Pre-doctoral Training

Georgetown University
An interdisciplinary graduate training program that is closely integrated with the training programs in Neurosciences and Pharmacology. Multidisciplinary research opportunities utilize a variety of techniques from the molecular level to integrated systems and behavioral neuroscience. Faculty research focuses on the study of the effects of abused substances on cognition, receptors and signal transduction pathways, neuroimmune responses and development.
Project Director: Barbara M. Bayer, Ph.D.
bayerb@georgetown.edu

University of California, Irvine
This program is designed to train pre-doctoral students in the fundamentals of pharmacology and neuroscience with a special emphasis on substance abuse research. The goal of the program is to expose trainees to substance abuse research and prepare them for independent research careers in neuroscience and pharmacology in basic science departments, medical schools, and non-academic research laboratories. The program combines training in molecular and cellular pharmacology with training in chemical neuroanatomy and behavioral neurosciences. The 20 primary faculty have appointments across five different departments. All mentors are experienced trainers with active research laboratories. The program supports six predoctoral traineeships. Website at http://www.ucihs.uci.edu/pharmaco/TrainingGrant/
Project Director: Daniele Piomelli, Ph.D.
piomelli@uci.edu

University of Michigan
Interdisciplinary training program with research opportunities ranging from the level of molecular biology, to integrative and systems neuroscience to behavioral pharmacology. Faculty study a wide range of abused substances and neural systems related to their actions, including opioids, psychomotor stimulants, PCP, nicotine and sedative-hypnotics.
Project Director: Terry Robinson, Ph.D.
ter@umich.edu

University of North Carolina
Graduate training in areas related to drug and alcohol abuse. Areas include: behavioral pharmacology, neurobiology, neuropharmacology, neuroimmunology, genetic/behavioral correlates of drug dependence and clinical psychology.
Project Director: Linda Dykstra, Ph.D.
ldykstra@unc.edu

University of Texas at Austin
This broad-based neuroscience predoctoral training program offers the opportunity for conducting cross-disciplinary research in collaborating laboratories. Faculty research interests range from the molecular, through the biochemical, physiological, and electrophysiological, to the behavioral and computational. Trainees will choose laboratories in which they will conduct research rotations and present seminars, take a prescribed set of core neuroscience courses, as well as choose from a wide variety of elective courses.
Project Director: R. Adron Harris, Ph.D.
harris@mail.utexas.edu

Post-doctoral Training

Brown University, Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies
Post-doctoral program training behavioral, pharmacologic, social and health care scientists for a career in substance abuse intervention outcome research. Fellows will be trained in conjunction with an existing NIAAA postdoctoral research program that has been in place since 1986. The Center's primary research focus is the discovery of more effective treatments and early interventions for alcohol and drug abuse.
Project Director: Damaris Rohsenow, Ph.D.
Coordinator: Peg Ciarlone
Postdoc_training@brown.edu

Columbia University
This is a post-doctoral training program focusing on the neural mechanisms underlying drug dependence. Studies will range from genetic analysis, synaptic plasticity, circuitry, second messenger systems, and characterization of the actions of receptors, transporters, and ion conductances, and explore the pathways of receptor and transporter regulation, neuritic pruning, modes of neuronal and glial cell death, and to establish pathways that may provide for regeneration. The ultimate goal of this program is to train the next generation of scientists to examine the effects of drug abuse.
Project Director: David Sulzer, Ph.D.
ds43@columbia.edu

Columbia University
Post-doctoral training program for physicians and psychologists interested in pursing research careers in substance abuse. The primary goal is to provide future research and academic psychiatrists and other clinicians with the research skills and clinical expertise to play substantive roles in advancing knowledge about the etiology and treatment of substance use disorders. Research fields include basic neuroscience, genetics, epidemiology, behavioral pharmacology, epidemiology, psychopharmacology, clinical trials and treatment research.
Project Director: Frances Levin, M.D.
frl2@columbia.edu

Johns Hopkins University
Clinical research training program in human behavioral pharmacology. Candidates receive supervised clinical research training on various topics related to drug abuse, including intravenous drug abuse and the associated HIV risk behaviors involved in the spread of AIDS.
Project Director: George Bigelow, Ph.D.
bigelow@jhmi.edu

McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Center
Multidisciplinary postdoctoral training in clinical, preclinical, basic and treatment-related research on drug abuse is provided by faculty at the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Center. Trainees may participate in studies of behavioral pharmacology, neuroendocrinology, neurobiology, evaluation of novel analgesics, and brain imaging (MRI, MRS, fMRS). This research program also offers training in medicinal chemistry to develop novel medications, and in clinical and preclinical evaluations of the safety and effectiveness of new medications for drug abuse treatment. This Center focuses on drug abuse problems in women and gender comparisons, including the interactions between abused substances and neuroendocrine hormones.
Project Director: Nancy K. Mello, Ph.D.
nmello@mclean.harvard.edu

McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, NeuroImaging Center
Post-doctoral training in the field of brain imaging and drug abuse is offered as an integrated, multidisciplinary program jointly supported by the McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School and Boston University School of Medicine. The primary goal is to provide trainees with skills in brain imaging technology (MRI, MRS, fMRI, EEG) and advanced psychopharmacology to be used in basic science and applied research projects that include: acute intoxicating effects of drugs, cue-induced craving, cognitive effects, withdrawal, sleep disturbances, medication compliance, treatment, medication development as well as translational research between animals and humans. Training includes both formal course work and laboratory rotations via one of four tracks: 1) MR Technology and Instrumentation Track; 2) Basic Clinical Research Track; 3) Clinical Treatment Track; and 4) Translational Research Track.
Project Director: Scott E. Lukas, Ph.D.
lukas@mclean.org

Send CV and statement of research interests to: Ronna J. Shostak, BPRL, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill St., Belmont, MA 02478, or email to shostak@mclean.harvard.edu.

Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Post-doctoral training in basic biomedical research on the pharmacology of drugs of abuse. Projects range from molecular biology to behavioral pharmacology: theoretical modeling of drug-receptor interactions, regulation of gene expression, molecular mechanisms of signal transduction, neurophysiology, neurotransmitter release, prenatal effects of drug abuse, opioid analgesia and opioid self-administration.
Project Director: Lakshmi A. Devi, Ph.D.
devi.lakshmi@mssm.edu

New York University School of Medicine
Post-doctoral training program emphasizing basic research. Faculty members have active research programs focusing on brain reward mechanisms, molecular biology of opioid receptors, signal transduction in tolerance and dependence, dopamine as an extrasynaptic neurotransmitter, structure, function, and regulation of monoamine transporters, preclinical development of medications against cocaine dependence, noradrenergic mechanisms of stress and psychostimulant effects, and CNS correlates of drug craving in humans.
Project Director: Kenneth D. Carr, Ph.D.
kc16@nyu.edu

University of California, San Francisco
Postdoctoral program in drug abuse treatment and services research. Trainees work with a preceptor to design and implement studies on treatment of drug dependence, including nicotine dependence. Trainees also select a specific area of focus for independent research. Current research interests include trials of efficacy and effectiveness of psychosocial and pharmacologic treatment of drug abuse, including nicotine dependence; instrument development in drug abuse; diagnostic techniques and research on treatment tailored for HIV positive drug abusers and drug abusers with psychiatric and medical disorders; research on provision of services to drug abusing populations; innovative methodology including internet based studies; and treatment of complex patients in innovative settings.
Project Director: Sharon Hall, Ph.D.
shall@lppi.ucsf.edu

University of Michigan
This program offers post-doctoral training in the area of neurobiology and pharmacology of drugs of abuse, especially opioids and stimulants. The emphasis is on promoting scientific growth and acquiring conceptual and experimental tools key to understanding a) the basic biology of endogenous opioids and their receptors and the mechanisms of action of opiate drugs, b) the molecular, cellular, interneuronal and behavioral processes critical to drug seeking, drug dependence and drug tolerance. This endeavor is carried out in an interdisciplinary context, with research ranging from gene regulation to primate behavior.
Project Director: John Traynor, Ph.D.
jtraynor@umich.edu

Vanderbilt University Medical Center
The purpose of this Joint Program of Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Meharry Medical College is to appropriately prepare addiction psychiatrists embarking on combined clinical and research careers to engage in multidisciplinary research across the bench to bedside continuum. During this 2-year research training program, trainees will conduct an original interdisciplinary research project involving preceptors from at least two out of four conceptual frameworks (psychiatry, neuroimaging, molecular medicine, and biomedical informatics). They will also complete the required didactics for the Masters of Science in Clinical Investigation. Qualified applicants are either board eligible in Addiction Psychiatry or may complete clinical requirements prior to their research through an accelerated track at the Vanderbilt Department of Psychiatry.
Project Director: Peter R. Martin, M.D., Ph.D.
peter.martin@vanderbilt.edu

Washington University
Multidisciplinary post-doctoral training program in drug abuse research with preceptors from the Departments of Psychiatry, and the Division of Biostatistics and Infectious Diseases. Research facilities include a renovated center for genetic and epidemiologic studies with access to inpatients and outpatients of Barnes Jewish, Bliss and Childrens Hospitals.
Project Director: Theodore J. Cicero, Ph.D.
cicerot@msnotes.wustl.edu

Yale University
The central theme of the research in this post-doctoral program is the development and evaluation of innovative pharmacologic and behavioral treatments for substance abusers. Training can range in areas from molecular neurobiology and genetics to pharmacology and behavioral treatments, psychiatric epidemiology and health services research of drug abuse. This is a rich training environment, faculty with broad interests, many are world-renowned in their field.
Project Director: Ismene Petrakis, M.D.
ismene.petrakis@yale.edu

