Meetings/Conferences

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), in collaboration with the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), and the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) held a meeting "Blending Research and Practice: Enhancing State Capacity to Implement Evidence-Based Practices," on June 4, 2006, in Albuquerque, New Mexico in conjunction with the 2006 Annual NASADAD Conference. This meeting built 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. The participants discussed and identified strategies for implementing science-based practices in drug abuse treatment and prevention based on State-specific needs.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) convened the first "Blending Initiative Task Force" meeting on June 8 and 9, 2006, in Washington DC. The Task Force was chaired by NIDA's Deputy Director, Dr. Timothy Condon and was coordinated by Dr. Denise Pintello, Special Assistant to the Deputy Director. Task Force members reviewed the drug abuse treatment community's needs for evidence-based practices, discussed NIDA's research portfolio and identified criteria to assess the applicability of NIDA-sponsored research for potential NIDA/SAMHSA Blending Teams.

On June 21-23, 2006, NIDA participated in the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, NIH. For this event, NIDA staff and grantees were involved in a scientific conference and congressional event highlighting behavioral and social science research across the NIH. At these events, NIDA showcased its comprehensive behavioral research portfolio and featured the work of two NIDA grantees in the areas of vulnerability and relapse to drug abuse.

NIDA, in collaboration with American Psychological Association (APA) Divisions 28 (Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse) and 50 (Addictions) organized a large program of research symposia and other events conducted as part of the APA annual meeting held in New Orleans, LA, August 9-13, 2006. In addition to these presentations of NIDA supported research made by NIDA staff and researchers in the field, NIDA, NIAAA and Divisions 28 and 50 sponsored an Early Career Investigators Poster Session and Social Hour. This event provided the opportunity for 70 early career researchers, including several researchers from NIDA's IRP, to travel to the conference and present their work to the members of the Divisions and to interact with senior researchers in the field. The program was organized at NIDA by Meyer Glantz, Ph.D., Minda Lynch, Ph.D., Cora Lee Wetherington, Ph.D., Jane Smither, David Shurtleff, Ph.D., Lula Beatty Ph.D., Melissa Racioppo Ph.D., Teresa Levitin Ph.D., Steven Oversby Ph.D., Janet Levy, Ph.D., Carol Myers, Ph.D., Harold Perl, Ph.D. and Cecelia McNamara Spitznas, Ph.D.

NIDA awarded 29 Women & Gender Junior Investigator Travel Awards for the annual meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD), June 17-22, 2006, Scottsdale, AZ. These $750 awards, which have been made annually beginning in 2000, are designed to promote entry of junior investigators into drug abuse research on women and sex/gender differences. To further promote research in this field, NIDA published a mini-program book, Focus on Women & Sex/Gender Differences, for the CPDD meeting. Excerpted from the CPPD program book, it contains only those program listings related to women and sex/gender differences. It also contains the CPDD abstracts on women and sex/gender differences, information about the Women & Gender Junior Investigator Travel Awardees, announcement of the travel award program for CPDD 2007, and information on current NIDA program announcements in this area.

NIDA's Special Populations Office developed a three-part Summer Seminar Series for NIDA's summer interns and students. Juan Carlos Couto, a HACU intern, coordinated the series. Sessions focused on 1) Understanding Drug Addiction and Its Consequences, 2) Career Opportunities in Drug Abuse Research, and 3) Making A Difference: NIDA's Programs. Participating NIDA staff were Joe Frascella, Yonette Thomas, Lynda Erinoff, Suman Rao King, Paul Schnur, Frank Vocci, Betty Tai, Jack Stein, Kevin Conway and Lula Beatty.

NIDA's Special Populations Office collaborated with the American Psychological Association's Office on AIDS in the development of a web-based resource for racial/ethnic minority students and new investigators interested in HIV research. An APA summer intern, DaRel Barksdale, worked in the SPO office to develop the resource focusing on NIDA and NIH research.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon, Deputy Director, NIDA, provided technical assistance to the Wisconsin legislature and presented "Neurobiology of Addiction" at the Wisconsin Association on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse conference on May 9, 2006, in Madison, Wisconsin.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon presented an "Update on the Blending Initiative: The Partnership Between the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)" at the National Association of State Alcohol/Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) conference on Blending Research and Practice: Enhancing State Capacity to Implement Evidence-Based Practices on June 4, 2006, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon presented "The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): Institute and Blending Initiative Update" at the Blending Initiative Task Force Evidence-Based Practices meeting on June 8, 2006, in North Bethesda, Maryland.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon presented "Neurobiology of Addiction: Implications for Relapse" at the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) Satellite Session on the Science of Relapse Prevention and Recovery Services on June 17, 2006, in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon presented "The NIH Roadmap: Progress and Impact on NIDA" at the 68th College on Problems of Drug Dependence on June 20, 2006, in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon presented "It's a Brain Disease: Beyond a Reasonable Doubt - The Neuroscience of Addiction & Judicial Decision Making" at the Federal Judicial Center's National Workshop for District Judges II on June 22, 2006, in San Diego, California.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon provided an overview of NIDA's Networks at Exploring Opportunities for Information-Sharing and Collaboration across NIDA's Networks on July 20, 2006, in North Bethesda, Maryland.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon provided an overview of "NIDA's Principles for Criminal Justice Involved Addicts," to the American Probation and Parole Association Board of Directors, on July 23, 2006, in Chicago, Illinois.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon presented "It's a Brain Disease: Beyond a Reasonable Doubt - The Neuroscience of Addiction & Judicial Decision Making" at the Federal Judicial Center's National Workshop for District Judges III on August 8, 2006, in Denver, Colorado.

