National Institute on Drug Abuse
Director's Report to the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse
May, 2000
Meetings/Conferences
NIDA co-hosted with the Society for Women's Health Research a seminar entitled Gender Differences in Addiction and Recovery at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, on January 29, 2000. NIDA Director, Dr. Alan I. Leshner and experts in the field of addiction research, prevention, and treatment discussed the latest findings about such issues as use of multiple substances, family problems, violence, victimization, HIV/AIDS, and treatment programs. The event drew over 150 individuals from throughout the Washington metropolitan area, representing treatment professionals, women's groups, and members of the general public.
The Fourth Annual PRISM Awards were held on March 21, 2000, at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. NIDA co-sponsored the event with the Entertainment Industries Council and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Other participants included the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Office of Smoking and Health. These awards are bestowed yearly to members of the entertainment community who have accurately depicted drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse, and addiction in their productions.
On April 14, 2000 NIDA sponsored Steroids, Science, and Youth: A Research Roundtable on Anabolic Steroids to mark the launch of a comprehensive public information initiative by NIDA in response to the increased use of steroids reported by young people throughout the United States. The meeting and a press conference were held in the National Press Club in Washington, DC.
On March 27, 2000, NIDA conducted a workshop entitled Effects of in Utero Exposure to Methamphetamines. Researchers and clinicians discussed what is known and what research is needed regarding the effects of methamphetamine and closely-related analogs (e.g., MDMA, or "ecstacy") on the developing fetus and child. The meeting was sponsored by the NIDA Child and Adolescent Workgroup, and was chaired by Dr. Jerry Frankenheim. A summary of the meeting will be available on the NIDA website in the very near future, and a report on the meeting is expected in JAMA.
NIDA, the Trans-NIH Non-Mammalian Models Committee, and the National Human Genome Research Institute co-sponsored a Genome Focus Group for NIH extramural scientists entitled DNA Microarray Technology, held on April 3, 2000 in the Lister Hill Auditorium on the NIH campus. The program focused on the basics of array experiments, with an emphasis on practical issues related to the review and funding of DNA microarray research. Dr. Rebekah S. Rasooly co-chaired the event.
Drs. Minda Lynch, Susan Volman, DNBR, and Joseph Frascella , DTR&D organized a workshop at the Society for Biological Psychiatry at the annual convention in May, 2000. The workshop, entitled Frontal Cortical Function and Drug Abuse, featured preclinical and clinical investigators who study frontal cortical functions in motivation, using lesion, neuroimaging, electrophysiological and neuropsychological techniques. A specific role was addressed for frontal cortical circuits, including complex neurotransmitter interactions, in both primary drug reward and incentive motivational processes. Modulatory functions of this prefrontal region in higher order cognition were considered.
A workshop co-sponsored by NIDA and co-chaired by Dr. Rebekah S. Rasooly, entitled Molecular Genetics of Substance Abuse: Analyzing Complex Traits, was held at the annual meeting of the Society for Biological Psychiatry in Chicago on May 12, 2000. The purpose of the workshop was to provide insight on how researchers in human genetics are studying multi-gene traits such as alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and smoking, and traits, such as deafness, that are caused by defects in any one of many different genes.
The Intersection of Stress, Drug Abuse and Development, co-chaired by Drs. Nancy Pilotte and Pushpa Thadani, was held on January 19-20, 2000 at the Neuroscience Center. Proceedings will be published in Psychopharmacology.
A two-day CTN Steering Committee Meeting was held December 8-9, 1999, at the Gaithersburg Hilton Hotel. This was the first two- day meeting of the newly formed Steering Committee for the Clinical Trials Network. This meeting focused on procedures for submitting concepts to initiate research activities, development of time lines for clinical trials, and setting up subcommittees to address issues for data management, training, regulatory affairs, quality assurance, publications, and protocol development.
A conference was co-sponsored by the Treatment Workgroup and the CTN entitled Bridging the Span - Research to Treatment on January 6, 2000. Dr. Nancy Petry (University of Connecticut Health Center) and Dr. Chris Farentinos (Change Point, Portland, Oregon community treatment provider) shared their experiences from opposing viewpoints on how to bridge the gap from research to treatment.
