NIDA to Cosponsor Special Track on Substance Abuse Research

The National Institute on Drug Abuse, in collaboration with APA's Scientific Program Committee, has developed a series of sessions that will bring cutting-edge, science-based developments in drug abuse research to annual meeting participants.

This special track of nearly 30 sessions, ranging from lectures and symposia to workshops and training sessions, will be presented by leading scientists in substance abuse research. Particular emphasis will be placed on the application of research findings to clinical practice.

Topics include the genetics of substance abuse by Floyd Bloom, M.D., Ph.D., treatment efficacy by Charles O'Brien, M.D., Ph.D., parity and managed care by Roger E. Meyer, M.D., new approaches for opiate detoxification by Herbert Kleber, M.D., AIDS and addiction by Stephen J. Ferrando, M.D., women's issues in drug abuse by Kathleen Brady, M.D., Ph.D., behavioral therapies by Charles R. Schuster, Ph.D., medications development by Tom Kosten, M.D., and smoking cessation by John Hughes, M.D. These sessions are indicated in this issue and will be listed in a pamphlet available to registrants at the Toronto Convention Centre.

"The findings of drug abuse research have presented us with unprecedented opportunities to understand and respond to the challenges of drug addiction," said Alan I. Leshner, Ph.D., director of NIDA. "It is vital that this information be actively disseminated to practitioners working with those affected by drug addiction. This special conference track will provide a unique chance to learn about the state-of-the-art techniques and the innovative approaches that now exist to treat drug addiction."

Leshner will provide an overview of the substance abuse and addiction field in the popular Advances in Research session, which is being held this year on Monday, June 1, at 10:30 a.m. in the Toronto Convention Centre.

The initiative began with discussions between Patricia Isbell Ordorica, M.D., immediate past chair of APA's Council on Addiction Psychiatry, and NIDA. She learned that NIDA had collaborated with another association to present a similar track at its annual meeting a few years ago. The Council on Addiction Psychiatry immediately endorsed the idea and held a series of meetings with staff of APA and NIDA to discuss possible content for the track. Program proposals were then solicited and forwarded to the Scientific Program Committee for consideration.

"What better way to highlight the latest research in the addiction field and bring it to the clinicians who can benefit from the knowledge than presenting this material at psychiatry's premier meeting?," said Daniel K. Winstead, M.D., chair of the Scientific Program Committee.

For the past two decades, NIDA has been exploring the biomedical and behavioral foundations of drug abuse and addiction, according to NIDA spokesperson Jack Stein. NIDA's mission is to lead the nation in bringing the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction. This charge has two components: (1) to provide strategic support of and conduct research across a broad range of disciplines and (2) to ensure the rapid and effective dissemination and use of the results of that research to significantly improve drug abuse and addiction prevention, treatment, and policy.

"We now know more about drug abuse and addiction than ever before," said Sheldon Miller, M.D., chair of APA's Council on Addiction Psychiatry. "Twenty years of research has shown that drug abuse is a preventable behavior and that drug addiction is a treatable disease. We also know that if our scientific findings are not usable, accessible, and timely, they can be considered wasted investments."