November 13-15th, 2006 in Bethesda, MD. Dr. Borek also participated as a NIH scientific collaborator at the PHACS Steering Committee meeting held in Bethesda on September 18-19th, 2006.

Drs. Steven Grant and Harold Gordon, both of DCNBR, represented NIDA at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience held in Atlanta, Georgia, October 14-18, 2006.

Dr. Steven Grant was a discussant in a symposium titled: "Can Correcting Cognitive Deficits Improve Treatment Responses In Substance Abusing Patients ?" at the annual meeting of the American College of Neurospsychopharmacology held in Hollywood, Florida, December 3-7, 2006.

Dr. Melissa Racioppo, DCNBR, participated in a panel discussion of evaluation of interdisciplinary research at an NCI-sponsored meeting entitled "The Science of Team Science".

Dr. Cecelia Spitznas, DCNBR, participated in the roundtable discussions with potential applicants at the Jointly Sponsored NIH and IHS Native American Centers for Research Meeting.

Dr. Cecelia Spitznas gave a briefing to Indian Health Services Senior Staff on options for Treating Methamphetamine Use Disorders in Indian Country.

On November 28, 2006, Drs. Lisa Onken, Patty Mabry, Teri Levitin, and Gerald McLaughlin participated in an on-line technical assistance meeting for the RFA, "Facilitating Interdisciplinary Research via Methodological and Technological Innovation in the Behavioral and Social Sciences (R21)"

Dr. Joseph Frascella, Director, DCNBR, presented an overview of the DCNBR programs at the NIDA Training Directors Meeting in Bethesda, MD on November 3, 2006. He also was a co-facilitator along with Drs. Jacques Normand and Harold Perl for a forum entitled "Targeting New Program Areas for Enhanced Training Development."

Dr. Joseph Frascella was invited to give a presentation entitled "Interdisciplinary Research: The Future of NIH Research?" and also presented a seminar on the "NIH Grant Process" at the J. B. Pierce Laboratory at Yale University, November 10, 2006.

Drs. Joseph Frascella and Donald Vereen conducted a site visit to the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, North Dakota, October 4-6, 2006. They toured the new brain imaging facilities and met with several faculty members within the neuroscience and related departments. They also discussed university programs for American Indians. Dr. Vereen gave a presentation on the biology of addiction at the University of North Dakota Medical School's Grand Rounds, and Dr. Frascella gave a presentation on interdisciplinary research and grant writing to a group of faculty and graduate students.

Dr. Rao Rapaka, DBNBR, organized a symposium on "Strategies to Enhance Drugability" at the 2007 Annual National Meeting of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) on November 1, 2006 in San Antonio, Texas. His term as the Chair of the Drug Design and Discovery Section ends in December 2006.

Dr. Allison Chausmer, DBNBR, served as moderator for the "Evaluation of NIH Roadmap and Other TD Programs at NIH" session at NCI's "The Science of Team Science: Assessing the Value of Transdisciplinary Research" conference at NIH in October 2006.

Dr. Cora Lee Wetherington, DBNBR, gave a talk, "The Pervasiveness of Sex/Gender Differences in Drug Abuse," to members of NIDA's Center for Clinical Trials Network, November 9, 2006.

Dr. Cora Lee Wetherington chaired the session, "Sex and Gender Factors Affecting Health Behavior" at the Third Annual Interdisciplinary Women's Health Research Symposium, sponsored by the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health, November 15, 2006, Bethesda, MD.

Dr. Cora Lee Wetherington was a presenter in the panel, "The Grants Process: Roles and Responsibilities," at the annual meeting of the Scholars of the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health Program, NIH Office of Research on Women's Health. November 14, 2006, Bethesda, MD.

Drs. Rita Liu, David Shurtleff, and Cathrine Sasek co-chaired the NIDA/Society for Neuroscience (SfN) Frontiers in Addiction mini-symposium, Atlanta GA, October 13, 2006.