A CTN National Steering Committee Meeting was held on January 18-19, 2000, in Los Angeles, California. Each of the five nodes proposed two protocol concepts for consideration by the entire CTN. The concepts were reviewed, voted upon, and prioritized by numerical score. Three concepts were selected for the first trials within the Network. Lead Investigators were selected to form across-node teams to draft and implement the new protocols.
On January 27, 2000, the first meeting of the NIDA CTN Oversight Ad Hoc Group met and was chaired by NIDA Director, Dr. Alan Leshner. The Group reviewed the first three clinical trial concepts selected at the January 18-19, 2000 Steering Committee Meeting in LA. The Oversight Ad Hoc Group unanimously approved the first three concepts: (1) Buprenorphine/NX as a Detoxification Medication for the Treatment of Opiate Abuse and Dependence, (2) Motivational Incentives for Improved Treatment Outcomes, and (3) Motivational Enhancement Treatment to Improve Engagement and Outcome.
A CTN National Steering Committee Meeting was held on March 14-15, 2000, in Baltimore, Maryland. The two-day meeting focused on development of the three approved protocols, common assessment battery, AIDS trial opportunities, third party payers issues, and mission and responsibility for each of the subcommittees. Dr. Alan Leshner gave a Director's Report and updated the CTN members on the proposed future expansion of the Network. Members from the recently awarded New York Node were introduced and assigned committee responsibilities.
On March 16, 2000, the CTN co-sponsored a seminar with NIDA's Treatment Workgroup and Women and Gender Research Group. The meeting was entitled, Relationship Psychology: A Schema of Women's Addiction. The speaker was Dr. Nancy Waite-O'Brien, Director of Psychological Services at the Betty Ford Center, Palm Springs, California. The Betty Ford Center is one of the Community Treatment Providers in the Pacific Region Node of the Clinical Trials Network.
A day-long NIDA sponsored Symposium entitled Treating the Multiple Drug Abuser: Science-Based Approaches was held on Saturday April 15, 2000 at the American Society of Addiction Medicine Medical-Scientific Conference in Chicago, Illinois. The purpose of this meeting was to provide scientific information on behavioral and pharmacological treatment approaches for the multiple drug abuser. Dr. Frank Vocci, Director, Division of Treatment Research and Development, chaired the NIDA Symposium. Dorynne Czechowicz, M.D., Jack Blaine, M.D., and Betty Tai, Ph.D. organized this meeting.
A NIDA sponsored Workshop entitled Office-Based Treatment with Buprenorphine was held on Tuesday April 11, 2000 at the American Methadone Treatment Association Conference in San Francisco. Participants included: Dr. Frank Vocci, Director of DTR&D, NIDA; Robert Walsh, DTR&D, NIDA; Dr. Walter Ling, UCLA; Dr. Paul Casadonte, NYU Medical Center; and Dr. Donald Wesson, Friends Research, CA. The workshop reviewed the pharmacology of buprenorphine; the experience of the NIDA-supported office-based buprenorphine trials, and provided science-based clinical information that physicians will need to know to use buprenorphine effectively. Dr. Dorynne Czechowicz represented NIDA on the AMTA planning Committee and also organized the NIDA buprenorphine workshop.
NIDA co-sponsored a National Conference on Drug Abuse Treatment in the Correctional System with the National Development & Research Institute, Inc. (NDRI) in Bethesda, MD on March 15-17, 2000. Mr. Richard Millstein, Deputy Director, NIDA, and Dr. Fred Streit, NDRI welcomed the 140 participants and NIDA Director, Dr. Alan Leshner provided the keynote address. Drs. Peter Delany, DESPR, Cora Lee Wetherington, DNBR, Henry L. Francis, CAMCODA, and Bennett Fletcher, DESPR, and Drs. John Baumann, Harry Wexler, and Stan Sacks from NDRI acted as facilitators on the 7 panels with 42 speakers from the fields of corrections and treatment. Dr. Peter Delany, DESPR, and Dr. John Baumann, NDRI, organized and co-chaired the meeting.
