Meetings/Conferences

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) convened an ad hoc meeting of the Blending Initiative Task Force on October 22-23, 2007, in Reno, Nevada. 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 composed of NIDA researchers, SAMHSA's Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Directors and Community Treatment Providers (CTP) reviewed content and criteria to include in the future development of a guide to Selecting, Evaluating, and Utilizing Evidence-Based Practices.

On November 7, 2007, NIDA's Director, Dr. Nora Volkow and Deputy Director, Dr. Timothy Condon convened the Medications Development Scientific Workgroup in Bethesda, Maryland. This meeting was organized and coordinated by Dr. Denise Pintello, Special Assistant to the Deputy Director. The focus of this meeting was to elicit the Workgroup's scientific expertise on NIDA's research portfolio for clinical trials within the Division of Pharmacotherapies and Medical Consequences of Drug Abuse (DPMCDA). Dr. Frank Vocci, DPMCDA Director, presented data to Drs. Volkow and Condon, the Chair, Dr. Peter Kalivas, and to the Work Group members.

Drs. Lisa Onken, Steve Grant, Nicolette Borek, Cecelia Spitznas and Melissa Riddle, from NIDA's Division of Clinical Neuroscience and Behavioral Research, with Dr. Elizabeth Ginexi from NIDA's Division of Epidemiology, Services, and Prevention Research organized a meeting, "Social Neuroscience: Developing More Powerful Behavioral Interventions." The meeting was held October 1 & 2, 2007 in Bethesda, Maryland. The goal of this meeting was to discuss current research and emerging issues in social neuroscience, and to identify the potential for translating social neuroscience knowledge into research on developing and/or improving behavioral treatment interventions and/or prevention interventions.

An NIH conference on Building the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in the Service of Public Health was held on September 10, 2007. Dennis McCarty (Oregon/Hawaii Node PI) was an invited speaker for the plenary session titled "From Research to Policy." His presentation focused on the CTN and the Blending Initiatives as strategies for promoting linkages between policy, practice and research. Conference attendees included Jeff Selzer (Long Island Node and Research Utilization Committee), Harold Perl (CCTN), and ATTC Directors (Paula Horvatich and Nancy Roget). Sue Storti represented the Blending Initiative. The NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research sponsored the meeting with support from NCI, NIAAA, NICHD, NIDA and NIMH.

A workshop co-sponsored by NIDA and NIAAA on Answering Questions That Change Practice: The Role of Practical Clinical Trials (PCTs) was held October 1-2, 2007. The workshop was chaired by Dr. Betty Tai from NIDA and Dr. Howard Moss from NIAAA. Goals of this meeting were to outline the design parameters of clinical trials that will directly inform decision making in the practice of substance abuse treatment. Large scale trials sponsored by NIAAA, NIDA and NIMH were reviewed. Case studies were also presented by practitioners to illustrate their challenge of decision making in the course of treatment of drug and alcohol addicted patients. Issues of how to identify research questions that once answered would change practice and special considerations and challenges in study design and practical implementation, were also addressed. A white paper is planned to provide "points to consider" to future investigators to pursue research aimed at translating research to practice.

Dr. Harold Gordon of DCNBR organized and chaired a MiniSymposium entitled Understanding the Neurobiology of Drug Addiction by Studying Sleep Disturbances and Circadian Rhythms at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, San Diego, November 5, 2007. The meeting was sponsored, in part, by the Office of Science Policy and Communications (OSPC) and by the Society for Neuroscience. The purpose was to demonstrate the interrelatedness of sleep, sleep disturbances, and circadian rhythms with neurological diseases including drug addiction.

On November 1, 2007, a Consultant Meeting for NIDA contract N01DA-4-8849, Animal Models of Methamphetamine-Induced Cognitive Impairment was held in San Diego. CA. Mr. Hirsch Davis (DPMC) chaired the meeting, with Drs. Dave McCann and Jane Acri in attendance for NIDA. Drs. John Marshall and Steve O'Dell with their laboratory staff were in attendance for the University of California at Irvine. The consultants were: Drs. Verity Brown, Rex Denton, Paul Fletcher, Mary Jeanne Kallman, and Barry Setlow. The purpose of the meeting was to evaluate the progress made in the development of an animal model to screen compounds for potential efficacy in the treatment of cognitive deficits produced by methamphetamine. John Marshall presented a summary of his work under the contract, emphasizing his work on an object recognition model to test effects of methamphetamine on memory, and his recent work on an attentional set-shift model. Hirsch Davis presented compounds of interest for initial study once a model is ready for use. Consultant reports will be completed in January, after receipt of data from experiments still in progress at the time of the meeting.