Dr. Cindy Miner, Deputy Director, OSPC delivered the Keynote Address at the 2006 Chief Resident Immersion Training Program (CRIT) on May 11, 2006 in Chatham, MA.

Dr. Cindy Miner, Deputy Director, OSPC presented "Reading and Interpreting the Request for Proposals" at the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine 2006 Annual Meeting on May 17, 2007 in San Francisco, CA.

Dr. Cindy Miner, Deputy Director, OSPC co-chaired a Grantwriting Workshop at the CPDD 68th Annual Scientific Meeting Program on June 20, 2006 in Scottsdale, AZ.

Dr. Cindy Miner, Deputy Director, OSPC moderated a session entitled "Who Are NIDA's Networks? What Do They Do?" at the Exploring Opportunities for Information-Sharing and Collaboration across NIDA's Networks Conference on July 20, 2006 in Bethesda, Maryland.

Dr. Cindy Miner, Deputy Director, OSPC chaired a workshop on the "Neurobiology of Addiction" at CADCA's Mid Year Training Institute on August 14-15, 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Dr. Gayathri Dowling, OSPC, gave a presentation entitled "Methamphetamine: The Science of Addiction and Recovery" as part of a panel, "Addressing Meth and Substance Abuse Comprehensively," at the South/Southeast Methamphetamine Legislative and Policy Planning Conference, convened by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Office of Justice Programs/Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws, in Birmingham, AL on July 13th, 2006.

Dr. Cathrine Sasek, OSPC, participated in a workshop entitled "Beyond Science: Getting SBIR/STTR Social-Behavioral-Education Health Products to the Commercial Marketplace" at the 8th annual NIH SBIR/STTR Conference in Cleveland, Ohio on July 13, 2006.

Dr. Suman Rao King, OSPC, chaired/coordinated the following activities at CPDD, June 17-22, 2006, in Scottsdale, AZ: [1] NIDA Tutorials Workshop at CPDD this year where four NIDA Training Directors presented their research and its future directions to the 30 NIDA Director's Travel Awardees; [2] NIDA Training Mixer, which provided a forum for training directors, trainees, and NIDA staff to learn about the different training programs that NIDA supports; [3] NIDA Grant Writing Workshop where Drs. Cindy Miner, David Shurtleff, Mark Green, and Scott Lukas provided an overview, respectively, on NIDA Research Training opportunities, Program interests, review procedures, and grant writing tips to prospective candidates.

Dr. Suman Rao King participated in writing and presenting on the NIH Research Training and Career Development programs for the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) process conducted by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

Dr. Suman Rao King presented on August 1, 2006 at the NIDA Summer Seminar series on "Career Opportunities in Drug Abuse and Addiction Research."

Dr. Lula Beatty, Chief, Special Populations Office, participated as the discussant in the symposium titled "Ethnic Disparities in Drug Abuse Treatment" at the CPDD annual meeting in Scottsdale, AZ in June 2006.

Dr. Lula Beatty presented a talk titled "Minority Health Disparities at NIDA" during the plenary session "New Ideas in Minority Health Disparities: Beyond Descriptive Epidemiology" at the Society for Prevention Research conference in San Antonio, Texas in June 2006.

Dr. Lula Beatty participated as a panelist at the Society for Prevention Research conference in San Antonio, Texas in June 2006. She discussed "Health Disparities at NIDA: Drug Abuse, Criminal Justice, and HIV."

Dr. Lula Beatty participated in a CSAT meeting titled "Healing Historical Trauma in African-Americans" in Gaithersburg in June 2006.

Dr. Lula Beatty chaired a session titled "Preparing Women for Professional Success: Mentoring across Gender and Ethnicity," at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association in New Orleans in August 2006. Panelists included NIDA grantees Lynn Singer and Crystal Fuller.

Dr. Lula Beatty moderated a session titled "Research and Training Funding" at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association in New Orleans in August 2006.

Ana Anders convened and led a meeting of NIDA's Asian American and Pacific Islander Researchers and Scholars Workgroup in Los Angeles, California on July 25-27, 2006.

Flair Lindsey, SPO, coordinated the 10th Summer Research with NIDA program. Through the program, 77 high school and undergraduate students engaged in valuable drug abuse research with over 30 of NIDA's grantees.

In August 2006, Dr. Wilson Compton, Director, DESPR: 1) presented a keynote presentation to the CALDAR Summer Institute, Los Angeles, California, and 2) presented to the Therapeutic Communities of America/NIDA Research Symposium in New York City, New York.