Dr. Kesinee Nimit, Scientific Review Administrator for the Clinical, Epidemilogical, and Applied Sciences Review Branch, OEA, organized a seminar in conjunction with the NIDA Treatment Research Subcommittee ("NIDA-E") in Washington, DC on February 29, 2000. Marilyn Huestis, Ph.D., Acting Chief of Chemistry and Drug Metabolism Section, Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, NIDA, spoke on "Analysis of Drugs in Alternative Matrices; New Drug Monitoring Techniques." Lisa Onken, Ph.D., Associate Director for Behavioral Treatment Research, and Chief, Behavioral Treatment Development Branch, Division of Treatment Research and Development, NIDA, addressed "NIDA Behavioral Therapy Development Program." The seminar was well attended by the Treatment Research Subcommittee members and NIDA staff.
Dr. Steven Grant, DTR&D, organized and chaired a symposium entitled Cognitive Neuroscience & Drug Addiction: Primed for Interaction? at the annual meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society in San Francisco, California, April 8-12, 2000. The participants were: Trevor W. Robbins from the University of Cambridge, who spoke on "From Experimental Animals to Human Drug Abusers in the Neuropsychopharmacology of Addiction"; Hans Breiter, MGH-NRM Center Harvard Medical School, "Using fMRI to Dissect Human Reward Function into Its Cognitive Subprocesses"; Jonathan D. Cohen, Princeton University, "The Role of Prefrontal Cortex, Anterior Cingulate and Locus Coeruleus in Cognitive Control and the Regulation of Behavior"; and Janet A. Metcalfe, Columbia University, "Hot/Cool Framework of Cognition and Emotion: Application to Drug Addiction."
Dr. Joseph Frascella co-organized a workshop with Dr. Linda Porrino on Imaging in the New Millennium at the Spring Brain Conference in Sedona, Arizona, March 10, 2000.
Dr. Kathy Etz, PRB, DESPR, planned and facilitated a meeting on "Drug Abuse Prevention Research in the Native American Context" co-sponsored by NIDA and the IHS held on April 6-7, 2000 in Washington, D.C. NIDA Deputy Director, Richard A. Millstein presented opening remarks and Dr. Elizabeth Robertson, PRB, DESPR, presented on prevention research at NIDA. Rick Harrison, OEA, also participated in the meeting.
The Community Research Branch, DESPR, sponsored a talk by William Vega, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Dr. Vega's talk entitled A Profile of Crime, Violence, and Drug Use Among Mexican Immigrants was held at the Neuroscience Center on March 15, 2000. Mr. Richard A. Millstein, NIDA Deputy Director and Acting Director, Division of Epidemiology, Services and Prevention Research presented opening remarks.
On March 15, 2000, NIDA's Prevention Research Branch, DESPR, sponsored a presentation by Dr. Kris Bosworth, University if Arizona, on the topic of Protective Schools.
Mr. Richard A. Millstein, Deputy Director, NIDA, testified before the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee on the President's Budget Request for NIDA, FY 2001, Washington, D.C., March 30, 2000.
Mr. Richard A. Millstein was a panelist at the Town Meeting of the Lonnie Mitchell HBCU Conference on Substance Abuse, Baltimore, Maryland, April 6, 2000.
Mr. Richard A. Millstein hosted ONDCP Director General Barry R. McCaffrey at a presentation of recent research findings by the NIDA Intramural Research Program and NIDA-funded scientists at the Johns Hopkins University Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland, April 7, 2000.
Mr. Richard A. Millstein presented an overview of NIDA research programs and priorities to the Okura Mental Health Leadership Fellows, Rockville, Maryland, April 17, 2000.
Mr. Richard A. Millstein presented opening remarks at the Second Annual Meeting of NIDA-Funded Communications Researchers, Rockville, Maryland, April 24, 2000.
Mr. Richard A. Millstein presented opening remarks at the Second Annual Meeting of the NIDA Communications Researchers, ONDCP Anti-Drug Media Campaign staff, and Campaign Evaluators, Rockville, Maryland, April 25, 2000.
Mr. Richard A. Millstein presented on next steps and new directions to the DATOS researchers, Ft. Worth, Texas, May 8-9, 2000.