Drs. Jonathan Pollock and John Saterlee co-chaired a SfN mini-symposium: Molecular Mechanisms of Synapse Formation: Adhesion Molecules, Atlanta GA, October 13, 2006.

Drs. Joni Rutter and George Uhl co-chaired a NIDA/SfN mini-symposium Genome-wide Scans for Addiction Loci, Atlanta GA, October 13, 2006.

Drs. Jerry Frankenheim and Roy Wise co-chaired a NIDA/SfN mini-symposium: Roles of Hypothalamus Peptides in Addiction and Obesity, Atlanta, GA, October 13, 2006.

Drs. Paul Schnur and David Shurtleff Co-chaired a NIDA/SfN mini-symposium session on "Social Neuroscience: Application to Addiction" Atlanta, GA, October 13, 2006.

Drs. Nora Volkow and David Shurtleff Co-chaired a symposium at The American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, Hollywood FL, December 7, 2006.

Dr. David Shurtleff, DBNBR, chaired and gave presentation on grantsmanship and navigating the NIH grant review system at the USA-Caribbean HIV/AIDS and Drug Abuse Conference, San Juan, PR, December 8-12, 2006.

Dr. Diane Lawrence, DBNBR gave an overview and presentation of "Glial Cell Models in AIDS Research, and Integrative Approaches" at the USA-Caribbean HIV/AIDS and Drug Abuse Conference, San Juan, PR, December 8-12, 2006.

Dr. David Shurtleff gave a presentation on "Animal Models of HIV: Genetics & Molecular Neurobiology" at the USA-Caribbean HIV/AIDS and Drug Abuse Conference, San Juan, PR, December 8-12, 2006.

Dr. Paul Schnur moderated a panel discussion on funding opportunities at the Substance Abuse, Criminal Justice and HIV in African Americans: Research Development Workshop, Silver Spring, MD, December 11-12, 2006.

Dr. Jag Khalsa, DPMCDA, participated as a panel member to discuss Liver Disease in HIV-co-infected Drug Addicts at the NIAID/NIDDK/NIDA co-funded R13 Conference on Liver Disease in HIV Infection, Jackson Hole, WY, September 14-16, 2006.

Dr. Jag Khalsa presented a session known as "NIDA/NIH AASLD Corner" a Symposium on Liver Disease/HCV in Drug Addicts at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD). Dr. Frank Vocci gave the introductory remarks to the Symposium. Dr. Khalsa also presented the Early Morning Workshop on Drug Interactions Among Antiretroviral Drugs and Drug Addiction Medications, October 27-29, 2006, Boston, MA.

On September 14, 2006, Drs. Ivan Montoya and Jag Khalsa, DPMCDA, co-chaired the symposium entitled "Pharmacotherapy for HIV Infection in Hispanic Populations" at the annual meeting of the National Hispanic Science Network on drug abuse in Scottsdale, Arizona.

On September 14, 2006, Dr. Ivan Montoya co-chaired a workshop on the development of a Webportal for international researchers, at the annual meeting of the National Hispanic Science Network on Drug Abuse in Scottsdale, Arizona.

On October 19, 2006, Dr. Ivan Montoya give a presentation at the Smoke-free Families Conference entitled "NIDA Funding Opportunities to Evaluate Interventions to Help Women Quit Smoking", in Washington, DC.

October 19, 2006, Dr. Frank Vocci, Director, DPMCDA, spoke at a CPDD-NIDA-FDA Abuse Liability Conference in Annapolis Maryland. Dr. Vocci's talk was titled: Use of Preclinical Abuse Liability Testing.

Dr. Frank Vocci chaired a symposium: "Can Correcting Cognitive Deficits Improve Treatment Responses in Substance Abusing Patients?" at the ACNP meeting in Hollywood, Florida on December 6, 2006. Drs. Daniel Alkon, Fanny Botreau and Barbara Sahakian spoke in the symposium. Dr. Vocci also spoke on: Cognitive Deficits in Stimulant Users: Types of Deficits and Their Possible Modulation.