On July 11, 2006, Dr. Compton presented a keynote address to the State Associations of Addiction Services National Conference in Chicago.

During June, 2006 Dr. Compton: 1) presented at the CPDD conference in Scottsdale, Arizona on preparing for revisions to the DSM; 2) co-chaired a meeting to review communication campaign research strategies with the Montana Meth Project in Bethesda, Maryland, and 3) presented to the SMI Pain Therapeutics Conference, London, England on the problem of opioid abuse and addiction.

In May 2006 Dr. Compton made several drug abuse presentations at the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting, Toronto, Canada.

Drs. Meyer Glantz, DESPR, and Steven Grant, DCNBR, cochaired a symposium at the 2006 annual meeting of American Psychological Association held in New Orleans, LA, August 9-13. The symposium was titled, "Inhibitory Dysregulation and Drug Abuse" and addressed the neuronal processes and brain regions revealed by neuroimaging that contribute to inhibitory control deficits in substance abusers. Presenters included Harriet de Wit, Ph.D., Hallam Hurt, M.D., Martin Paulus, Ph.D. and Ralph Tarter, Ph.D. Roy F. Baumeister, Ph.D. served as the Discussant.

Dr. Wilson Compton, Director of DESPR, delivered opening remarks at an NIMH workshop on Gene x Environment Interactions and Developmental Psychopathology: Research Challenges and Opportunities, in Washington DC in June, 2006. Dr. Naimah Weinberg and Dr. Yonette Thomas of ERB served on the planning committee for this meeting.

Drs. Elizabeth Robertson, Wilson Compton, David Reiss, and Phyllis Panzano gave the Presidential Address titled "Developments in Translational Research" at the 14th annual meeting of the Society for Prevention Research on June 1, 2006 in San Antonio, TX.

Dr. Elizabeth Robertson chaired a session which was organized by Dr. Shakeh Kaftarian at the Society for Prevention Research annual meeting titled "Exploring Intervention Fidelity and Adaptation: Replications that Didn't Work." Session participants included Drs. Gilbert Botvin, Phyllis Ellickson, Richard Spoth, Tena St. Pierre and Ms. Bridget Ryan. This meeting took place in San Antonio, TX on May 31, 2006.

Dr. Elizabeth Robertson gave a presentation at the PRIDE annual conference titled "HIV Prevention: What Youth Should Know" on April 13, 2006 in Washington, DC.

Dr. Yonette Thomas served as faculty for the Hispanic Science Network in June 2006 and presented on the Epidemiology of Drug Abuse.

Dr. Yonette Thomas participated in the 2006 Add Health Users Conference in July 2006 as moderating for the Paper Session on Smoking, Drugs, and Criminal Behavior and as panel member with Drs. David Abrams, Christine Bachrach, and Kathleen Mullan Harris on how Add Health helps OBSSR respond to the "New Horizons in Health" report produced by the Institute of Medicine.

Redonna K. Chandler, Ph.D., presented "Practical Approaches to Substance Abuse Issues: The Role of Judges" as part of a continuing education training for judges at the National Judicial College, March 2006 Reno, NV.

Peter Hartsock, Dr. PH, participated in a meeting of the UNAIDS Uniformed Services Task Force June 6, 2006 in Washington, D.C., at which he described NIDA-supported research on AIDS modeling, particularly on routine HIV testing to reduce new infections and provide treatment to persons who are HIV infected.

Dr. James Colliver of DESPR presented survey and data system findings on methamphetamine use, abuse, dependence and treatment in the NIDA-sponsored symposium on the Methamphetamine Epidemic in the U.S. at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in Toronto in May 2006.

Dr. Naimah Weinberg organized and chaired a symposium on "Environmental Risk and Substance Use," at the annual meeting of the Behavior Genetics Association in Storrs, CT, in June, 2006. This symposium, sponsored in part by the NIDA Genetics Workgroup, presented four papers and discussant using genetically informative approaches to understanding the contributions of peer and family environment and of gene-environment correlation in the onset of drug use.

Drs. Naimah Weinberg and Kay Wanke of DESPR/ERB, and Dr. Kevin Conway of DCNBR, chaired a session on Gene-Environment Interaction at the June meeting of the NIDA Genetics Consortium in Rockville, MD.

Peter Hartsock, Dr. PH, participated in a meeting at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on "Combating Avian Influenza and HIV/AIDS: Vietnam's National Policy," Washington, D.C., June 19, 2006, where he described NIDA's AIDS modeling research, particularly the work showing that routine HIV testing is a major prevention measure.

Elizabeth Lambert, M.Sc., DESPR, attended the New York HIV Research Centers Consortium 2006 Scientific Conference, "Acute HIV Infection: A Multidisciplinary Symposium," June 12, 2006 in New York City. NIDA and NIMH HIV/AIDS Research Center Grantees jointly sponsored the Conference.