The Special Populations Office, OD, NIDA convened a two-day Special Populations Research Development Seminar on October 25-27, 2007, in Bethesda, MD. The seminar brought back new investigators, who attended an initial two-day workshop, to present draft research applications for review and discussion in a "mock review" session chaired by NIDA staff. In addition, participants met with NIDA-funded investigators and senior NIDA program staff to discuss research opportunities at NIH.

The Special Populations Office, OD, NIDA and the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) hosted the Substance Abuse, Criminal Justice, and HIV in African Americans: Technical Assistance Workshop on October 15-16, 2007 in Silver Spring, MD. The workshop convened NIDA/SAMHSA staff and NIDA grantees to serve as speakers and mentors to early/new investigators who plan to prepare grant applications for NIDA program announcements related to substance abuse, criminal justice and HIV/AIDS.

The Special Populations Office, OD, NIDA, convened a meeting of NIDA's Minority/Ethnic Researchers and Scholars Workgroups on October 31 - November 1, 2007 at the Bethesda Marriott Conference Center in Bethesda, MD. The meeting was centered on discussion and plans for future activities geared towards increasing the number of underrepresented minorities and women in substance abuse research and training these respective populations. During the meeting, Dr. Nora Volkow provided an overview of NIDA's mission and research priorities and NIDA's Division Directors discussed their particular division's priorities.

The first NIDA sponsored Drug Facts Chat Day was held on October 12, 2007. Some 40 program experts and science writers representing offices and divisions across NIDA responded to 600 questions from students in high schools nationwide. More than 35,000 questions came from 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam, extending NIDA's reach to a key audience with science-based messages about drug abuse and addiction.

The National CTN Steering Committee Meetings were held September 23-28, 2007 in Bethesda, MD. The following meetings/committees convened:

• CTP and PI Caucuses
• Members of the Study Teams: Seeking Safety (CTN 0015), START (CTN 0027) and STAGE-12 (CTN 0031)
• Special Interest Groups: Health Services Research and Pharmacotherapy
• Executive Committee
• Research Utilization Committee
• Research Development Committee
• Node Coordinator Workgroup
• Steering Committee, including Preliminary Study Reports
• SBIRT Panel (Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment)
• Two workshops: "Approaches to Quantifying Addiction" (Sept. 24), and "Safety Monitoring Workgroup" (Sept. 26).
• DCRI Data & Statistics Center (DSC) Demos: The DSC and CTN Working Together

Dr. Timothy P. Condon, Deputy Director, NIDA, presented "It's a Brain Disease: The Neuroscience of Addiction" at the Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association Conference, Putting a Face on Addiction & Recovery New Knowledge, New Hope, on August 22, 2007, in Orlando, Florida.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon presented "National Institute on Drug Abuse: Progress, Priorities & Plans for the Future" at the American Psychiatric Association 2007 Academic Consortium on September 6, 2007, in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon addressed the American Psychiatric Association Council on Addiction Psychiatry on September 7, 2007, in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon addressed the NIDA Methamphetamine Abuse in American Indian and Alaska Native Populations meeting on September 20, 2007, in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon presented "It's a Brain Disease: Beyond a Reasonable Doubt - The Neuroscience of Addiction" at the New England Association of Drug Court Professionals on September 21, 2007, in Boston, Massachusetts.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon presented "NIDA Progress, Priorities & Plans for the Future" at the NIDA Clinical Trials Network National Steering Committee Meeting on September 25, 2007, in Bethesda, Maryland.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon presented "Research on Drug Abuse and Addiction: What Have We Learned?" at the National Hispanic Science Network 7th Annual Conference on September 27, 2007, in Miami Beach, Florida.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon briefed and gave a presentation on Methamphetamine to U.S. Representative Steve Pearce (R - N.M.) on September 28, 2007, in Bethesda, Maryland.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon presented "Advances in Drug Abuse and Addiction from NIDA" and "Using the Science of Addiction to Improve Treatment with the Criminal Justice System" at the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association on October 2, 2007, in Oak Brook, Illinois.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon presented "Using the Science of Addiction to Improve Treatment Outcomes" at the 14th National TASC Conference on Drugs and Crime on October 16, 2007, in Westminster, Colorado.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon presented a "Research Update: What Have We Learned?" at the California Society of Addiction Medicine, Addiction Medicine State of the Art 2007 Conference on October 18, 2007, in Los Angeles, California.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon presented "Our Evolving Understanding of Addiction" at the American Society of Addiction Medicine State of the Art Course on October 25, 2007, in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon addressed the ATTC Network Directors Meeting on December 5, 2007, in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Dr. Cindy Miner, Deputy Director, OSPC chaired a Grantwriting Workshop at the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) 54th Annual Meeting on October 26, 2007, in Boston, Massachusetts.