Dr. Timothy P. Condon, Associate Director, NIDA, provided an overview of brain research as it applies to recovery and implications for clinical practices leading to recovery at "An Open Forum on Behavioral Health Care in the Year 2000 and Beyond, Innovative Clinical Practices Leading to Recovery: A Summary of Research from the Decade of the Brain with Implications for Improved Treatment" on February 10, 2000. Dr. Condon's presentation, "Understanding Drug Abuse and Addiction: Implications for Treatment and Prevention", to the L2000+ Leadership Development Academy for Emerging Leaders in Mental Health and Addiction Services Agencies at the John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy in Columbus, Ohio was followed by a discussion of the role of future behavior health care leadership in light of information on the brain and recovery.
Dr. Timothy P. Condon made a keynote presentation, "Focus on Methamphetamine", and participated as a panelist at a conference in Springfield, Missouri entitled "On Thin Ice: Confronting Methamphetamine in the Ozarks" on April 13, 2000.
Dr. Timothy P. Condon made a presentation entitled "Club Drugs in the LGBT Community" on April 29, 2000 at the "The March for Equality - Making Strides in LGBT Health and Policy" at George Washington University in Washington, DC.
On May 11, 2000, Dr. Timothy P. Condon gave a keynote presentation, "Addiction as a Brain Disease: Implications for Research and Practice", at a symposium entitled "The Many Masks of Depression" in Providence, Rhode Island sponsored by Harbor Healthcare Management and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island.
On February 4, 2000, Dr. Timothy P. Condon, Associate Director, NIDA and Dr. Jack B. Stein, Deputy Director, OSPC, conducted a NIDA Briefing for International Students in Action in Atlanta, GA on "Understanding Drug Abuse and Addiction: What the Research Reveals". Sessions hosted by Drs. Condon and Stein included: "Drugs and the Brain; Principles of Drug Abuse Prevention and Drug Addiction Treatment"; "Risks, Raves, and Research: Update on Club Drugs"; and "Putting the Research to Use: Overview of NIDA Resources and How to Access Them".
Dr. Timothy P. Condon, Associate Director, NIDA and Dr. Jack B. Stein, Deputy Director, OSPC conducted two repeated workshops on April 6 and 7, 2000 titled, "Raves, Risks, and Research: Update on Club Drugs" at the Parents Resource Institute for Drug Education (PRIDE) Youth Programs annual conference in Louisville, Kentucky, April 5-8, 2000.
Dr. Jack Stein, Deputy Director, OSPC, presented a workshop on "Understanding Drug Addiction" at the Commonwealth Prevention Alliance 2000 conference in State College, Pennsylvania on April 13, 2000.
Dr. Cindy Miner, Deputy Chief, Science Policy Branch, OSPC, attended the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry's Annual K12 Retreat from March 2 - 5, 2000 to view the progress of the Academy's research training program and discuss NIDA's research training program.
Dr. Cindy Miner, OSPC, attended the Association of Neuroscience Departments and Programs annual meeting held on May 8, 2000 at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. to discuss research training initiatives at NIDA.
Dr. Cindy Miner, OSPC, attended the American Psychiatric Association Committee on Research Training's fifth annual "Research Colloquium for Junior Investigators", May 14, 2000 at the University of Illinois in Chicago. The colloquium was designed to connect young investigators with their peers and with senior investigators to discuss research opportunities.
Dr. Cindy Miner, OSPC, was invited to represent NIDA at "NIAAA/NIDA/NIMH Grants and Career Development" at the 2000 American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting held in Chicago, May 17, 2000. Dr. Miner discussed NIDA's research training program and funding opportunities in drug abuse and addiction research.
In recognition of Brain Awareness week, Dr. Cathrine Sasek, Dr. Cindy Miner, and Monica Jones, OSPC, participated in a two day event for 5-8th graders at the National Museum of Health and Medicine, held April 15-16, 2000. The students rotated through several stations in the museum where they had the opportunity to participate in activities and ask questions about a variety of brain related research areas. NIDA's station focused on how drugs act in the brain. In addition, Dr. Sasek conducted a plenary session entitled "Your Brain and Drugs."
On January 13, 2000, Dr. Lula Beatty, Chief, Special Populations Office, presented a session on opportunities in drug abuse research to participants in NIH's Extramural Associates program in Bethesda, Maryland.