Dr. Shakeh Kaftarian organized a meeting between NIDA and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) senior staff to discuss AHRQ's experience using delivery-based research networks in their attempt to reduce the gap between research and practice in multiple disciplines. This meeting took place on Feb 28, 2006, at NIDA.

Dr. Belinda Sims, DESPR, participated in organizing and presenting a pre-conference on the NIH transition to electronic grant submission at the annual meeting of the Society for Prevention Research, held May 30, 2006, in San Antonio, TX.

Drs. Elizabeth Ginexi, PRB, DESPR and Karen Sirocco, BDB, DCNBR organized a Scientific Dialogue at the annual meeting for the Society for Prevention Research in San Antonio, TX on June 1, 2006 titled "Imaging Brain Function: Principles, Methods, and Future Directions." This 90 minute educational session was designed to introduce prevention scientists to the basic methods of neuroimaging. The dialogue was chaired by Dr. Karen Sirocco and the main lecture was delivered by Dr. Scott Huettel of the Brain Imaging and Analysis Center at Duke University.

Drs. Aria Crump and Belinda Sims, DESPR, co-chaired a research roundtable entitled "Evaluating the Inter-Ethnic and Cross-Cultural Relevance of Measures Utilized in Research on Youth Drug Abuse, Violence and Delinquency" at the annual meeting of the Society for Prevention Research, held May 31-June 2, 2006, in San Antonio, TX.

Drs. Belinda Sims and Aria Crump, DESPR, co-chaired a symposium entitled "Adapting Evidence-Based Interventions for Minority and Rural Populations: The Incredible Years Series" at the annual meeting of the Society for Prevention Research, held May 31-June 2, 2006, in San Antonio, TX.

Drs. Augie Diana and Elizabeth Robertson chaired a round table session organized by Dr. Shakeh Kaftarian on "Accelerated Approaches for Development, Implementation, Dissemination and Practice of Prevention Technology" at the Society for Prevention Research annual meeting in San Antonio, TX on June 1, 2006. Roundtable discussants were Drs. Linda Collins, Tony Biglan, and Dennis Embry.

Dr. Elizabeth Ginexi, PRB, DESPR served as the Chair and the Discussant for a Paper Symposium at the annual meeting for the Society for Prevention Research in San Antonio, TX on May 31, 2006 titled "Neurobiological Methods, Measures and Models for Prevention Science." Drs. Philip A. Fisher of the Oregon Social Learning Center, Laurie Miller Brotman of New York University, and Diana H. Fishbein of RTI International presented papers.

Dr. Elizabeth Ginexi, PRB, DESPR served as the Chair for a Paper Symposium at the annual meeting for the Society for Prevention Research in San Antonio, TX on June 1, 2006 titled "Integrating Neurobiological Measures Into Prevention Research." Drs. Marsha Bates of Rutgers University, Jacqueline Bruce of the Oregon Social Learning Center and Jane Joseph of the University of Kentucky presented papers. Michael Bardo, Ph.D. of University of Kentucky led discussion.

Dr. Elizabeth Ginexi, PRB, DESPR served as the Chair and the Discussant for a Paper Symposium at the annual meeting for the Society for Prevention Research in San Antonio, TX on June 2, 2006 titled "A Call For Cross-Disciplinary Research Collaborations: Social-Emotional Neuroscience Meets Prevention Science." Drs. Antoine Bechara of the University of Southern California, Joan Kaufman of Yale University, and Mark Greenberg of Pennsylvania State University presented papers.

Dr. Aria Crump chaired a joint NIDA-NIMH preconference on the NIH transition to the SF 424 and electronic submission at the Society for Prevention Research Meeting in San Antonio, Texas on May 30, 2006.

Dr. Belinda Sims is a member of the NIH Staff Training in Extramural Programs (STEP) Committee, serving a 3-year term. This trans-NIH committee coordinates training relevant to all of the NIH extramural staff that deal with work place strategies, science for all, and administrative strategies, based on suggestions from staff. On June 5-6, 2006, Dr. Sims attended the annual planning meeting, where topics for the 2006-2007 STEP program were selected. Two topics submitted by NIDA staff were selected and will be developed into forums for the coming year. Also, Dr. Sims was selected to be Chair of the STEP Nominations Committee. This committee will choose the STEP Class of 2010.

Dr. Gina Hijjawi chaired a Scientific Dialogue/Roundtable Discussion at the Society for Prevention Research Conference in San Antonio, Texas on June 2, 2006. The title of the Roundtable Discussion was "The Complexities, Challenges, and Rewards of Conducting International Research in Drug Abuse-Related HIV Prevention." The panel of discussants included: Anne Brisson (Columbia University), Betsy Davis (Oregon Research Institute), Marguerita Lightfoot (University of California, Los Angeles), Melanie M. Domenech Rodriguez (Utah State University), Liz Weiling (University of Minnesota), Steven Gust (NIDA), Richard Jenkins (NIDA) and Eve Reider (NIDA).