Dr. Gayathri J. Dowling, Deputy Chief, Science Policy Branch, OSPC, NIDA, gave a presentation entitled "The Science of Addiction" at the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children Annual Conference on October 10, 2007, in Kansas City, Missouri.

Dr. Lula Beatty, Chief, Special Populations Office, developed a symposium entitled "African Americans, Drugs and Criminalization: Informing Research to Improve Interventions" that was presented at the convention of the American Psychological Association in San Francisco, CA in August 2007.

Dr. Lula Beatty served as a reviewer for the 2008 Head Start conference.

Dr. Lula Beatty participated in the meeting of the Committee on Women in Psychology of the American Psychological Association in Washington, DC in September 2007.

Dr. Lula Beatty has been serving as NIDA's representative on the NIH Health Disparities Roadmap Committee.

Dr. Lula Beatty presented an overview of NIDA's involvement in HIV/AIDS research at the National African American Advisory Committee meeting of the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) in Washington, DC in October 2007.

Dr. Lula Beatty has been serving as NIDA's representative to the NCMHD Forum Planning Committee, a group to plan a 2008 conference on NIH health disparities research and programs.

Dr. Lula Beatty attended the National Leadership Workshop on Mentoring Women in Biomedical Careers sponsored by NIH's Office of Research on Women's Health in November 2007.

Ana Anders, Public Health Analyst, SPO, participated in the National Hispanic Science Network annual conference held in Miami Beach, FL on September 26-28, 2007.

Ana Anders, as a representative of NIDA, participated in the Latino Behavioral Health Institute annual conference in Los Angeles, CA on October 2-4, 2007.

Ana Anders, as 2007 president of the NIH Hispanic Employee Organization, along with the HEODC, chaired the committee that planned the observance of the Hispanic Heritage Month on October 11, where Dr. Nora Volkow was the keynote speaker.

Ana Anders is a member of the Virtual Program for Career Development and Capacity Building for Latin American and Caribbean Women Scientists workgroup, comprised of other NIH Institutes (NIDA has the lead through the NHSN), the WHO, PAHO, UNESCO, and FLACSO from Argentina.

Ana Anders gave a presentation on drug abuse prevention to an association of journalists, young scientists and the "drug czar" at the University of Cardenal Herrera on November 7- 8, 2007 in Valencia, Spain.

Ana Anders was a member of the NIH Diversity Council planning committee, which presented the NIH Art and Science Diversity Expo. on December 5, 2007.

The Addiction Health Services Research Conference (AHSR) was held October 15-17, 2007 in Athens, GA. Dr. Joseph Guydish, CCTN, organized a symposium, entitled Health Services Research in the NIDA Clinical Trials Network: Past, Present and Future, featuring presentations by 3 CTN members, Dr. Lawrence Brown, Dr. Jody Sindelar, and Dr. Jeff Selzer. Dr Harold Perl presented a talk entitled, Integrating Services Research into CTN Clinical Trials: The Synergy is in the Details.

Dr. Harold Perl, CCTN, taught three plenary sessions at the NIH Seminar on Program Funding and Grants Administration hosted by the City University of New York in New York, NY October 19, 2007.

The annual meeting of the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD) was held October 20-24, 2007 in San Diego, CA. Dr. Betty Tai, Director, CCTN, on behalf of Dr. Nora Volkow, presented NIDA's keynote address on "Drug Abuse and Addiction Research." Dr. Tai chaired the National Panel and Dr. Steven Gust chaired the International Panel of the CTN workshop "Reducing HIV in Drug User Population." Dr. Petra Jacobs chaired the CTN pre-conference, and all day workshop titled "Buprenorphine Treatment - Emerging Research Findings, Clinical Practice and Reimbursement."