On February 3, 2000, Dr. Lula Beatty presented grants development sessions for faculty from the Atlanta University center schools at Spelman College in Atlanta, GA.
On March 1-2, 2000, Dr. Lula Beatty was a representative of NIDA at the HHS Diversity Council conference in Washington, DC.
On March 9, 2000, Dr. Lula Beatty attended the advisory committee meeting of the Recruited Scientist Program at North Carolina Central University, one of the HBCUs in the HBCU cooperative agreement program jointly supported by NIDA and ORMH.
On March 23-26, 2000, Dr. Lula Beatty attended the governance committee meetings of the American Psychological Association in Chantilly, VA. She participated in the Committee on Women in Psychology, a committee of the Public Interest Directorate.
On March 28, 2000, Dr. Lula Beatty participated in a CSAT sponsored meeting in Bethesda, Maryland to discuss their efforts to examine the long-term effects of treatment with adolescents.
On April 6-7, 2000 Dr. Lula Beatty attended the Lonnie E. Mitchell National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Substance Abuse Conference in Baltimore, MD. She moderated a session on epidemiological factors in drug abuse. The meeting was co-sponsored by NIDA.
Dr. Peter Hartsock, CAMCODA, organized and chaired a special conference at the Cosmos Club, Washington, D.C. on January 14, 2000 dealing with cutting edge assessment of the public health impact and cost effectiveness of AIDS intervention measures. Presenters consisted of scientists from Yale, Stanford, and UCSF who are working under a consortium headed by the Societal Institute of Mathematical Sciences (SIMS) and which is funded by NIDA. The object of the SIMS project has been to develop instruments for assessing the impact of AIDS intervention measures--from behavioral interventions through vaccines.
Dr. Peter Hartsock, CAMCODA, represented the Department at the annual Seniors Meeting of the Federal Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC), March 13, 2000, Washington, D.C. The meeting was convened by National Science Foundation Director and IARPC Chairperson, Dr. Rita R. Colwell, to approve the Federal Arctic Research Plan for submission to the White House and to plan new Arctic research initiatives. Dr. Hartsock's recommendation for a circumpolar emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases (EREIDs) monitoring system was adopted for further development. The groundwork for such a network has already been started by collaborative U.S.-Russian EREIDs research and monitoring initiated by Dr. Hartsock, colleagues at NIAID, and Russian colleagues, and taps into the already existing "anti-plague monitoring station system" which spans the former Soviet Union.
Dr. Frank Vocci, Director, DTR&D, presented at the 32nd. Annual Meeting of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, March 22-26, 2000. Dr. Vocci's address summarized recent findings on the neurobiology of addiction, new treatment efforts, and findings regarding adolescents and vulnerability to drug abuse.
On April 13, 2000, Dr. Frank Vocci, Director, DTR&D attended the Annual Meeting of the Society for Addiction Medicine in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Vocci presented recent findings from NIDA sponsored research on "The Neurobiology of Addiction: Implications for Treatment" at the opening plenary session of the meeting.
On April 28, 2000 Dr. Frank Vocci, Director, DTR&D participated in a meeting at Elan-DSI to discuss the topic of naltrexone.
Dr. Elizabeth Rahdert and Dr. Dorynne Czechowicz, Behavioral Treatment Development Branch, DTR&D, participated in the NIDA Educational Display that was held at the Society of Adolescent Medicine Conference on March 24, 2000 at the Marriott Crystal Gateway Hotel, Arlington, VA.
On February 29, 2000, Dr. Lisa Onken, DTR&D, gave a presentation to the NIDA-E Treatment Research Subcommittee on NIDA's behavioral treatment research program.
Dr. Steven Grant, DTR&D, gave a seminar entitled "Imaging the Somatic-Marker Hypothesis in Addiction" at the Department of Neurology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, on March 10, 2000.
Dr. Steven Grant, DTR&D, gave an invited lecture on "Introduction to Brain Imaging" to first year medical students in a medical neuroscience course at the Finch Medical College of Chicago, North Chicago, Illinois, on March 22, 2000.
Dr. Steven Grant, DTR&D, gave a research seminar entitled "Cognitive Approaches to Addiction" at the Department of Neuroscience, Finch Medical College of Chicago, North Chicago, Illinois, on March 23, 2000.