Dr. Gina Hijjawi chaired a Scientific Dialogue/Roundtable Discussion at the Society for Prevention Research Conference in San Antonio, Texas on June 2, 2006. The title of the Roundtable Discussion was: "Drug Abuse, Criminal Justice, and HIV Prevention: How Best to Understand and Address Health Disparities." The panel of discussants included: Murelle Harrison (Southern University), Barbara Lopez ( University of Miami ), Mary Jane Rotheram-Borus ( University of California , Los Angeles ), Lula Beatty (NIDA), and Eve Reider (NIDA).

Dr. Thomas F. Hilton, DESPR co-presented a two-day grantsmanship workshop March 13 and 14, 2006 with program officials David Chambers at NIMH and Michael Harrison at AHRQ. Over 60 potential grant applicants attended from across the country.

Richard Denisco, M.D., M.P.H. presented "Co-Morbidity of Pain and Substance Abuse Disorders in the United States" at the Annual Meeting of the College of Problems of Drug Dependence in Scottsdale, Arizona, on June 11, 2006. This was part of a presentation regarding the continuing issue of prescription drug- abuse.

Dr. Dionne Jones, DESPR, organized and was Discussant for a panel entitled "Effective Interventions for Drug-Abusing Women At-Risk for HIV/AIDS" at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association, New Orleans, LA, August 10-13, 2006.

Dr. Dionne Jones, DESPR, presented a 2-hour session entitled "Effective Techniques for Proposal Writing." at the United Negro College Fund Special Programs/National Library of Medicine eHealth Conference in Bethesda, MD, June 21, 2006.

An oral abstract presentation,"Epidemiology of Chronic Pain Substance Use Disorders " by Dr. Richard Denisco, et al. was accepted by the American Psychiatric Association, for presentation at their Annual Meeting in Toronto, Canada May, 2006.

On June 15, 2006 the Prevention Research Branch hosted a scientific advisory meeting for the principle of the Montana Meth Project. Ten NIDA funded scientists participated in the meeting which took place at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Washington, DC.

Douglas Rugh, Ph.D., facilitated a panel in Minneapolis, MN, on Monitoring Drug Abuse in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. This panel discussion was part of the bi-annual Community Epidemiology Work Group.

Drs. Diane Lawrence, David Shurtleff, and Charles Sharp, all of DBNBR, participated in "Meet the Mentors" session at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroimmune Pharmacology, Santa Fe, NM, April 2006.

Dr. David Shurtleff, Director, DBNBR, gave a presentation entitled "Research Funding Opportunities: Navigating the NIH System" at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroimmune Pharmacology, Santa Fe, NM, April 2006.

Drs. Joni Rutter and David Shurtleff, DBNBR, were co-chairs and Dr. Joni Rutter was a discussant in the Symposium entitled, "Pharmacogenetics and Drug Abuse Research" at the American Psychiatric Association Meeting in Toronto, CA in May 2006.

Dr. Christine Colvis, DBNBR, organized and chaired a NIDA/CPDD workshop Entitled "HTS And Pubchem: Nuts And Bolts," at the annual meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, Scottsdale, AZ, June 2006.

Dr. David Shurtleff chaired a NIDA sponsored symposium entitled "Using Microarrays in Research" at the annual meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, Scottsdale, AZ, June 2006.

Dr. David Shurtleff gave a presentation entitled "Research Funding Opportunities: The Role of NIDA Program" as part of NIDA's sponsored Grant Writing Workshop at the at the annual meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, Scottsdale, AZ, June 2006.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon, Deputy Director, NIDA, Dr. Lisa Onken, DCNBR, and Dr. Allison Chausmer, DBNBR, presented Roadmap related information during the "The NIH Roadmap: Opportunities For Inter-Disciplinary Training And Behavioral Research" session at the annual meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, Scottsdale, AZ, June 2006.

Dr. Joni Rutter, DBNBR, was an invited speaker at the International Narcotics Research Conference in July 2006. Her talk was entitled, "Overview of Pharmacogenetics and Drug Addiction."

Drs. Shurtleff, Schnur and Rapaka, all of DBNBR, organized a NIDA workshop titled, "Obesity and Addiction: Common Neurological Mechanisms and Drug Development," held on May 31-June 2, 2006, in Bethesda, MD. The workshop had six sessions and 25 speakers made presentations. The proceedings will likely be published as a special volume of "Physiology and Behavior."

Dr. David Thomas, DBNBR, co-chaired a workshop on June 12, 2006 in Gatineau, Canada, entitled "Virtual Reality and Pain Reduction," and held at the 11th Annual CyberTherapy 2006 Conference: Virtual Healing: Designing Reality. The purpose of the workshop was to review the current use of virtual reality (VR) for the treatment of pain, and to explore other potential applications of VR in the treatment and prevention of acute and chronic pain. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Pain Consortium was briefed on the conclusions from this workshop by David Thomas at the June 28th, 2006 Pain Consortium meeting.

Dr. Rao Rapaka, DBNBR, attended the AAPS conference on "Critical Issues in Discovering Quality Clinical Candidates," held in Philadelphia PA, April 24-26, 2006.