Dr. Harold Perl represented NIH at the workshop entitled "Working with Federal Agencies" hosted by the Association of American Universities on November 6, 2007 in Washington, DC.

On November 29, 2007, Dr. Betty Tai served as guest lecturer at VCU medical school, and presented the course titled, "Contemporary Issues in Addiction Research." The lecture was on Connecting Research with Practice in the addiction field.

Carmen Rosa, CCTN, organized a symposium titled, "Behavioral Trials: Understanding the Safety Risks" at the Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R) 2007 Annual HRPP Conference, held December 1-4 2007 in Boston, MA. Faculty included: Kathleen Carroll, Ph.D. (Yale University); Robert Lindblad, M.D. (EMMES Corporation); Felix Gyi, Ph.D. (Chesapeake Research Review, Inc.); and Peter G. Kaufmann, Ph.D. (NHLBI).

Dr. Joe Frascella, Director, DCNBR, participated in a national conference on obesity entitled: "Beyond Individual Behavior: Multidimensional Research in Obesity Linking Biology to Society". This meeting was sponsored by the NIH, the Canadian Institutes of Health, the CDCP, and the McGill Health Challenge Think Tank. Dr. Frascella gave a presentation on factors relating addiction to obesity within a panel on biological drivers, epigenetics, and neuroscience. This meeting was held in Arlington, VA on October 10-12, 2007.

On September 26-29, 2007 Dr. Ivan Montoya, DPMCDA, participated in the National Hispanic Science Network Meeting in Miami, FL.

Dr. Jag Khalsa, DPMCDA, participated in the Annual Meeting of the Prevention of Tobacco-Related Diseases, led by NIDA Council member, Dr. Warren Bickel, Little Rock, Arkansas, November 2-5, 2007. The meeting was co-funded by NIDA and NCI via an R13 Conference grant mechanism.

Dr. Frank Vocci, Director, DPMCDA, attended the ACNP meeting in Boca Raton, FL from December 10-13, 2007. Dr. Vocci chaired a study panel on efficacy endpoints for clinical trials in addiction. Dr. Vocci also presented on Reduction of Drug or Alcohol Use as an Efficacy Endpoint.

Dr. Wilson M. Compton, M.D., M.P.E., Director, DESPR, participated in a one day meeting convened by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) to develop plans for policy-related research using the NIAAA alcohol policy database, October 18, 2007.

In December 2007, Dr. Wilson M. Compton, M.D., M.P.E. participated in the meeting of the Substance Disorders Workgroup of the DSM-V Taskforce.

In December 2007, Dr. Wilson Compton presented and co-chaired a panel on methamphetamine abuse at the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP), San Diego, California.

In December 2007, Dr. Wilson Compton participated in a study group at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP), Boca Raton, Florida. Dr. Redonna Chandler, DESPR served as discussant on the panel "Unlocking the Mysteries of Implementation Science" presented at the Addiction Health Services Research Conference, Athens, GA, October15-17, 2007.

Dr. Redonna Chandler, DESPR, participated in a panel titled, "Health Services Research in the NIDA Clinical Trials Network: Past, Present and Future" presented at the Addiction Health Services Research Conference, Athens, GA, October 15-17, 2007.

Dr. Elizabeth Robertson, DESPR, served in an advisory capacity at the Collaborative for Academic and Social Emotional Learning at the Garrison Institute, in Garrison, NY, on October 15 through 18, 2007.

Dr. Elizabeth Robertson was a workgroup leader and moderator at The 23rd Annual Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy on November 7 and 8, 2007. The title of the meeting was 'The Time is Now: Creating a Public Policy Action Agenda on Preventing Mental Illness'.

Drs. Eve Reider and Belinda Sims, DESPR, co-chaired a symposium "Is Early Prevention Intervention Later AIDS Prevention?" at the 115th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association meeting in San Francisco, CA on August 20, 2007. The panel of presenters included, Drs. David Olds, Prevention Research Center for Family and Child Health, Denver, Colorado, Kenneth Griffin, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, and Karl Hill, University of Washington. Dr. Deborah Capaldi, Oregon Social Learning Center, was the discussant.

Dr. Aria Crump, DESPR, served as a mentor for the NIDA Special Populations Office's Substance Abuse, Criminal Justice, and HIV in African Americans Technical Assistance Workshop held in Silver Spring MD on October 15-16, 2007.