Drs. Joseph Frascella and Steven Grant, both of DTR&D, represented NIDA at the 8th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine in Denver, Colorado, April 2-7, 2000. Also at this meeting, Dr. Frascella co-organized (along with Drs. Linda Chang and David Place) and participated in a workshop entitled "Strategies for Successful Clinical Research: FDA Approval, Grantsmanship, Funding Opportunities, and the Grants Process".
Drs. Steven Grant, DTR&D, Tony Simon, CAMCODA, David Shurtleff, DNBR, and Marina Volkov, OEA, represented NIDA at the annual meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society in San Francisco, California, April 8-12, 2000. NIDA remains the only NIH institute to have an exhibitor's booth at this meeting.
Drs. Steven Grant, DTR&D, and Marina Volkov, OEA, conducted a NIDA-sponsored Grant-Writing Workshop at the annual meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society in San Francisco, California, April 8-12, 2000. This was the first grant-writing workshop ever held at this meeting.
Dr. Steven Grant, DTR&D, represented NIDA at the inaugural meeting of the Motivational Network at Seabrook, South Carolina on April 15-17, 2000.
Dr. Joseph Frascella was invited to deliver a colloquium address entitled "Anatomy of Grant Writing: Dissecting the Process" at the Department of Psychology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, February 16, 2000.
Dr. Joseph Frascella gave a presentation sponsored by the Western North Carolina Society for Neuroscience entitled "On Obtaining NIH Funding: Dissecting the Process," at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine on April 11, 2000.
Dr. Joseph Frascella gave an invited address at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York on strategies for obtaining NIH funding at a small liberal arts college, April 28, 2000.
Dr. Joseph Frascella was a science judge in the Seventh Annual Undergraduate and Graduate Science Research Symposium hosted by Morgan State University, MBRS RISE Program and The School of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences, Baltimore, Maryland on April 20, 2000.
Dr. Elizabeth Robertson, DESPR, was appointed the NIDA representative to the National Prevention Coalition. The Coalition met on February 7, 2000 at the headquarters of the National Mental Health Association in Alexandria, VA.
Dr. Elizabeth Robertson, DESPR, participated in the Executive Seminar of the Aspen Institute held at the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, VA from February 28 to March 3, 2000.
On April 10, 2000, Dr. Elizabeth Robertson, DESPR, presented at the Carolina Consortium on Human Development, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Developing a National Research Agenda: The Role of the NIH.
Dr. Kathy Etz, PRB, DESPR, represented NIDA at tribal research meetings at the Mille Lacs and Bois Forte bands of Ojibwe in Northern Minnesota on March 7 and 8, 2000.
Dr. Kathy Etz, PRB, DESPR, participated in a session on new program developments at NIH at the Society for Research on Adolescence, Chicago, IL, March 31, 2000.
Dr. Kathy Etz, PRB, DESPR, presented a paper on recommendations for Drug Abuse Prevention Research at the Indian Health Service Research Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico on April 25, 2000.
Dr. James Colliver, DESPR, gave a presentation on the Patterns and Extent of Abuse of Smokable Substances at the American Chemical Society forum on Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Toxicology of Tobacco, Marijuana, and Related Substances: Pyrolysis Products, cosponsored by NIDA.
Dr. Leslie Cooper represented NIDA at the 2000 National Conference on African -Americans and AIDS on February 24 -25, 2000 in Washington, DC.
Dr. Leslie Cooper participated in the Department of Health and Human Services Diversity Conference in Washington, DC on March 1-2, 2000.
Ms. Susan David, DESPR, participated in a Symposium at Claremont Graduate University on February 26, 2000 entitled "Mass Media and Drug Prevention: Classic and Contemporary Theories and Research," which featured five NIDA prevention and communications research grantees, and will result in a book published by Erlbaum next year.
Beverly Jackson, OSPC, Dr. William Bukoski, DESPR, and, Dr. Elizabeth Robertson, DESPR, served as NIDA's representatives at a recent progress review meeting of the DHHS Secretary's Initiative on Youth Substance Abuse Prevention (YSAPI). The meeting was held with the Deputy Secretary, DHHS on February 10, 2000, in the Hubert Humphrey Building. The progress review included an update of NIDA's drug abuse prevention research initiatives and discussion of NIDA's media outreach program to the entertainment industry to include the PRISM awards.
