Director's Report to the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse
February, 1996
Meetings/Conferences
NIDA sponsored a satellite symposium at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego on November 11, 1995, entitled "Advances in Drug Abuse Research on Nicotine". This symposium featured talks by experts in the molecular, neurobehavioral, and human aspects of nicotine and smoking research. The meeting was organized by the Neuroscience Consortium Workgroup at NIDA, with Dr. David Johnson, DBR, chairing the symposium.
The Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research, Prevention Research Branch held a research meeting on "Drug Abuse Prevention Through Family Interventions" on January 25 26, 1996. Twenty-four experts in the field of family interventions research presented state-of-the art research findings and formulated specific recommendations for future NIDA prevention research. Discussions and presentations centered around program models, current research methods and applications from related fields, juvenile justice, education, and social work.
The Community Research Branch, DEPR, in collaboration with NIDA's Office of Special Populations, hosted a workshop for administrators, faculty, and staff from 10 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) on January 17-19, 1996. The workshop examined some of the issues which serve as barriers to HBCUs involvement in drug abuse research and provided participants with information and expert assistance to enhance their readiness to pursue drug abuse research careers. The meeting also strengthened support for drug abuse research at the administration level at the colleges represented at the workshop.
NIDA's Office on AIDS, in conjunction with the CDC and NIAAA, conducted a meeting entitled "Drug Use, Men Who Have Sex With Men, and HIV Infection", October 23-24, 1995.
On October 20, at the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) conference on Expanding Role of Neurobiology in Addiction Medicine, the Medications Development Division hosted an evening Planned Meeting focus group titled "Mainstreaming Therapies into Medical Practice". Dr. Charles Grudzinskas and Drs. Annie Umbricht, Donald Wesson and Frank Vocci presented to the ASAM group.
On December 8, 1995, NIDA held a Health Services Research Planning Meeting with Substance Abuse Practitioners at the Bethesda Marriott Hotel in Bethesda, Maryland. This was one in a series of meetings we have sponsored to help shape NIDA's research agenda. The goal of each of these meetings has been to solicit innovative research ideas and strategies in a particular area of drug abuse research by inviting participants to think broadly and expansively. For this meeting, we were specifically interested in obtaining the input of substance abuse practitioners about what health services research issues NIDA needs to address, what questions need to be answered, and how NIDA can make the results of our health services research program useful and easily accessible.
On January 25-26, 1996, NIDA held an Ad Hoc Review of MDD's Clinical Cocaine Program. An overview of the program's current portfolio and potential future clinical trials was presented in order to obtain input on current strategy.
On November 7, the Prevention Work Group organized (Helen Cesari) and sponsored (Bill Bukowski) a meeting of the Drug Related Violence Research Planning Committee in Bethesda, MD. The group was charged by NIDA Director, Dr. Alan Leshner to help NIDA elevate the level of scientific discourse on drug related violence and move public understanding of this complex subject forward by developing the key questions NIDA should be answering. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Donald Vereen.
The NIDA/ORMH Research Development Seminar Series on Program Announcements was held in Bethesda, MD on May 11-12, 1995. This workshop provided technical assistance to 30 minority investigators interested in NIDA's program announcements on drug abuse in minority and underserved populations and clinical research on human development and drug abuse.
A NIDA/State University of New York at Old Westbury/Nikon/Morrell Instruments, Image Analytics Neurosciences Meeting was held in Melville, L.I., NY on May 31-June 2, 1995. Eight faculty members participated in this research skills development seminar.
NIDA/National Nurses Society on Addictions Research--Seminars on Nursing Research Opportunities in Drug Abuse Research were held in Bethesda, MD on July 24-25, 1995 and November 27-28, 1995.
NIDA's African American Researchers and Scholars Meeting was held in Washington, DC, December 4-5, 1995. Approximately 20 researchers and scholars involved with drug abuse issues related to African American populations participated in discussions regarding initiatives to increase and improve drug abuse research on Black populations.
NIDA's Hispanic Initiative Policy Workshop was held in Rockville, MD, December 13-14, 1995. Approximately 20 researchers and scholars involved in drug abuse issues with Hispanic populations discussed activities needed to encourage research on drug abuse in Hispanic populations.