Dr. Aria Crump participated as a mentor in the NIDA Special Populations Office's Research Development Seminar Series meeting that took place on October 25-26 in Bethesda, Maryland.

Drs. Belinda Sims, Elizabeth Robertson, Eve Reider, and Aria Crump collaborated with staff from NICHD, NIMH, the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, the Administration for Children and Families, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to hold a meeting entitled "Intervening Early: Progress and Opportunities in Child Service Settings" on September 18-19, 2007 in Gaithersburg, MD.

Dr. Jessica Chambers, DESPR, chaired a scientific symposium on family violence and drug use trajectories at the recent American Psychological Association meeting held August 20, 2007, in San Francisco, CA.

Drs. Wilson Compton, DESPR, Timothy Condon, Deputy Director, NIDA and Lula Beatty, Director, SPO, participated in a meeting titled Methamphetamine Abuse in American Indian and Alaska Native Populations which was held on September 20-21 in Washington DC. Meeting participants presented the state of the research and discussed future research needs. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Kathy Etz.

Dr. Peter Hartsock, DESPR, participated in a meeting with UNAIDS Secretary General Peter Piot and USAID Office of Global Health Director Kent Hill dealing with PEPFAR, HIV vaccine development, and other forms of AIDS prevention, and related epidemiologic research at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars held September 20, 2007 in Washington, D.C. Dr. Hartsock presented on NIDA's AIDS modeling program, special work it has done in Russia, its application to vaccine development--both with identifying and accessing high-risk populations such as drug users and speeding up assessment of impact of vaccines, and assessment of other interventions.

Elizabeth Lambert, M.Sc., of DESPR's Epidemiology Research Branch, participated as mentor to workshop participants at NIDA's Substance Abuse, Criminal Justice, and HIV in African Americans Technical Assistance Workshop on October 15-16, 2007 in Silver Spring, MD.

Elizabeth Lambert, M.Sc. with Richard Jenkins, Ph.D., of DESPR's Prevention Research Branch, organized a meeting for NIDA on November 8, 2007 to review the findings and implications of NIDA's Sexual Acquisition and Transmission of HIV Cooperative Agreement Program.

Elizabeth Lambert, M.Sc. served as a faculty mentor and reviewer at NIDA's Research Development Seminar Series Workshop, October 25, 2007 in Bethesda, MD.

Dr. Lula Beatty, SPO/OD and Dr. Tom Brady, DESPR participated in a workshop "Filling the Gap: Meeting Client's Needs" at a SAMHSA conference Women's Alliance to Strengthen Treatment Access and Recovery September 17-18 2007 in Lake Tahoe, NV. Dr. Beatty presented "Health Disparities: What it Means for Women of Color in Drug Abuse Treatment" and Dr. Brady presented "Special Services for Women in Substance Abuse Treatment."

At the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association, Dr. Tom Brady was a co-author on a paper "Impact of Screening and Brief Intervention Grants in Seven States: Substance Use, Criminal Justice, and Education/Employment Outcomes at 6-month Follow-up." Dr. Brady also presented two other papers: "Providing Training in Screening & Brief Intervention for Trauma Care Providers: Lessons Learned" for the APHA Health Promotion and Injury Control section and "A Website Promoting Early Detection and Screening Practice: Http://sbirt.samhsa.gov" for the Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs section.

Dr. Tom Hilton, DESPR, presented a symposium at the annual Addiction Health Services Research Conference on October 17th, 2007 in Athens Georgia entitled: Unlocking the Mysteries of Implementation Science.

Dr. Dionne Jones, DESPR, reviewed grant applications submitted by junior investigators and participated in a Mock Review session organized by the Special Populations Office on October 25-26, 2007.

Dr. Dionne Jones provided technical assistance and mentoring to junior investigators at a NIDA Research Seminar sponsored by the Special Populations Office on October 15-16, 2007.

Dr. Joe Frascella attended the Society for Neuroscience Annual meeting as well as the NIDA MiniConvention satellite meeting in San Diego, CA, November 1-6, 2007.

Dr. Joe Frascella, along with Drs. Larry Stanford, Vince Smeriglio, Steve Grant, and Bryan Fantie attended the workshop on "Adolescent Susceptibility to Substance Abuse" at The National Academies Keck Center, Washington, DC, November 12, 2007.