Yale University School of Medicine
This Postdoctoral Training Program in Substance Abuse Prevention Research is located within the Division of Prevention and Community Research and The Consultation Center, Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine. A combination of didactic, mentored, and independent research experiences over a two-year period is aimed at preparing future prevention scientists for careers as independent investigators with expertise in the development, implementation, and rigorous evaluation of science-based substance abuse prevention research. The program emphasizes three fundamental areas of learning: [1] conceptualization, design, and implementation of research within an ecological framework; [2] process of knowledge development and application in prevention science; and [3] research methodologies. Training includes state-of-the-art quantitative research methods and data analytic approaches, especially for the analysis of longitudinal research designs. Extensive training is also provided on the ethical conduct of research.
Project Director: David L. Snow, Ph.D.
david.snow@yale.edu

Yale University School of Medicine
Yale University has established a T32 program for interdisciplinary training in sciences related to neuroimaging. Neuroimaging technologies and applications today require a broad range of knowledge to establish and employ. The goal of this training program is to use its four postdoctoral training slots to cross-train basic scientists and physicians in technical, mathematical, biological, and administrative areas that are needed for modern neuroimaging studies.
Project Director: Graeme Mason, Ph.D.
graeme.mason@yale.edu

Pre- and Post-Doctoral Training

Albany Medical College
This training program in neuropharmacology and neuroscience provides a multifaceted approach to understanding mechanisms of abused drugs and to developing new agents for treating addiction through an integrated program of didactic work and in-depth research experiences.
Project Director: Stanley Glick, M.D., Ph.D.
glicks@mail.amc.edu

Brown University, The Miriam Hospital
This post-doctoral training program focuses on clinical research training in the areas of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of HIV, Hepatitis B and C, and STDs among substance users. The goal is to train MDs and PhDs in prevention intervention research and interventions to improve treatment and access to therapy for HIV, Hepatitis, TB, and STDs among "hard to reach" populations.
Project Director: Timothy P. Flanigan, M.D.
Administrator: Jennifer Hyde
jhyde@lifespan.org

Cornell University Weill Medical College
The Pharmacology-Neuroscience Drug Abuse Training Program will provide the opportunity for young investigators to participate in basic and clinical research in drug abuse. Training Faculty interests include the phenotypic consequences for pain states, opioid tolerance, reward, anxiety or gaseous anesthetic action of the mutation or deletion of opioid, glutamatergic, GABA or serotonergic receptors, the role soluble and transmembrane adenylyl cyclases in opioid signal transduction, in vivo receptor and drug imaging techniques, anatomical and ultrastructure characterization of the dopaminergic, glutamatergic and opioid peptides systems as they relate to the effects of drugs of abuse, the biological basis of opioid, cocaine and alcohol tolerance and dependency, maternal-fetal pharmacodynamics of drugs of abuse, drug abuse prevention research and the clinical pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of opioid and nonopioid analgesics. Predoctoral trainees will have a choice of a major concentration in either Pharmacology or Neuroscience. In addition to lectures and seminars devoted to topics in drug abuse, both the 5 pre and the 5 postdoctoral trainees will attend a biweekly Pain Conference at MSKCC where patient presentations are followed by a discussion with a multidisciplinary Pain Research Team of pain management, drug abuse and related issues. The program provides training in study design, biostatistics and the ethics of scientific research.
Project Director: Charles Inturrisi, Ph.D.
ceintur@med.cornell.edu

Emory University
This training program in The Neurobiology of Drug Abuse focuses on the mechanisms of drug use/abuse /dependence and offers interdisciplinary training. The goal is to produce scientists who have a depth of expertise in their main interest and a breadth of expertise in the neurobiology of drug abuse. The 18 faculty offer research in brain imaging, behavioral models, neuroanatomy, drug receptors and signal transduction, medications development and molecular biology and genetics.
Project Director: Michael J Kuhar, PhD.
mkuhar@rmy.emory.edu

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
The primary goal of this new training program is to increase the number and quality of quantitatively adept scientists who, after training, will conduct population field studies and other epidemiologic research on drug dependence and on related hazards associated with illicit drug use.
Project Director: William W. Latimer, Ph.D
wlatimer@jhsph.edu

Medical and Health Research Association of New York City, Inc. (MHRA)
This training program is designed to prepare social scientists for careers in research on drug abuse and HIV/AIDS. Training activities at National Development and Research Institutes (NDRI) emphasize: advanced courses in drug abuse theory and research methods and in substantive issues related to AIDS, crime, and other drug related topics. Fellows attend appropriate doctoral level courses at Columbia University, School of Public Health or other New York area universities.
Project Director: Bruce Johnson, Ph.D.
johnsonb@ndri.org

Medical University of South Carolina
Pre-doctoral and post-doctoral training for individuals who are interested in a multidisciplinary basic science and/or clinical approach to drug abuse issues. Our expertise is in translating research on the mechanisms of drug seeking behavior and its molecular/cellular substrates into pharmacotherapies for drug addiction. This site is the home of the South Carolina Node of the NIDA Clinical Trials Network.
Project Director: Jacqueline F. McGinty, Ph.D.
mcginty@musc.edu

Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
This is an epidemiological research training program for graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and summer research apprentices. The scientific focus is on drug dependence epidemiology and intervention research, with a multi-level population and ecological perspective. We pose research questions under five main rubrics of substantive epidemiology, as well as methodological research questions, and we seek increasingly definitive answers to questions of public health significance. The program provides talented investigators with opportunities to join ongoing NIDA-funded research projects and to design their own experiments, based on theories and research approaches of epidemiology and biostatistics, as well as the life-span developmental sciences, econometrics, and systems analysis.
Website: http://www.epi.msu.edu
Project Director: James C. Anthony, Ph.D.
Staff Contact: Olga Santiago
osantiago@epi.msu.edu

Northeastern University
The Center for Drug Discovery training program provides interdisciplinary training in the area of drug discovery and development. Our primary objective is to familiarize pre- and post-doctoral trainees with the chemical, physiological, pharmacological, and clinical aspects of pharmacotherapeutics for treating substance abuse, with particular focus on modulators of the endocannabinoid signaling system. This training program is broadened by the participation of premier scientists and laboratories from the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, as well as from clinical and translational research centers. Pre-doctoral students will earn a Ph.D. either in Pharmaceutical Sciences or in Chemistry and Chemical Biology; post-doctoral fellows will be trained in areas that include medicinal chemistry, structural and molecular biology, biochemical pharmacology, behavioral science, proteomics, metabolomics, and in vivo imaging, and may choose mentored academic projects at any of six program sites.
Northeastern University's website address: www.northeastern.edu
Project Director: Alexandros Makriyannis, Ph.D.
a.makriyannis@neu.edu

Oregon Health Sciences University
This program will train specialists to conduct preclinical research ranging from the molecular to the behavioral level on the biological mechanisms underlying the development, maintenance, and elimination of drug-seeking behavior. Thirty-one faculty will serve as preceptors for trainees at the cellular/molecular level, using molecular biological, electrophysiological, and fluorescence and electron microscopic techniques; at the level of physiological, biochemical, and pharmacological systems, using receptor binding, autoradiography, in vivo microdialysis and voltammetry, in vitro perfusion, and electrophysiological techniques; and in pharmacogenetics/behavioral pharmacology, using behavioral testing, intravenous drug self-administration, quantitative genetics, and genetic mapping techniques.
Project Director: Kim Neve, Ph.D.
nevek@ohsu.edu

Pennsylvania State University
This training program focuses on the interface of prevention research and methodology. The goal is train researchers in the development and application of cutting-edge research methods in the design and evaluation of substance abuse" and comorbid prevention programs for children, youth, families, and communities. The training program will develop researchers who: (1) are knowledgeable about the central principles and models of prevention science, (2) can utilize sophisticated modeling techniques for longitudinal data, and (3) have the capacity to translate these skills into development and refinement of strategies to improve the lives of young people. The program combines the strengths of the Prevention Research Center and The Methodology Centers to provides a high-quality, interdisciplinary training environment. More information can be found at http://www.prevention.psu.edu/grad/PAMT_2.html.
Project Director: Mark Greenberg, Ph.D.
mxg47@psu.edu
Training Director: Ed Smith, Ph.D.
eas8@psu.edu

Temple University School of Medicine
This program provides inter-disciplinary training in several areas of drug abuse research including behavioral, cellular, and molecular pharmacology, neuroscience, and immunology. Our current research emphasis is on investigating the effects of opioids, cocaine, and cannabinoids on behavior and on the brain and immune system. Training of predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows from the Departments of Pharmacology, Microbiology and Immunology, Psychology, and Biochemistry is provided, with experienced senior drug abuse researchers in each department to serve as mentors. This program provides the trainees with the opportunity to learn a variety of research skills and helps prepare them for independent careers in academia, industry, or government. Detailed research program descriptions can be found on our web sites, www.temple.edu/csar and www.temple.edu/pharmacology.
Project Director: Ellen Unterwald, Ph.D.
Ellen.Unterwald@temple.edu

University of California, Los Angeles
The UCLA Drug Abuse Research Training Center has provided training in drug abuse research to pre and post-doctoral fellows since its inception in 1991. This program will continue to include trainees at all levels of experience, including MDs. The objectives of the DARTC program are to provide intensive, comprehensive, integrated, interdisciplinary research training to an ethnically and experientially diverse group of trainees. In addition, trainees have access to large populations using every drug of abuse, from all racial and cultural backgrounds and from varied socioeconomic levels, set amid urban, suburban, and rural communities. The curriculum covers virtually every area of drug abuse research, including epidemiology, etiology, pharmacology, neurobiology, HIV/AIDS, the natural history of use/dependence, and the development and evaluation of pharmacological and behavioral interventions.
Project Director: Richard A. Rawson, Ph.D.
rrawson@mednet.ucla.edu

University of California, San Diego
The University of California San Diego and San Diego State University co-sponsor a T32 program focused on substance use, HIV and related infections that aims to train the next generation of behavioral researchers in public health disciplines (e.g. epidemiology, psychology, global health). The program currently has 2 predoctoral and 2 postdoctoral training slots. A unique feature of this program is the opportunity to engage in hands-on training in international drug abuse research, as several of the faculty have active research programs in the Mexico-US border region.
Project Director: Steffanie Strathdee, Ph.D.
sstrathdee@ucsd.edu