The NIDA/Howard University Drug Abuse Research Technical Assistance Project (DARTAP) National Technical Assistance Meeting was held in Bethesda, MD, January 17-19, 1996. Over 30 administrators and faculty members from 10 Historically Black Colleges and Universities participated in an intensive grant development workshop. The focus of this meeting was on infrastructure development needs and plans.
Drs. Donald Vereen and Steven Zukin represented NIDA and presented an update of NIDA research and research training activities at the annual meeting of the American Association of Chairmen of Departments of Psychiatry on October 28-29 in Washington D.C.
Dr. Timothy P. Condon, Acting Deputy Director, OSPC, presented at the Research Training Fair held in conjunction with the Research Forum of the 42nd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, October 17-22, 1995, in New Orleans. Dr. Condon represented NIDA at the Academy events honoring the Jeanne Spurlock Research Fellows.
J.C. Comolli, OSPC, was invited by Hazeldon to participate in a planning and strategy meeting at the central offices in Minnesota concerning issues unique to chemically dependent women and women with children. The focus of the initiative is removing impediments to treatment availability and access, including the impacts of social attitudes, legal issues and medical concerns for pregnant women and their children. The purpose of the meeting was to consider alternative approaches and collaborative efforts to better respond to these issues, both directly through the drug and alcohol field itself, and through community and public education campaigns.
Pat Rosenman, Ph.D., of the Science Policy Branch, OSPC, served on both the Conference Planning Committee and the Workshop Committee of the American Methadone Treatment Association International Conference in Phoenix, AZ, Nov. 1-4. Dr. Rosenman coordinated the 4 NIDA workshops presented at the conference and assisted NIDA's International office with their participation and activities. NIDA has worked with this organization for several years in support of methadone maintenance treatment for opiate abusers.
Pat Rosenman, Ph.D., moderated a session at the American Public Health Association (APHA) Meeting in October in San Diego, CA. She also participated in the activities of the Executive Board of the Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Section of APHA.
On November 1, Dr. Frank Vocci, MDD, presented at an International Symposium of the American Methadone Treatment Association (AMTA) meeting. Dr. Vocci spoke on the Relationship Between Methadone Pharmacokinetics and Efficacy.
On November 3, Dr. Vocci spoke at a symposium on medications development at the AMTA meeting in Phoenix, AZ. Drs. Thomas Payte and Walter Ling were co-presenters.
On November 3, 1995, Dr. Charles Grudzinskas, Dr. Frank Vocci, and Mr. Joel Egertson of MDD met with members of the American Methadone Treatment Association Board of Directors to discuss the development of new medications to treat addiction. The meeting was held at the suggestion of Mark Parrino, M.D., President of AMTA and is part of an on-going effort to maintain a constructive dialogue with treatment providers. Another meeting to address treatment providers is scheduled for March, 1996 in New York City.
On December 12, Dr. Charles Grudzinskas gave a presentation on the NIDA Medications Development Program at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) Industry/Government Luncheon Meeting, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Dr. Jaylan Turkkan, Chief of the Behavioral Sciences Research Branch, DBR, presented a paper in December at the annual meeting of the Pavlovian Society in Baltimore entitled "Information Atherosclerosis in Science".
Dr. Jaylan Turkkan chaired an NIH-wide meeting on December 15 to facilitate the formation of a Behavioral and Social Sciences Interest Group similar to the many biomedical and molecular biology interest groups already formed at NIH. Sponsors of the meeting were the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research and the NIH Health and Behavior Coordinating Committee (Drs. Turkkan and Colliver (DEPR) are the NIDA representatives). Participants at the meeting discussed how this interest group can aid, not only in coordinating research efforts among intramural scientists, but also in extramural program building. A second meeting is now planned.
Dr. Lynda Erinoff and Dr. David Shurtleff of the Behavioral Sciences Research Branch, DBR, represented NIDA at the 25th Annual Meeting of The Society for Neuroscience to discuss Basic Behavioral Science research opportunities with meeting attendees.
Dr. Rao S. Rapaka, Chief, Basic Neurobiology and Biological Systems Branch, DBR, attended the Tenth Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) on November 5-9 in Miami Beach, FL. Dr. Rapaka is the Chair-Elect for the Medicinal and Natural Products Chemistry Section of the AAPS. He moderated a general poster session on "Medicinal and Natural Products Chemistry" for the section and co-moderated an AAPS symposium entitled "3D Structure-Based Drug Design".