Dr. Joe Frascella visited Vanderbilt University and gave two invited talks entitled: "A Roadmap to NIH's Research Teams of the Future" and "A Blueprint for the NIH Grant Process" in Nashville, TN, November 13-14, 2007.

Dr. Steven Grant and Dr. Woody Lin represented NIDA at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Neuroeconomics in Hull, Mass, September 27 - 30, 2007.

Dr. Steven Grant represented NIDA at the Annual Meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology in Boca Raton, FL, December 8-13, 2007.

Drs. James Bjork, Hal Gordon, Steven Grant, Mary Kautz and Woody Lin represented NIDA at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego, California, November 2-7, 2007.

Dr. Paul Schnur and Dr. David Shurtleff, Director, DBNBR, organized a symposium on Adaptation to Rapidly Changing Environments presented at the National Hispanic Science Network annual meeting in Miami, September 26, 2007.

Dr. Roger Sorensen, DBNBR, was the keynote speaker at the University of Pennsylvania Health System faculty development workshop on "The Art and Science of Obtaining Research Funding" held on November 28, 2008. His presentation was titled "Grant Writing for Success".

Dr. Lisa Onken, DCNBR, gave a presentation on NIH & NIDA Initiatives on Technology to Facilitate Research on Behavior Change as part of a Federal Policy Panel at the International Conference on Urban Health on November 2, 2007 in Baltimore, MD.

Dr. Lisa Onken co-led a grant-writing workshop at the annual Association for Behavioral & Cognitive Therapies meeting on November 16, 2007 in Philadelphia, PA.

Dr. Nicolette Borek, DCNBR, presented talks on NIDA research funding opportunities at the Research Seminar for Early Investigators and the Grant Writing Workshop and Mock IRG panel sessions at the 54th annual meeting of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, October 24-28, 2007 in Boston. Dr. Borek also chaired a session on Adolescent Cognition, Behavior, and Brain Development: Relationships to Prenatal Substance Exposure.

On October 27, 2007, Dr. Karen Sirocco, DCNBR, chaired the symposium entitled: The Neurobiology of Risky Decision-Making in Adolescents at the annual conference of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Boston, MA.

Debbie Grossman, DCNBR, and Dr. Cora Lee Wetherington, DBNBR, participated in a meeting with representatives from other government agencies, which focused on the problem of smoking among young adult, low income women: "Tobacco and Young, Low SES Women: Federal Collaboration to Make a Difference".

Dr. Cora Lee Wetherington, DBNBR, chaired and co-organized (with Dr. Allison Chausmer) the symposium, "A Translational Approach to Nicotine, Smoking and Weight," at the National Conference on Tobacco or Health, October 23-26, 2007, in Minneapolis, MN. Speakers included Drs. Andrea King (University of Chicago), Michele Levine (University of Pittsburgh), Amy Copeland (Louisiana State University), and Bonnie Spring (Northwestern University).

Dr. Cora Lee Wetherington chaired the symposium, "New Advances in the Science of Tobacco Addiction," at the National Conference on Tobacco or Health, October 23-26, 2007, in Minneapolis, MN. Speakers included Drs. Tom Kosten (Baylor College of Medicine), Doug Jorenby (University of Wisconsin), Laura Beirut (Washington University School of Medicine), and Jon-Kar Zubieta (University of Michigan). The symposium was organized by Dr. Allison Chausmer.

Dr. Cora Lee Wetherington chaired the session, "Studies Addressing Sex Differences," at the ORWH (Office of Research on Women's Health) Fourth Annual Interdisciplinary Women's Health Research Symposium, in the NIH Mazur Auditorium, November 15, 2007. Two of the speakers were drug abuse researchers and NIDA investigators: Drs. Kathleen Brady (Medical University of South Carolina) and Marc Potenza (Yale University School of Medicine).

Dr. Cora Lee Wetherington gave a grand round, "The Pervasiveness of Sex/Gender Differences in Drug Abuse," at the Yale University School of Medicine, January 15, 2008.