Dr. Rapaka conducted 3 scientific sessions at the National Biotechnology Conference of the AAPS, June 18-23, 2006. The 3 sessions were Drug delivery: Filamentous phage for vector-mediated organ targeting, Micro RNAs and drug development, and Caveolae and lipid rafts: Targets for medications development?

Dr. Nancy Pilotte, DBNBR, gave a seminar entitled "Anabolic Steroids and You" at the Jewish Community Center, Rockville, MD in April 2006.

Dr. Allison Chausmer, DBNBR, co-organized and co-chaired two symposia at the World Conference on Tobacco or Health (http://www.2006conferences.org/t-program.php) in Washington, D.C., held June 12-15, 2006. The symposia, entitled "Prenatal Nicotine Exposure: What Happens in Adolescence?" and "Nicotine Exposure During Pregnancy: How Does it Relate to Later Behavioral Problems?" represented a collaborative effort between Dr. Chausmer and Dr. Vince Smeriglio of DCNBR.

Ms. Aurora Hutchinson, DBNBR, Dr. Teri Levitin, OEA, Dr. Lisa Onken, DCNBR, and Dr. Cora Lee Wetherington, DBNBR, attended the meeting, "2006 National Conference on Women, Addiction and Recovery: News You Can Use," July 12-14, 2006, in Anaheim, CA. The meeting was jointly sponsored by CSAT/SAMHSA, NIDA, and NIAAA. Drs. Dorynne Czechowicz, Lisa Onken, and Cora Lee Wetherington served on the planning committee. Dr. Wetherington gave a keynote plenary address, "Substance Abuse: Does Gender Matter?"

Dr. Cora Lee Wetherington was an invited "Champion" at the College on Problems of Drug Dependence annual Brunch with Champions event for junior investigators, June 22, 2006, Scottsdale, AZ.

Drs. Tammy Chung, University of Pittsburg, and Cora Lee Wetherington co-organized and co-chaired the symposium, "Adolescent Smoking: Gender-Specific Biological, Social, and Psychological Risk Factors," at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, New Orleans, LA, August 10-13, 2006.

Dr. Cora Lee Wetherington delivered the keynote address at the meeting, "Breaking Barriers, Creating Change: Current Thinking on Women and Substance Misuse Across the Lifecycle - Risks and Strengths, Treatment Needs and Outcomes," sponsored by the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, Oakland, CA, September 15, 2006.

Dr. Minda Lynch, DBNBR, and Dr. David Shurtleff co-organized and chaired a symposium at the American Psychiatric Association 159th Annual Meeting, during May 2006, in Toronto, Ontario. The symposium, entitled "Adolescent Brain Development: Implications for Psychiatric Treatment" was a collaborative effort between DBNBR and DCNBR, with Dr. Larry Stanford serving as discussant for the session. Speakers addressing topics of adolescent brain development, consequences for risk behavior and decision making, and possible interventive approaches, included Drs. Ronald Dahl, Bea Luna, Isabelle Rosso, and Leslie Jacobsen.

Dr. Minda Lynch represented NIDA on the poster session planning committee for NIH's Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences 10th Anniversary Conference at Natcher Auditorium, in June of 2006. Through a coordinated effort from all divisions, offices and programs at NIDA, a poster was prepared on "Reducing the Public Health Burden of Drug Abuse: Behavioral and Social Sciences Research at the National Institute on Drug Abuse." In addition to this display, organized by Dr. Susan Weiss, Dr. Gayathri Dowling, Ms. Anna Staton and Ms. Jennifer Elcano of OSPC, the team also contributed to stories of scientific discovery on the topics of Relapse and Vulnerability, used as accompanying hand-outs to extramural poster presentations by NIDA grantees Drs. Rajita Sinha and Lew Donohugh. NIDA posters were also included in a congressional reception following the conference, sponsored by the Coalition of Social Sciences Associations.

Drs. Minda Lynch and Nicolette Borek organized and co-chaired a symposium at the American Psychological Association Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA, during August, 2006. The session, entitled "Environmental influences on brain development - Implications for intervention?" featured presentations and discussion by Drs. Susan Andersen, Megan Gunnar, Michael Debellis and Linda Mayes. The focus of the session was on sensitive periods in brain development, parallel animal and human studies of environmental insult, translational approaches to prevention and intervention, and harnessing neurobiological theories of development to understand functional outcomes and opportunities for optimal therapeutic impact.

Dr. Minda Lynch co-presented a NIH funding talk for the American Psychological Association Science Student Council, with Dr. Ron Abeles from NIH's Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, at the APA annual convention in August, 2006, New Orleans, LA.

Dr. Allison Chausmer, DBNBR, participated on the planning committee for a NIH State-of-the-Science Conference on "Tobacco Use: Prevention, Cessation and Control" (http://consensus.nih.gov/2006/2006TobaccoSOS029html.htm), held in the Natcher Auditorium June 12-14, 2006.

Dr. Allison Chausmer served on the DHHS Tobacco Work Group that contributed to a Surgeon General's Report on Involuntary Tobacco Exposure, released in June of 2006.