Drs. Chiiko Asanuma, Harold Gordon, and Joseph Frascella, ECNB, DCSR, attended the 25th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego, CA, November 1995, where they discussed their program initiatives with research neuroscientists.
Dr. Mac Horton, ECNB, DCSR, attended the Third Annual Conference on Psychopathology, Psychopharmacology, Substance Abuse and Culture held in Los Angeles, California on October 5-7. Dr. Horton presented a lecture on "Comorbidity of Drug Abuse Treatment: Where and What" and chaired a paper session on the topic "Is Drug Abuse Treatment Effective?"
Dr. Horton represented NIDA at the National Academy of Neuropsychology Fifteenth Annual Meeting held in San Francisco, California on November 1-3. Dr. Horton presented a lecture at the meeting on "Research Opportunities in Etiology and Clinical Neurobiology" and also discussed research training issues.
Dr. Frank Tims and Mr. Tom Vischi, both of DCSR, were invited speakers at the CSAT Target Cities Technical Assistance Workshop held November 2, 1995.
Ms. Carol Cowell, DCSR, presented a paper, "Data Issues in Behavioral Managed Care," at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, October 28 - November 3, 1995.
On October 12-14, 1995, Dr. Peter Delany, DCSR, presented 2 papers at the Annual Conference of the National Association of Social Workers: "AIDS and Drug Abuse Treatment," and "The Role of Social Workers In Disaster Settings".
Dr. Delany participated in a meeting with the Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research, on November 3, 1995, to complete a final report to the Department of Defense on the Women's Health Initiative.
On November 10, 1995 Dr. Peter Delany gave the Keynote Address at the Iowa Consortium on Substance Abuse Conference on Health Services Research.
Dr. Delany represented NIDA at the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment's Annual Meeting on Criminal Justice Initiatives, November 29, 1995.
Dr. Delany represented NIDA at the Therapeutic Communities of America Conference on Research on and Treatment of Substance Abusing Adolescents, December 4-6, 1995.
Adele Roman, M.S.N., NIDA's Deputy Coordinator of Women's Health was a Federal panel member at the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention's "National Women's Resource Center Community Team Training Institute", held October 29 - November 2, which focused on health issues of American Indian Women. Ms. Roman provided information on NIDA's programs on women and special populations.
Dr. Lula Beatty, Chief of NIDA's Special Populations Office presented a session on "Drug Abuse in Minority Populations: Research Needs" for graduate students and faculty in the counseling department, University of Maryland, College Park in May, 1995.
Dr. Lula Beatty presented a session on research mechanisms at NIH for the Howard University Center for Drug Abuse Research on July 12, 1995.
Dr. Lula Beatty presented a session on special populations programs at NIDA at the National Association of Social Worker's Meeting on pursuing research in drug abuse on July 14, 1995.
Dr. Lula Beatty moderated a session titled "Comorbidity: Mental Illness and Substance Abuse" at the Third Annual Conference on Psychopathology, Psychopharmacology, Substance Abuse and Culture in Los Angeles, Oct. 5 - 7, 1995.
Dr. Lula Beatty attended the Hispanic Town Meeting Video Teleconference (NIH site) on September 23, 1996.
Dr. Lula Beatty presented a session on research opportunities at NIDA at the Annual Meeting of the National Congress of Black Faculty in Washington, DC, October, 1995.
Dr. Lula Beatty presented a session on developing research infrastructure for drug abuse research at historically Black medical schools at the Annual Meeting of the Black Psychiatrists of America in Barbados, November 4, 1995.
Dr. Lula Beatty presented a session on obtaining postdoctoral fellowships from NIH for the Howard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, January 16, 1996.
Dr. Mario De La Rosa, DEPR, co-chaired NIDA's Hispanic Initiative Meeting on December 12-13, 1995 in Rockville, Maryland.
Andrea Kopstein, DEPR, presented a paper at the 1995 Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association in San Diego, October 29-November 2, 1995, that explored the co occurrence of multiple deviant behaviors with the use of marijuana and cocaine. This study, based on data from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, focused on physically aggressive activities (fights, use of weapons, etc.) and arrest records and examined these behaviors in relation to drug use and according to race/ethnicity, poverty status, and dropout status.