University of Chicago
This training program emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach aimed at characterizing the multiple actions of different drugs of abuse and deciphering the behavioral and neurobiological factors that contribute to their abuse. The programs span the neuropsychopharmacology, biochemistry, electrophysiology and molecular biology of drug abuse through to the study of behavioral and subjective effects of drugs in humans.
Project Director: Paul Vezina, Ph.D.
pvezina@yoda.bsd.uchicago.edu

University of Colorado - Boulder
The pre- and postdoctoral programs at the Institute for Behavioral Genetics provide training in the development and use of genetic strategies to study behavior, in general, and substance abuse in particular. Predoctoral students receive didactic training in molecular genetics, quantitative genetics, and behavioral genetics. All IBG predoctoral trainees are also graduate students in regular academic departments of the University of Colorado (e.g. Psychology, Integrated Physiology, Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology) and must, as a result, take the coursework required by the relevant academic requirement to complete the Ph.D. Both pre- and postdoctoral trainees will participate actively in drug abuse-related projects directed by IBG's faculty. This research ranges from animal model to human studies.
Project Director: Allan Collins, Ph.D.
Al.Collins@Colorado.edu

University of lllinois - Chicago
Pre- and Post-doctoral training focuses on the etiology and prevention of adolescent substance abuse, violence, unsafe sexual behaviors and AIDS. We emphasize longitudinal etiology research and randomized trials of prevention programs. The program is located in the Institute for Health Research and Policy, a cluster of 5 interdisciplinary research centers administered by the School of Public Health. This program allows fellows to work closely with faculty from various disciplines on ongoing etiology and prevention research projects and develop their own research programs.
Project Director: Robin Mermelstein, Ph.D.
robinm@uic.edu

University of Kentucky
This is an interdisciplinary program involving 15 faculty from a variety of departments including Anatomy and Neurobiology, Pharmacy, Neurology, Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, and Psychology whose objective is to prepare predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees for a career in drug abuse research. There is a rich tradition of drug abuse research at the University of Kentucky that currently includes a Center on Drug and Alcohol Research and a Center for Drug Abuse Research Translation. This program provided broad-based training in modern concepts of drug abuse research with an emphasis on studies of receptors involved in drugs of abuse, the development of ligands which interact with these receptors, enzymes that regulate opioid peptide action, and neuroAIDS. The focus of the training program is on the use of a spectrum of state-of-the-art methodological approaches such as structural biology, proteomics, molecular modeling, and microarray technology in conjunction with molecular biology, pharmacology and basic neuroscience to explore the mechanisms that are the foundation of drug abuse research.
Project Director: Louis B. Hersh, Ph.D.
lhersh@uky.edu

University of Kentucky, College of Medicine
Predoctoral and postdoctoral training program in health and drug abuse research that spans preclinical and clinical methodologies to community level interventions. Those selected for the program will be trained to solve research problems in interdisciplinary teams. The training faculty serve as models of multidisciplinary collaboration in the disciplines of psychology, pharmacology, sociology, neuroanatomy, nursing, psychiatry, public health, and communications. Their research is carried out in the laboratories, clinic research wards, community treatment centers, criminal justice settings, and residential research facilities.
Project Director: Thomas F. Garrity, Ph.D.
tgarrit@uky.edu

University of Michigan
This interdisciplinary training program focuses on the intersection of behavioral, epidemiological, and neuroscientific perspectives in the study of substance abuse. Trainees are expected to write for and present to multidisciplinary audiences as well as develop research competencies in their respective disciplines. Trainees will work with two faculty mentors, one mentor from the trainee's discipline and the other mentor from a complementary discipline.
Project Director: Margaret Gnegy, Ph.D.
pbynegy@umich.edu

University of Minnesota
The purpose of this training program directed by Dr. Seybold, is to provide an institutional pre- and post-doctoral training program that combines a broadly based curriculum training in neuroscience with research training focused on neuroscience-oriented approaches to drug abuse. The curriculum is based on the graduate program in neuroscience, emphasizing cellular and molecular, systems, developmental, and behavioral components of neuroscience
Project Director: Virginia Seybold, Ph.D.
vseybold@umn.edu

University of Minnesota
This is an interdisciplinary training program in the biology of drug abuse. Research training is available in laboratories offering a variety of experiences, e.g. receptor studies, signal transduction, transmitter neuropharmacology, animal and human behavioral pharmacology all approached from either a mechanistic or intervention strategy.
Project Director: Thomas Molitor, Ph.D.
molit001@tc.umn.edu

University of Pennsylvania
This program provides clinical and research training for physicians and post-doctoral researchers who wish to become qualified in treatment research for IV substance abusing patients, particularly as it relates to the care of those infected with, or at high risk, for infection with HIV. Trainees will be fully trained in all of the current behavioral psychological and pharmacological techniques.
Project Director: Charles O'Brien, M.D.
obrien@mail.trc.upenn.edu

