Planned Meetings

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is presenting a research track at the American Psychiatric Association's 159th Annual Meeting, May 20-25, 2006, in Toronto, Canada. The NIDA program includes sessions on adolescent brain development and its implications for psychiatric treatment; understanding and assessing the complex issue of addiction to prescription medications; the methamphetamine epidemic in the United States; pharmacogenetics and drug abuse research; the neurobiological basis for co-occurring substance abuse and other psychiatric disorders; and nicotine dependence and schizophrenia and the neurobehavioral pathways. This year's program will build on the research tracks NIDA has offered the last several years at the APA meeting to raise awareness of new and emerging issues in addiction and psychiatry and provide important information related to best practices and treatment strategies. A number of NIDA staff, including NIDA's Director, Dr. Nora Volkow, will participate in the 2006 meeting.

NIDA, in collaboration with the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), and the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) is planning a meeting Blending Research and Practice: Enhancing State Capacity to Implement Evidence-Based Practices on June 4, 2006 at the Albuquerque Marriott Hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico in conjunction with the 2006 Annual NASADAD/NPN/NTN Conference. This meeting builds on a series of meetings held over the past two years to enhance state-based blending of research, practice, and policy to improve the quality of drug abuse services nationwide.

NIDA is organizing a program of events at this year's American Psychological Association (APA) Annual Meeting in New Orleans, August 10-13, 2006. A number of NIDA staff throughout the Institute are involved in organizing and/or presenting on a wide range of session topics such as: environmental influences on brain development; what is the added value of social neuroscience to drug abuse treatment; what we have learned from Katrina and its effects on drug abuse, relapse, risk behaviors, and coping strategies; the epidemiology of HIV/AIDS risks associated with changing patterns and trends in non-injecting drug abuse; the commonality between addiction and obesity; and inhibitory dysregulation and drug abuse. In addition, NIDA Director, Dr. Nora Volkow, will make a presentation in an invited APA Division 28 symposium on the integration of behavioral and brain sciences and research on the nature of addiction. NIDA is also co-sponsoring an Early Career Investigator Poster Session with APA's Divisions 28 and 50 and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) as part of the two Divisions' Social Hour.

NIDA will host Blending Addiction Science & Practice: Bridges to the Future at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, October 16-17, 2006. This 2-day conference will bring together clinicians and researchers, to examine cutting-edge findings about drug use and addiction and their application to clinical practice.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, will host the 2006 National Conference on Women, Addiction and Recovery: News You Can Use, July 12-14, 2006, in Anaheim, CA. This 2 _ -day conference will advance the field of women's substance abuse treatment by presenting the latest research and discussing how it can be applied and implemented to improve clinical practice and service delivery for women with substance use disorders. Over 40 invited speakers will be featured including nationally recognized researchers on women's substance abuse treatment, as well as practitioners testing innovative and promising practices to address a range of problems experienced by women with substance use disorders and their families. NIDA members on the conference planning committee are Drs. Dorynne Czechowicz, Lisa Onken, and Cora Lee Wetherington.

On June 18, 2006, at the College on Problems of Drug Dependence 66th Annual Scientific Meeting, Nathan M. Appel, Ph.D. will co-chair a symposium entitled: Developments in Methamphetamine Abuse Targets and Pharmacotherapies. The symposium will provide an update on several candidate pharmacotherapies that have emerged from different rationales and mechanism-based targets. Dr. Dwoskin will report on lobeline, an alkaloid targeting the vesicular monoamine transporter-2; Dr. Stephen Dewey will report on vigabatrin, an irreversible GABA-transaminase inhibitor; Dr. S. Michael Owens will report on neutralizing monoclonal antibodies directed against methamphetamine; and Dr. Thomas Newton will report on perindopril, an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor. Dr. Appel will serve as the discussant.

On June 20, 2006, at the CPDD Annual Scientific Meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona, Nora Chiang, Ph.D. will introduce and chair the NIDA Medications Workshop: New Opportunities for Chemists and Pharmacologists. David McCann, Ph.D. will present "The evolution of NIDA's medications discovery programs," Jane B. Acri, Ph.D. will present "New molecular targets as potential pharmacotherapies for drug addiction," and Ming Shih, Ph.D will present "NIDA resources supporting medications discovery and development." Rik Kline, Ph.D. will serve as the discussant.

Two CTN workshops will be held at the College on Problems of Drug Dependency (CPDD) Annual Meeting June 17-22, 2006, in Scottsdale, AZ. The workshops are entitled: 1) HIV/AIDS Research in the NIDA Clinical Trials Network: Emerging Results and 2) Addressing Health Disparities Research in the CTN.

Two symposia, a workshop, poster and paper will be presented at the 27th Annual Meeting of the Society for Clinical Trials by the CCTN. The meeting will be held May 21-24, 2006 in Orlando, Florida:

• Two symposia: 1) Analytical Issues Unique to Multi-Site Trials: Which Are Resolved and Which Are Still Controversial?; Dr. Paul Wakim, organizer; 2) Group Therapeutic Interventions for Drug Dependence and Mental Health: What questions to ask and how to design trials to answer them?; Dr. Janet Levy, organizer.
• Dr. Mary Ellen Michel, Deputy Director, CCTN, will be an invited speaker at a workshop on Clinical Trials Networks. She will speak on the sponsor's perspective on networks, including advantages and disadvantages, governance, oversight, budgeting, obstacles and opportunities. Nancy Hamilton, Director of Operation PAR in Florida, and Vice-Chair of the CTN Steering Committee, will present the perspective of a participating clinical center. Michele Straus, Principal Investigator of the Clinical Coordinating Center, EMMES Corporation, will present the role of clinical coordinating centers.
• Carmen Rosa will present a poster titled: "Ensuring Good Clinical Practice: A Multi-Level Approach." The poster will be co-authored by Royce Sampson (Southern Consortium Node) and Aimee Campbell (Long Island Node).
• Dr. Janet Levy will present a paper titled, "Designing Trials to Develop Adaptive Treatment Strategies to Treat Prescription Opioid Dependence." The co-authors are Roger Weiss (Northern New England Node PI) and Carl Pieper (Data and Statistics Center PI).

The next National CTN Steering Committee Meeting is planned for October 16-20, 2006 in Seattle, Washington.