Dr. James Colliver, DEPR, presented a paper on racial/ethnic differentials in initiation and continuation of drug use at the 1995 Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association in San Diego, October 29-November 2, 1995. This paper used survival analysis of retrospectively reported age at first use data from the 1991-1993 National Household Surveys on Drug Abuse to examine onset of marijuana and cocaine use among whites, African Americans and Hispanics differentiated by cohort.
Mr. Nicholas Kozel, DEPR, chaired the biannual meeting of the Community Epidemiology Work Group (CEWG) which was held in Honolulu, Hawaii, December 5-8, 1995.
Richard Needle, Ph.D., M.P.H., Chief, Community Research Branch, DEPR, participated as a workshop panelist in "Preventing HIV Infection Among Drug Injectors: The Role of Sterile Syringes and Substance Abuse Treatment," sponsored by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials in Alexandria, Virginia, December 4-5, 1995.
Peter Hartsock, Ph.D., of the Community Research Branch, DEPR, gave a presentation on NIDA's AIDS modeling program and its utility for research on geographic and sociobehavioral dispersion of HIV/AIDS and other new and re-emerging diseases, at the Conference on Human Health and Global Climate Change. The conference, sponsored by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Institute of Medicine, was held at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., on September 11-12, 1995.
Dr. Ro Nemeth-Coslett represented DEPR's Prevention Research Branch on January 8, 1996 at the National Technical Assistance Meeting for Historically Black Colleges and Universities participating in the Drug Abuse Research Technical Assistance Project (DARTAP) held in Bethesda. She moderated an interactive group consultation for developing competitive drug abuse prevention research proposals.
Drs. David Gorelick and George Uhl from NIDA's DIR and NIDA grantee Dr. Mary Jeanne Kreek presented a combined clinical staff conference at the NIH Clinical Center Nov. 29, 1995, on "Drug Abuse: Rate of Onset as a Factor in Drug Reward and Pharmacotherapies."
Dr. Edythe D. London, DIR, presented a lecture entitled, "Brain Imaging: Acute Responses to Stimulants and Persistent Differences in Drug Abusers Compared with Controls" at the Drug Abuse in the Decade of the Brain Conference, Houston, TX, September 22-23, 1995.
Dr. Monique Ernst, DIR, presented a lecture entitled "Functional Brain Imaging" at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New Orleans, LA, October 17-22, 1995.
Dr. James A. Bell, DIR, presented "The Effect of MK-801 on the Expression of Morphine Tolerance in the Neonatal Rat Spinal Cord" at the 25th Annual Society for Neuroscience Meeting, San Diego, CA, November 11-16, 1995.
Dr. Alane S. Kimes, DIR, presented "Radiolabeled Epibatidine: Promising Ligand for In Vivo Imaging of Central Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors" at the 25th Annual Society for Neuroscience Meeting, San Diego, CA, November 11-16, 1995.
Dr. Alexey Mukhin, DIR, presented "NMDA Receptor Domains in Postmortem Brains of Schizophrenic Patients" at the 25th Annual Society for Neuroscience Meeting, San Diego, CA, November 11-16, 1995.
Dr. D. Bruce Vaupel, DIR, presented "Varying Intravenous Rates of Morphine Administration Affects Subjective Responses of Experienced Heroin Users" at the 25th Annual Society for Neuroscience Meeting, San Diego, CA, November 11-16, 1995.
Dr. Monique Ernst, DIR, presented a lecture entitled "Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Selegiline in ADHD Adults" at the Annual Meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, San Juan, PR, December 11-15, 1995.
Amy H. Newman, DIR, was invited to present a seminar entitled "Novel Benztropine Analogs: Potent Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors without Cocaine-like Behavioral Profiles" at the Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit, Johns Hopkins University, February 1996.
Jane Acri, DIR, was invited to present a seminar entitled "Diazepam-insensitive Benzodiazepine Receptors and Behavior" at the Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit, Johns Hopkins University, December 1996.
Ken Alling, DIR, has been invited to present a seminar entitled "The Discriminative Stimulus Effects of Dopamine D3 Agonists" at the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, February 1996.
Jonathan L. Katz, DIR, has been invited to present a seminar entitled "Heterogeneity of Actions at the Dopamine Transporter and their Relation to Cocaine Abuse" at the Department of Pharmacology, George Washington University School of Medicine, February 1996.
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