Dr. Allison Chausmer, DBNBR, organized and co-chaired the workshop "Current Issues in Cigarette Smoking in HIV/AIDS" at the NIH Natcher Conference Center, October 9, 2007 in Bethesda, MD. This invitation-only workshop highlighted understudied issues related to cigarette smoking in HIV-infected persons, including 1) Smoking, progression to AIDS-related neurological complications and host defense against opportunistic infections, 2) Interactions between smoking and pharmacotherapy for people with HIV/AIDS, 3) Smoking cessation strategies: special needs for treatment of HIV-infected populations; Co-morbid populations and special etiologies, and 4) Global Implications of Tobacco Use and HIV/AIDS. This workshop was co-organized and co-chaired by Diane Lawrence (NIDA), Cathy Backinger (NCI), Michele Bloch (NCI), Gerald Sharp (NIAID), Xingzhu Liu (FIC), and Francisco Sy (NCMHD).

Dr. Susan Volman, DBNBR, organized and chaired a symposium on "Neuroadaptations and Counteradaptations" at the NIDA "Frontiers in Addiction Research" mini-convention in San Diego, CA on November 2, 2007.

Drs. David Shurtleff, DBNBR, and Sergi Ferre, IRP, organized and co-chaired a symposium on "Heterodimerization of G-Protein-Coupled Receptors: Implications for CNS Function and Dysfunction" at the NIDA "Frontiers in Addiction Research" mini-convention in San Diego, CA on November 2, 2007.

Dr. David Shurtleff gave a presentation on "Behavioral and Social Science at the National Institute on Drug Abuse" to the Federation of Behavioral, Psychological, and Cognitive Sciences, Washington DC on December 3, 2007.

Dr. Susan Volman, DBNBR, organized the Early Career Investigators Poster Session for the NIDA "Frontiers in Addiction Research" mini-convention in San Diego, CA on November 2, 2007.

Dr. Susan Volman, DBNBR, co-chaired a symposium on "Reconciling Molecular and Electrophysiological Evidence of Cocaine-Induced Neural Plasticity" at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego, CA on November 5, 2007.

Dr. Christine Colvis, DBNBR, attended the NHLBI Proteomics Investigators Meeting Sept 19, 2007, Washington DC.

Dr. John Satterlee, DBNBR, attended the Diet, Epigenetics, and Cancer Prevention Symposium, Gaithersburg, MD, September 26 -27, 2007.

Dr. Christine Colvis organized the workshop, "In Search of Signatures of Chronic Drug Use," Bethesda, MD, September 5, 2007.

On October 5, 2007, Dr. Da-Yu Wu hosted the Workshop on Live Gene Detection in Non-Human Primate Brains for Development and Addiction, sponsored by DBNBR/NIDA and co-sponsored by NIAAA and NIBIB. The goal of the workshop is to identify the possibility, evaluate innovative approaches, and provide recommendation to NIH on how to most effectively promote breakthroughs in research for non-invasive, three-dimensional live detection of gene expression in primate brains.

Dr. Jonathan D. Pollock, DBNBR, gave a talk, entitled, "The Genetics of Substance Abuse" at teaching day on October 7, 2007 at the XV annual meeting of the World Congress on Psychiatric Genetics in New York City.

Dr. Joni Rutter, DBNBR, co-chaired a session with Dr. Jonathan D. Pollock, entitled, "Functional Characterization of Genes/Variants Involved in Nicotine Dependence" at the XV annual meeting of the World Congress on Psychiatric Genetics in New York City on October 9, 2007.

Dr. Jonathan D. Pollock attended the Steering Committee Meeting for the Knockout Mouse Project in Tarrytown, NY on October 10, 2007.

Dr. Christine Colvis presented a report on the Pilot Scale Libraries program to the Molecular Libraries Steering Committee, October 21-23, 2007, Atlanta, GA.

Dr. Jonathan D. Pollock with Dr. John Satterlee organized the symposium, "Complex Human Disease Genes: Help from Animal Models" held at the American Society for Human Genetics Annual meeting in San Diego, CA on October 25, 2007.

Drs. Da-Yu Wu, Diane Lawrence and Dave Thomas, DBNBR, co-chaired the NIDA Mini-Convention Symposium: "Glial Cells and Addiction," held on November 2, 2007.

Drs. John Satterlee and Christine Colvis attended the Short Course: Inhibitory RNAs in Neuroscience, San Diego, CA, November 2, 2007.

Drs. John Satterlee and Da-Yu Wu co-chaired the Society for Neuroscience Mini-symposium: "Non-Coding RNAs in the Brain", which was chaired by DBNBR staff on November 5, 2007.

Dr. Christine Colvis served as a reviewer of supplement requests to US Japan Brain Research Collaborative Program and attended a review meeting on November 7, 2007, San Diego, CA.