University of Rochester
This program takes an interdisciplinary approach to the broad spectrum of the problems of drug abuse and the many directions of drug abuse research. The four divisions of the training program include: Behavioral Pharmacology, Biochemical Pharmacology, Clinical Pharmacology, and Molecular Pharmacology. Pre-doctoral students will be able to receive a Ph.D. degree from several interdisciplinary programs, including pharmacology, toxicology, psychology, and neuroscience.
Project Director: Jean Bidlack, Ph.D.
jean_bidlack@urmc.rochester.edu

University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
This program provides training in the neural and pharmacological mechanisms of abused drugs. The training faculty consists of members from the Departments of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Anatomy and Neuroscience, Physiology and Biophysics and the Department of Human Biological Chemistry and Genetics. The faculty has expertise in molecular, biochemical, cellular, neural systems and behavioral aspects of drugs of abuse.
Project Director: Kenneth M. Johnson, Ph.D.
kmjohnso@utmb.edu

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
Our program offers research training in diverse areas of neuroscience directly relevant to drug abuse and addiction. A distinguishing feature of the program is its multidisciplinary orientation. There is ongoing research at the level of molecular biology, genetics, cellular physiology, neuroanatomy, neuropharmacology, and behavioral neuroscience, and most trainees carry out research that spans several of these various disciplines. Trainees also benefit from the outstanding biomedical research community at UT Southwestern.
Project Director: Eric J. Nestler, M.D., Ph.D.
Eric.Nestler@UTSouthwestern.edu

University of Vermont
This training program is primarily involved in the behavioral pharmacology of human drug dependence. Research opportunities range from laboratory studies of human drug discrimination and self administration to clinical outpatient studies of behavioral and pharmacological treatment of IV cocaine abuse.
Project Director: Stephen Higgins, Ph.D.
stephen.higgins@uvm.edu

University of Washington
The unique strength of this faculty group is their expertise in the molecular pharmacology of signal transduction mechanisms likely to be affected by drugs of abuse. Previous research by this group includes 1) studies of the effects of opioids, phencyclidine, and cannabinoids on ion channel function, 2) the structure and biochemical properties of channels and enzymes known to be regulated by drugs of abuse, and 3) the effects of chronic exposure of opiates on the properties of specific neurons in the mammalian brain.
Project Director: Charles Chavkin, Ph.D.
cchavkin@u.washington.edu

University of Washington
This Nursing Research Training Program in Substance Abuse is interdisciplinary and offers two post-doctoral research fellowships for individuals holding a doctorate in Nursing; and two fellowships for individuals holding a doctorate in Psychology, Social Work, Psychiatry and/or other heath care disciplines. Additionally, there are two pre-doctoral traineeships for students enrolled in the University of Washington School of Nursing doctoral program. The training foci of this program are substance abuse epidemiological research and treatment research. The training opportunities, particularly in treatment research, are excellent. A NIDA Clinical Trials Network (CTN) is in progress at the University of Washington. There are ongoing clinical trials that combine psychosocial treatment with medication, intervention studies on substance abuse co-morbidities, and projects in the corrections/criminal justice/prison system. Numerous other training opportunities with other federally-funded mentor projects are also available.
Project Director: Elaine Adams Thompson Ph.D., RN
elainet@u.washington.edu

Virginia Commonwealth University
The principal objective of this training program is to prepare pre-doctoral and post-doctoral students for academic careers as independent scientists in the area of drug abuse research. Pre-doctoral students may enter the drug abuse training program after completing at least one year in the graduate program of the department. They will have had courses in biochemistry, physiology and general pharmacology and will have been exposed to research in at least four different laboratories by the time that they enter the drug abuse training program.
Project Director: William Dewey, Ph.D.
wdewey@hsc.vcu.edu

Washington University, George Warren Brown School of Social Work
The Social Work Training in Addictions Research (STAR) pre-doctoral and post-doctoral training program focuses on research on services and treatment of substance abusing and comorbid populations. It is associated with the NIDA-funded Comorbidity and Addictions Center, whose primary objective is to advance research on multisector services for drug, alcohol, and comorbid problems to underserved populations. The program prepares trainees for academic research placements in tenure track or post-doctoral fellowship positions.
Project Director: Arlene R. Stiffman, Ph.D.
arstiff@wustl.edu

Washington University School of Medicine
This program offers a broad range of research opportunities for individuals wishing to give primary emphasis in their research to drug abuse epidemiology, comorbidity, prevention, assessment or biostatistics. This program seeks to recruit and equip researchers from other backgrounds such as social work, infectious disease and public health, with the special skills that are needed to address challenging problems that are specific to drug abuse research.
Project Director: Linda Cottler, Ph.D.
cottler@epi.wustl.edu

Blueprint Research Training Sites

Training in Neuroscience Imaging: Integrating First Principles and Applications

Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard/MIT
The Advanced Multimodal Neuroimaging Training Program of Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Massachusetts General Hospital is designed to train a new cadre of scientists who are focused on basic and clinical neuroscience questions and possess the necessary physical science knowledge, computational skills, and familiarity with team science that optimally position them for major contributions using and developing the tools of neuroimaging: functional magnetic resonance imaging, magnetoencephalography, electroencephalography, positron emission tomography, and near-infrared spectrography. Students will be trained to understand the bases of these neuroimaging methods and apply them effectively to address fundamental principles as well as the most pressing modern issues of cognitive neuroscience. The pre-doctoral program is designed to facilitate interdisciplinary interactions in neuroimaging through project-based joint mentorship. In addition to a pre-doctoral program, a short-term program suited for individuals at any stage in their career is offered.
Project Director: Bruce R. Rosen, M.D., Ph.D.
bruce@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu

The University of Pittsburgh
There have been great advances in in-vivo imaging techniques, which allow neuroscientists the visualization of molecular, cellular, and system physiology and functions. The multimodal neuroimaging graduate training program was established as part of the Center for Neural Basis of Cognition and is operated jointly by the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. Its purpose is to train a new generation of interdisciplinary imaging scientists with the knowledge of basic neuroscience and underlying principles, as well as modeling and applications of a variety of different neuroimaging tools in an integrative context. Imaging tools include structural magnetic resonance imaging, functional MRI, positron emission tomography, magnetoencephalography, and optical imaging.
Project Director: Seong-Gi Kim, Ph.D.
kimsg@pitt.edu

University of California, Los Angeles
The NeuroImaging Training program provides combined graduate training in the principles of neuroscience and the technology of a wide variety of instrumentation methods. The emphasis is on core knowledge, such as electrical signaling, image processing, statistical analysis, and signals and noise, which the trainees can use ultimately to develop and customize methods within the neuroimaging platform to answer their own research questions. A separate short course program will be run annually to offer training to more senior investigators and collaboration opportunities at UCLA. Forty-eight faculty at UCLA and at CalTech participate as faculty in the training program. Website at http://www.brainmapping.org/NITP/
Project Director: Mark S. Cohen, Ph.D.
mscohen@ucla.edu

Training in Translational Research in Neurobiology of Disease

University of Kentucky
The purpose of this NIH Blueprint Translational Neuroscience Therapeutic Strategies for Neurodegeneration Training Program is to prepare promising predoctoral, postdoctoral and clinical scholars for successful careers in translational neuroscience aimed at the discovery and development of disease-modifying pharmacological and genetic therapies for devastating and unmet neurodegenerative diseases such as spinal cord injury (SCI), traumatic brain injury (TBI), stroke and Parkinson's Disease (PD). The program provides broad-based training in modern research concepts regarding the pathophysiology of these and other neurodegenerative disorders and potential disease-modifying molecular targets that can drive the discovery of pharmacological and gene therapeutic strategies by which the devastating effects of these disorders can be ameliorated. These strategies include both "neuroprotective" and "neurorestorative" approaches. Although it is anticipated that most of the trainees will pursue careers in laboratory-based therapeutic discovery research, they will also receive training in regards to the clinical aspects of the targeted neurological disorders and the practical issues involved in the design and conduct of neurological clinical trials.
Project Director: Edward D. Hall, Ph.D.
edhall@uky.edu

University of Minnesota
This program is designed to train basic scientists and clinicians in translational research focusing on the neurobiology of disease. A unique feature of this program is to provide training that combines predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows with clinical residents in an environment where basic scientists will be exposed to important clinical issues, and residents will be exposed to the latest advances in the laboratory. Interactions between basic scientists and clinicians during their training in this program are intended to facilitate the development of novel therapies for treating neurological disorders.
Project Director: Walter C. Low, Ph.D.
lowwalt@umn.edu

University of Pennsylvania
Post-doctoral training for physician-scientists interested in laboratory-based careers in translational research in neural injury and neurodegeneration. Trainee research will focus on neuroprotection for acute and chronic neurodegenerative diseases, including stroke, brain injury, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, motor neuron diseases, epilepsy, retinal degeneration, depression, schizophrenia, autism. Projects will be directed toward understanding pathophysiology and developing strategies for prevention, treatment, or cure. Each trainee will be mentored by two faculty members with complementary laboratory and clinical expertise. Individuals can apply during specialty training in any clinical neuroscience discipline, including Neurology (adult and child), Neurosurgery, Psychiatry, Neuropathology, Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology, Anesthesiology, and Emergency Medicine. Didactic training will include coursework in the neurobiology of disease, and workshops in clinical trial methodology, grant writing, statistics, bioethics, patient-oriented research, and new drug development. Prospective trainees can apply to, and be accepted into the Program before their clinical training ends, allowing them to begin preparations for a research career. Website at http://www.med.upenn.edu/translational/
Project Director: Marc A. Dichter, MD, Ph.D.
dichter@mail.med.upenn.edu

Training in Computational Neuroscience: From Biology to Model and Back Again

Carnegie Mellon University
The Interdisciplinary Training in Computational Neuroscience is a broadly-based computational neuroscience training program that provides opportunities for cross-disciplinary research in laboratories at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh at the undergraduate and Ph.D. student level. Programs include both a full year research and education program and a summer program for undergraduates, and also a Ph.D. training program. Training faculty come from a wide range of departments and programs across both universities and have research interests ranging from dynamical systems to machine learning to biophysics in the quantitative domain, and ranging from neurophysiology to fMRI imaging to molecular biology in the area of neuroscience. The training program is administered by the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, an existing center involving faculty and students at the two Universities. Students in the program will gain expertise both in quantitative and biological approaches to the study of the functions of the brain and central nervous system.
Project Director: Robert E. Kass, Ph.D.
kass@stat.cmu.edu