Dr. Paul Schnur, DBNBR, with Dr. William Corrigall (NIDA contractor), completed a site visit with NCDDG project investigators in La Jolla, California on August 14-17, 2006. The meeting involved group presentations from Dr. Henry Lester's group (Cal Tech and Targacept), Dr. Palmer Taylor's group (UCSD) and Dr. Athina Markou's group (UCSD, Scripps).

Dr. Kevin Conway, DCNBR, presented a paper on "Lifetime Comorbidity of DSM-IV Mood and Anxiety Disorders and Specific Drug Use Disorders: Results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions" at the American Psychiatric Association Meeting, Toronto, Canada, on May 22, 2006.

Dr. Kevin Conway gave a talk entitled "Potential Etiologic Links between Antisocial and Addictive Disorders" at the Mid-America Conference on Co-Occurring Disorders, Indianapolis, Indiana, on June 21, 2006.

Dr. Kevin Conway gave a talk entitled "Epidemiology of Comorbid Antisocial and Addictive Disorders" Mid-America Conference on Co-Occurring Disorders, Indianapolis, Indiana, on June 21, 2006.

Dr. Kevin Conway presented a paper on "Lifetime Comorbidity of DSM-IV Mood and Anxiety Disorders and Specific Drug Use Disorders: Results from the NESARC." College of Problems on Drug Dependence, Scottsdale, Arizona, June 19, 2006.

Dr. Steven Grant and Dr. Melissa Racioppo, DCNBR, co-chaired a symposium titled "What is the Added Value of Social Neuroscience to Drug Abuse Treatment" at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association held in New Orleans, on August 12, 2006. The participants included Dr. Kevin Ochsner, Columbia University, Dr. Jennifer Beer, University of California, Davis, Dr. Han Brieter, Massachusetts General Hospital and Dr. Gregory Berns, Emory University.

Dr. Laurence Stanford, DCNBR, served as the discussant for a symposium entitled "Adolescent Brain Development: Implications for Psychiatric Treatment, at the annual meeting of The American Psychiatric Association held in Toronto, Canada on May 22, 2006.

Dr. Steven Grant and Dr. Meyer Glantz, DESPR, co-chaired a symposium titled "Inhibitory Dysregulation and Drug Abuse" at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in New Orleans on August 10, 2006. The participants included Dr. Harriet de Wit, University of Chicago, Hallam Hurt, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Dr. Martin Paulus, University of California at San Diego, Dr. Ralph Tarter, University of Pittsburgh, and Dr. Roy Baumiester, Florida State University.

Dr. Steven Grant gave a talk entitled "Addiction: The Neurobiology of Free Will Gone Awry" in the Invited Symposium on "Integration of Behavioral and Brain Sciences - Research on the Nature of Addiction" at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in New Orleans on August 10, 2006. The other speakers included Dr. Antoine Bechara, University of Southern California, Dr. Warren Bickel, University of Arkansas, and Dr. Charles R. Schuster, Wayne State University.

On June 13, 2006, Dr. Cece Spitznas, DCNBR, was invited to present the CCTN Classroom Series. She gave a talk entitled "Functional Brain Maps Revealed by Independent Component Analysis." Independent Component Analysis (ICA) is a valuable technique for multivariate data-driven analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data sets. The session was open to all NIDA staff.

On June 15, 2006, Dr. Joni Rutter, DBNBR, presented the CCTN Classroom Series. She spoke on secondary outcomes analysis on a study testing Buproprion--an antidepressant with modest monoamines uptake inhibition, and mild stimulant effect in animals--for the treatment of methamphetamine dependence. This session was for CCTN staff.

Dr Cece Spitznas, DCNBR, gave a presentation entitled "Community Friendly Treatment: How Can Technology Help" to the Institute through the CTN Classroom, June 13, 2006.

Dr. Cece Spitznas gave a presentation on treatment research at NIDA's National Hispanic Science Network Summer Research Training Institute, on June 16, 2006, at the University of Houston, Houston TX.

Dr. Melissa W. Racioppo, DCNBR, presented at the annual retreat of the K12 trainees of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) in Scottsdale, AZ, June 13 - 16, 2006.

Dr. Lisa Onken, DCNBR, participated in the July 10-11, 2006 NIMH/NIDA/NIAAA meeting of the grantees of the P20 Developing Centers on Suicide in Philadelphia, PA.

Dr. Nicolette Borek, DCNBR, co-chaired a symposium on "Environmental Influences on Brain Development - Implications for Interventions?" at the 2006 American Psychological Association Convention, August 10-13, 2006 in New Orleans. Dr. Borek also spoke on NIDA's Child and Adolescent Funding Opportunities during the session "Practical Guide to Federal Funding for Child-Adolescent Mental Health".

Dr. Karen Sirocco, DCNBR, served as Discussant and Chair of a session on "Imaging Brain Function: Principles, Methods, and Future Directions" at the 2006 Society for Prevention Research Meeting, June 1, 2006, in San Antonio, Texas.