Dr. Christine Colvis and Dr. John Satterlee attended the ENCODE Consortium meeting November 28-29, 2007, Rockville, MD.

Drs. John Satterlee and Christine Colvis (members of the GMNRB), and Dr. Joni Rutter are active participants in the NIH Roadmap initiative on epigenetics. Dr. Satterlee is the co-lead of the Roadmap Epigenomics Program with Brenda Weis from NIEHS. Dr. Satterlee is the lead for the Technology Development in Epigenetics RFA. He also coordinates efforts to generate new monoclonal antibody resources for epigenetics and to plan future Epigenomics Program Workshops. Dr. Satterlee was the main organizer for the "Epigenetics of Human Health and Disease" Roadmap workshop in March. Dr. Rutter is the lead for the Epigenomics Data Analysis and Coordination Center RFA. Dr. Rutter was also involved in organizing the Roadmap Epigenetics Workshop in March. Dr. Colvis is the co-lead for the Reference Epigenome Mapping Centers RFA and was involved in organizing the Roadmap Epigenetics Workshop. On December 7, 2007 Drs. Satterlee, Colvis, and Rutter participated in a Technical Assistance Workshop at NIEHS, in Research Triangle, North Carolina, to answer questions about the six Roadmap Epigenomics RFAs that were just released Drs. Satterlee, Colvis, and Rutter meet as a group twice weekly with other members of the Roadmap Epigenomics Program team.

Dr. Jane Acri, DPMCDA, organized a meeting on the Computational Modeling and Systems Biology of Drug Abuse that was held on January 15, 2008. Twelve speakers discussed topics such as modeling of the addictive process, control theories, simulation models of drug use, decision making from a systems perspective, and neuro-computational and structural models of addiction.

Mr. Lyle Furr, OEA, participated in the 58th AALAS National Meeting on October 14-18, 2007 in Charlotte, NC.

Dr. Gerald McLaughlin, OEA, presented talks about eSubmission, the review process, and coordinated a mock review at the NIDA Special Populations Research Development Seminar Series and an associated Workshop that took place October 25-26, 2007.

Dr. Gerald McLaughlin, OEA, coordinated high school DC Area College Fairs in 2007 for the University of Iowa.

Dr. Gerald McLaughlin, OEA, co-arranged the January 9-11, 2008 NIH Symposium on Mitochondria as co-director of the NIH Mitochondria Interest Group.

Dr. Yavin Shaham, IRP, presented a talk entitled "Relapse to Food Seeking: Roles of CRF, Orexin and Peptide YY3-36" at the Concordia University's Fall Workshop on Food and Addiction on October 4-5, 2007 in Montreal, Canada.

Dr. Bruce Hope, IRP, was invited to present a talk entitled "Neurobiology of Context-specific Sensitization to Cocaine" at the Psychology Department of University of California at Santa Barbara, CA on November 1, 2007.

Dr. Bruce Hope was invited to present a talk entitled "Neurobiology of Context-specific Sensitization to Cocaine" in the NIDA Training Program seminar series at The University of Chicago in Chicago, IL on November 28, 2007.

Dr. Amy Newman, IRP, was an invited participant in the 2007 NIH Research Festival Chemistry Symposium entitled "From Beaker to Bedside." The title of her talk was "Dopamine D3 Receptor Antagonists as Potential Therapeutic Agents for Addiction." This symposium was highlighted in the November-December 2007 issue of the NIH Catalyst.

Dr. Noel Paul, IRP, was a 2007 FARE Travel award winner and presented a poster entitled "Tuning Selectivity on a Novel Bridged Framework for Dopamine D2/D3 Receptor Subtype Ligands" at the 2007 NIH Research Festival.

Dr. Jean Lud Cadet, IRP, gave a talk entitled "Cognitive Effects of Marijuana" at the NIH Academy located in Bethesda, Maryland on October 31, 2007.

Dr. Irina Krasnova, IRP, gave a talk entitled "Neurotoxic Doses of Methamphetamine Cause Cognitive Abnormalities in Mice" at the 37th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience held in San Diego, CA on November 3-7, 2007.

Dr. Michael McCoy, IRP, presented a poster entitled, "Serum Withdrawal-induced Transcriptional Responses in Immortalized Rat Mesencephalic Cells", at the Society for Neuroscience conference held in San Diego, CA on November 3-7, 2007.