Dr. William Bukoski, DESPR, serves as NIDA's representative to the Interagency Committee on School Health. The most recent meeting of the committee was held on February 15, 2000, at the Hubert Humphrey Building, Washington, D.C. The co-chairs of the committee are David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D., Surgeon General of the United States; Shirley Watkins, M.S., Under Secretary, Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, U.S. Department of Agriculture; and Lloyd Kolbe, Ph.D., Director, Division of Adolescent and School Health, CDCP. Lead agencies of the Interagency Committee on School Health include the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture in their collective efforts to increase the effectiveness of Federal efforts to improve the education and health of school-aged children, pre-kindergarten through the 12th grade.
On February 7, 2000, Dr. William Bukoski, DESPR, represented NIDA at a meeting of "The Exchange," a public-private sector group that discusses topics related to substance abuse prevention and treatment. The Exchange is affiliated with Join Together, a project funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, SAMHSA.
Dr. William J. Bukoski, DESPR, represented NIDA at the January 20, 2000, meeting of the Evaluation Guidance Committee for CSAP's National Cross-site Evaluation of the State Incentive Grant Program (SIG). The purpose of the meeting was to provide an update of the SIG program and to discuss the status of the planning process for the cross-site evaluation of this national program.
On March 29, 2000, Dr. William Bukoski, DESPR, served as a review judge to assess school applications competing for the Washington Regional Alcohol Program's (WRAP) year 2000 GEICO Student Organization Awards for excellence in promoting zero tolerance and alcohol and drug-free lifestyles.
Drs. Peter Delany and Jerry Flanzer, SRB, DESPR, participated in a technical assistance workshop on January 28, 2000, on grantmanship for doctoral students and new faculty. This day-long workshop provided new investigators with information on the fundamentals of grant writing and review. This is the 3rd workshop for new investigators that has been held under the leadership of NIDA and the Institute for Advancement in Social Work Research.
Drs. Peter Delany and Jerry Flanzer, SRB, DESPR, presented on funding opportunities and the new Social Work Research Development Program to 85 symposium participants at the Society for Social Work Research on January 29, 2000 in Charleston, SC.
Drs. Peter Delany and Jerry Flanzer, SRB, DESPR, presented on funding opportunities and the new Social Work Research Development Program to 40 workshop participants at the Council on Social Work Education on February 28, 2000 in New York, NY.
Dr. Bennett Fletcher, SRB, DESPR, presented on the DATOS study at the annual meeting of State Needs Assessment Planners, sponsored by SAMHSA/CSAT.
Dr. Bennett Fletcher, SRB, DESPR, presented on NIDA's health services research program at a meeting on Practitioner Research Networks, sponsored by SAMHSA/CSAT.
On April 7, 2000, Dr. Tsung-Ping Su of the IRP, NIDA, was invited to present as the plenary speaker in an International Symposium at Denver, Colorado. The symposium was entitled: "Behavioral Effects of Selective Sigma-1 Receptor Ligands: New Therapeutic Opportunities" and was sponsored by the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society, the French INSERM, Parke/Davis of US, and Taisho Pharmaceuticals of Japan. Dr. Su presented a talk entitled "Calcium Signaling Via Sigma-1 Receptors: New Mechanism for Cognitive Enhancement". The symposium included scientists from the U.S., Japan, France, and Canada.
Dr. Jean Lud Cadet presented "Methamphetamine-induced Apoptosis: Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms" at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York, February 2000.
Dr. Jean Lud Cadet presented "Dose-dependent Cognitive Effects of Cocaine" at Xavier College in New Orleans, LA, February 2000.
Dr. Jean Lud Cadet presented "Critical Substance Abuse Research Issues for the New Millennium" at Howard University, March 28, 2000.
Dr. Roy Wise, NIDA, IRP, presented a paper, "Dopamine and Reward: Simple as That?" at an invitational workshop on The Neural Mechanisms of Addiction organized by the Juan March Foundation in Madrid on December 13-15, 1999. Dr. Wise was invited to write the meeting summary to appear in the April issue of Neuron.
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