On October 26, 2006, Dr. Ivan Montoya organized the symposium entitled: "Cannabis Use and Psychotic Disorders" at the annual conference of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in San Diego, CA.

In October 2006, Wilson M. Compton, M.D., M.P.E., Director, DESPR, presented at the Rollins School of Public Health on linking epidemiology with neuroscience.

In October 2006 Wilson M. Compton, M.D., M.P.E. presented on services research at the Clinical Trial Network Steering Committee meeting in Seattle, Washington.

In October 2006, Wilson M. Compton, M.D., M.P.E. presented at the Drug Abuse Health Services Meeting, Little Rock, Arkansas.

On November 1-2, 2006, Dr. Compton participated in the DSM-V Task Force meeting of the American Psychiatric Association.

In November 2006, Dr. Compton presented at the Prevention Research Center, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania.

In December 2006, Dr. Compton attended the COMAT meeting at the Treatment Research Institute and Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In December 2006, at the ACNP Annual Meeting, Dr. Compton Co-Chaired a Study Group on Research with Prisoners: Ethics and Opportunities.

At the AAAP Annual Meeting in December 2006, Dr. Compton co-chaired with Dr. Mark Willenbring of NIAAA a symposium on 12-Step approaches to treating substance use disorders.

Yonette Thomas, Ph.D., Chief of the Epidemiology Research Branch, DESPR, chaired a workshop on November 13, 2006 on "Drug Use Trajectories among African Americans." The workshop brought together researchers from a variety of disciplines to consider the basis for the (apparently) consistent finding of divergent trajectories in drug use between African Americans and their white counterparts, specifically whether this is a real phenomenon, whether there are environmental, cultural, and biological factors that might explain it, and whether within this phenomenon, there are specific influences or effects that suggest opportunities for targeting prevention interventions.

Samia Noursi, Ph.D., of DESPR's Office of the Director, chaired a workshop on December 7-8, 2006, on "Disasters and Substance Abuse." The workshop brought together a distinguished group of experts in epidemiology, prevention, and services research to address several key objectives: (1) to review the current state-of-knowledge on the etiology and epidemiology of substance abuse in disaster situations; (2) to identify research gaps in the epidemiology, prevention, and services delivery needs of substance abusers in the context of disasters; and (3) to formulate strategies for the translation and implementation of research findings to measurably impact public health practice. In addition to Dr. Noursi, the DESPR Organizing Committee for the workshop included Elizabeth Lambert of ERB, Shakeh Kaftarian of PRB, and Jerry Flanzer of SRB.

Yonette Thomas, Ph.D. presented a two-part lecture series on the social epidemiology of drug abuse to the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education in the School of Public Health at Emory University, on October 28-29, 2006.

Dr. Redonna Chandler, DESPR, presented a paper titled, "Addressing Public Health Treatment Need in Public Safety Settings," as part of a symposium on treatment needs of individuals involved in the criminal justice system at the 2006 Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association, New Orleans, LA, August 10-13, 2006.

Dr. Redonna K. Chandler presented, "Responding to Katrina: Intervening with the New Orleans First Responder Community," as part of a symposium on crisis intervention in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita at the 2006 Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association, New Orleans, LA, August 10-13, 2006.

Dr. Peter Hartsock, DESPR, participated in a ground-breaking ceremony by the Acting Surgeon General for a new research building at the Uniformed Services University for the Health Sciences, October 23, 2006 in Bethesda, MD. Dr. Hartsock spoke on research opportunities related to substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, emerging diseases, and international cooperation.

Dr. Peter Hartsock represented NIDA at the Fogarty International Center's ICOHRTA AIDS/TB (International Clinical, Operational, & Health Services Research Training for AIDS/TB) meeting in Bethesda, MD, on August 23, 2006. With other NIH ICs, NIDA contributes funding to ICOHRTA activities overseen by Fogarty. ICOHRTA grantees in Russia, funded in large part by NIDA, have offered to provide the venue for the next (2007) ICOHRTA meeting.