Dr. Joseph Frascella, Director, DCNBR, served as a discussant in the Society for Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Effectiveness (SASATE) 5th Annual Meeting entitled "Neuro-Scientific Advances Related to Intervention" held during the CPDD Annual Meeting in Scottsdale, AZ, June 19, 2006.

Dr. Joseph Frascella co-chaired with Dr. Melissa Racioppo a session at the American Psychological Association: "Commonalities between Addiction and Obesity" in New Orleans, August 12, 2006. He also gave a presentation entitled "Common Brain Mechanisms in Addiction and Obesity" in this symposium.

Dr. Joseph Frascella gave a plenary talk at the annual meeting of the National Hispanic Science Network entitled: "The NIH Roadmap's Teams of the Future: Implications for Funding, Training, and Scientific Collaboration" in Scottsdale, AZ, September 13, 2006.

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

On June 20, 2006, at the CPDD Annual Scientific Meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona, Nora Chiang, Ph.D. introduced and chaired the NIDA Medications Workshop: New Opportunities for Chemists and Pharmacologists. David McCann, Ph.D. presented "The Evolution of NIDA's Medications Discovery Programs," Frank Vocci, Ph.D. presented "New Molecular Targets as Potential Pharmacotherapies for Drug Addiction," and Ming Shih, Ph.D. presented "NIDA Resources Supporting Medications Discovery and Development." Rik Kline, Ph.D. served as the discussant.

Dr. Jag Khalsa of the DPMCDA co-chaired a session on Methamphetamine and HIV: A New and Dangerous Epidemic" at the 68th Annual Meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD), June 17-22, 2006, Scottsdale, AZ. A combined review paper is in preparation.

Drs. Ivan Montoya, DPMCDA, and Pat Needle co-chaired a workshop during the CPDD International Satellite Conference about opportunities for research collaboration in Latin America.

Drs. Ivan Montoya and Frank Vocci co-chaired a symposium at the American Psychiatric Association meeting in Toronto about smoking cessation in patients with schizophrenia.

Drs. Ivan Montoya and Frank Vocci co-chaired a symposium at the CPDD meeting in Arizona about medications development for marijuana dependence.

Dr. Frank Vocci was the discussant in a symposium entitled "Agonist Pharmacotherapy for Stimulant Abuse and Dependence -- A Viable Option," presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association in New Orleans, LA, in August 2006.

On August 31, 2006, Dr. Betty Tai, Director, CCTN, attended the second Organization Meeting of the Principle Investigators for the HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials Networks in Bethesda. The meeting was sponsored by the Division of AIDS, NIAID/NIH.

Dr. Betty Tai attended and presented at the 2006 National Association of State Directors Meeting in Albuquerque, NM on June 3, 2006. Her presentation titled "How does the CTN generate Evidence Based Drug Treatment?"

Two symposia, a workshop, poster and paper were presented at the 27th Annual Meeting of the Society for Clinical Trials by the CCTN. The meeting was held May 21-24, 2006 in Orlando, Florida: 1) Analytical Issues Unique to Multi-Site Trials: Which Are Resolved and Which Are Still Controversial?; Dr. Paul Wakim, organizer and chair; 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 and chair.

Dr. Mary Ellen Michel, Deputy Director, CCTN, was an invited speaker at a workshop on Clinical Trials Networks. She spoke 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, presented the perspective of a participating clinical center. Michele Straus, Principal Investigator of the Clinical Coordinating Center, EMMES Corporation, presented the role of clinical coordinating centers.

Carmen Rosa, CCTN, presented a poster titled: "Ensuring Good Clinical Practice: A Multi-Level Approach." The poster was co-authored by Royce Sampson (Southern Consortium Node) and Aimee Campbell (Long Island Node).

Dr. Janet Levy, CCTN, presented 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).

Dr. Jeng-Jong (JJ) Pan, CCTN, is co-author of the paper entitled "Group Independent Component Analysis Reveals Consistent Resting-State Networks Across Five Sessions", which was presented at the 12th Annual Human Brain Mapping Meeting in Florence, Italy June 11-15, 2006.

Dr. David Liu, CCTN, co-chaired a session at the New Clinical Drug and Evaluation Unit (NCDEU) meeting in Boca Raton, Florida, June 12-15, 2006. The session was entitled, "Pharmacological Treatment of ADHD in Substance-Abusing Adolescents and Adults: New Findings, Research Directions, and Clinical Implications."

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

CCTN staff presented a poster and participated in symposia at the American Psychological Association (APA) meeting in New Orleans on August 10, 2006: Dr. Janet Levy presented a poster entitled, "Evolving Clinical Trial and Research Methodology for Studying Drug Dependence."

Dr. Harold Perl, CCTN, participated in two symposia: 1) He chaired the symposium, "Mission to the Gulf: Meeting the Crisis of Hurricane Katrina" and presented a talk entitled, "Responding to Katrina and Rita: Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Evacuees in Central Louisiana." 2) At the second symposium, "Implementation Issues in Evidence Based Practice in Addictions Treatment", he gave a presentation entitled, "Implementation Science and the Adoption of Practice in Addiction Treatment", and served as symposium discussant.