Princeton University
This training program has both an undergraduate and a graduate training component, and focuses on interdisciplinary research at the boundary between quantitative sciences and neuroscience. Trainees (both undergrad and grad) will take a set of core courses that include closely intertwined computational and laboratory neuroscience courses. Research opportunities range broadly within neuroscience, with a particularly strong focus in three areas: (1) development of advanced technology for the neurosciences, including imaging and molecular biological approaches; (2) development of advanced data analysis methods for complex neuroscientific data; (3) theoretical approaches and computational modeling of the dynamics of neural circuits and their relationship to mental function.
Project Director: David W. Tank, Ph.D.
dwtank@princeton.edu

The University of Chicago
The goal of this program is to introduce undergraduates from a variety of disciplines to quantitative training in neuroscience, with the intention that students will continue on to graduate training in this area. The program has two components. The first component is a summer program in which undergraduate students from both the University of Chicago and other colleges and universities participate in research in faculty laboratory. Students also attend three seminars each week that introduce them to a wide range of neuroscience topics. The second component supports University of Chicago students who are doing extensive research projects with faculty during their junior and senior years. These students also take structured courses in computational neuroscience.
Project Director: Philip Ulinski, Ph.D.
pulinski@uchicago.edu

University of Pennsylvania
The focus of the Integrated Interdisciplinary Training in Computational Neuroscience program is to integrate neuroscience and quantitative studies through course work and extensive research training. The predoctoral program trains students in neurophysiology, data analysis, and modeling with the objective of producing scientists capable of investigating mechanisms of computation in neural circuits. The undergraduate program draws a select group of exceptional students from both the biological and physical science domains for coursework and integrated experimental/modeling research projects to enable them to succeed in graduate studies in computational neuroscience. The third component is a summer research program for undergraduates from Penn and other institutions, primarily in the Philadelphia area, including Swarthmore, Drexel, Temple, Haverford, Bryn Mawr, and Lincoln Universities. A distinguishing focus of this program is the application of computational neuroscience to neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Project Director: Leif Finkel, M.D., Ph.D.
leif@neuroengineering.upenn.edu

Roadmap Research Training Sites

Baylor College of Medicine
The development of genomics, proteomics and advanced imaging technology has resulted in the accumulation of large amounts of biological data. These data are a potentially rich source of information; however, extracting meaningful information from the masses of data is a challenging task. Interdisciplinary scientists with training in biology and computational science are needed to extract such information for the purpose of biomedical discovery. The goal of this program is to respond to the challenges created by the experimental technologies by providing training in methods of data collection and processing, management, warehousing, integration and annotation and in approaches to extract information from integrated data sets.
Project Director: Timothy G. Palzkill, Ph.D
timothyp@bcm.tmc.edu

Gerstner Sloan-Kettering Graduate School
The goal of this program is to increase the pace of translation of laboratory findings to clinical practice. The predoctoral researchers/trainees selected for this program are provided with both the basic science training they need to be successful bench scientists and a strong clinical perspective that includes: connecting the biology of cancer to its clinical presentation, the challenges of clinical treatment, the workings of patient-oriented research, the process of development of pharmaceuticals, and an understanding of how human physiology influences mode of intervention. The "Core" curriculum transits from a primarily basic science orientation to a more physiology-based orientation, culminating in "disease modules" that explore in depth the underpinnings of the natural history, biology, current treatments, and existing model systems. In addition, each trainee will be assigned a thesis project-related apprenticeship with a Clinical Mentor who will serve as the student's guide to hospital-based academic activities. The faculty of the Gerstner Sloan-Kettering Graduate School are drawn from both the basic science and clinical arms of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, providing a broad base of research opportunities.
Project Director: Kenneth J. Marians, Ph.D.
kmarians@sloankettering.edu

Washington University in St. Louis
The integration of traditionally discrete lines of research is critical to continued progress in biological imaging. To realize the potential that evolving paradigms of molecular, cellular, live animal, and human imaging offer, a cadre of 21st-century scientists must be trained--and a revolutionary synthesis of chemistry, biology, engineering, physics, and mathematics must be achieved. With a goal of attracting and training next-generation imaging scientists, Washington University is devising curricula and developing opportunities for students at the most formative stages of their academic careers—in their undergraduate and graduate years. Students will have as part of their broadly-based academic foundation the opportunity to take courses in chemistry, physics, computer science, engineering, and molecular cell biology as they relate to imaging sciences, and to gain in-depth research experience in laboratories of faculty whose work spans the modalities and scales from single molecule to molecular and cellular microscopy to full body human imaging.
Project Director: Philip D. Stahl, Ph.D.
pstahl@wustl.edu
Co-Director: Carolyn J. Anderson, Ph.D.
andersoncj@mir.wustl.edu