Dr. Peter Hartsock participated in a Pentagon-hosted planning meeting on September 9, 2006 in Arlington, Virginia, on social and political destabilization associated with drug trafficking, specifically the heroin trade, and HIV/AIDS, along the "Silk Road" in Central Asia. The increase in illicit drug trafficking has major implications for national and international security. The Department of Defense has given this matter priority status for research on the scope and causes of the problem. Dr. Hartsock reported on NIDA-supported molecular epidemiologic research on the heroin trade and HIV sub-types which follow the drug trade through Central Asia.

Dr. Dionne Jones, DESPR, organized and chaired two panel presentations, "Treating Drug Abuse in Vulnerable Populations: A Human Right"; and "Drugs, HIV and Incarceration Among African Americans: Research Needs and Intervention Strategies" at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in Boston, MA, November 4-7, 2006.

Drs. Dionne Jones and Aria Crump, DESPR, served as faculty/consultants to participants attending the NIDA Research Development Seminar, October 2-3, 2006 at the Doubletree Hotel, Rockville, MD.

Dr. Dionne Jones, DESPR, gave a presentation on "Effective Interventions for Substance Abusers at Risk for HIV/AIDS" at the CSAP/SAMHSA Grantee Training Institute, in Miami, Florida, September 21, 2006.

Dr. Dionne Jones, DESPR, organized and chaired a panel presentation on "Effective Interventions for Drug Abusing Women At Risk for HIV/AIDS" at the American Psychological Association, New Orleans, LA, August 10-13, 2006.

On September 28, 2006, Dr. Jody Sachs presented the CCTN Classroom Series. Dr. Sachs is a Scientific Project Officer at the National Center for Research Resources/NIH and supervised the development of the National Electronics Clinical Trials and Research (NECTAR) Network. She presented an update on the NIH Roadmap Clinical Research Networks and NECTAR. The goal of NECTAR is to provide the informatics infrastructure that will serve as the backbone for interconnected and inter-operable research networks.

Dr. Harold Perl, CCTN, was an invited participant in the conference titled "Implementing and Sustaining Evidence-Based Drug Treatment in Criminal Justice Settings", organized by the Center on Evidence-based Interventions for Crime and Addiction (CEICA) on December 6-7, 2006 in Philadelphia, PA.

On October 12, 2006, Dr. Paul Wakim, CCTN, discussed Site Effect at the CCTN Classroom series. Dr. Wakim is a Senior Statistician in the Center for the Clinical Trials Network (CCTN) at NIDA. He discussed the guidance document on site effect in multi-site clinical trials on substance abuse treatments. He summarized the main points of the guidance document at the Classroom Series and discussed this at the National CTN Steering Committee in Seattle, WA.

On November 9, 2006, Dr. Cora Lee Wetherington presented Gender Analysis and the Women and Gender Group at NIDA. Dr. Wetherington, NIDA's Women & Gender Research Coordinator, serves as Chair of NIDA's Women and Gender Research Group and as NIDA's representative to the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health.

On November 10, 2006, Dr. Janet Levy, CCTN, gave an invited seminar for students and staff in the quantitative psychology program at the University of Kansas in Lawrence Kansas. The topic of the seminar was the role of the quantitative psychologist in the development and implementation of clinical trials.

Dr. Petra Jacobs, CCTN, co-chaired a symposium entitled: "Interface between Pain and Opioids: New Horizons" along with Dr. Roger Weiss at the 17th Annual American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP) Meeting & Symposium. The meeting was held in St. Pete Beach, Florida, December 7-10, 2006. Presenters included Dr. Walter Ling, Dr. Martin Angst and Dr. Steven Passik.

Dr. Jonathan Katz, IRP, was invited to give a talk entitled: Atypical Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors: Curious Clues about Cocaine from Dubious Drugs. Presentation to the Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, September 2006.

Dr. Amy Newman, IRP, was invited to give a lecture at the Department of Chemistry, Howard University on December 1, 2006.