Meetings/Conferences

The Office of National Drug Control Policy's Counter-Drug Technology Assessment Center and NIDA co-sponsored the 2002 ONDCP Demand Reduction Technology Symposium, "Technology Challenges to Support Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Research," in Cambridge, MA on July 8-10, 2002. Mr. Richard Millstein, Deputy Director, NIDA, presented the keynote address, "Applying Technology to Understanding Addiction." Dr. Joseph Frascella, Chief, Clinical Neurobiology Branch, DTR&D, moderated the session, "Probing the Human Brain to Find Better Treatments for Drug Abuse and Addiction." Dr. Eliot Gardner, of NIDA's Intramural Research Program was one of the 10 speakers at that session. Dr. Cindy Miner, Chief, Science Policy Branch, OSPC, moderated the session on "Genotype/Phenotype and the Vulnerability of the Human Brain to Drug Abuse." Dr. Jonathon Pollock, Chief, Genetics and Molecular Neurobiology Branch, DNBR, Dr. Elliot Stein, Chief, Neuroimaging Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, and Dr. Steven Grant of the Clinical Neurobiology Branch, DTR&D, were speakers in this session. Dr. Barry Hoffer, Director of the NIDA Intramural Research Program moderated the session, "What Are the Elements for Success?" Dr. Stein moderated the session, "How Do We Advance the Equipment Needed to Improve and Accelerate Our Research?" Drs. Frascella, Miner and Hoffer also presented their thoughts on future directions of technology in drug abuse research at the closing session.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) co-sponsored the 64th annual meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD), in Quebec City, Quebec. More than 1,000 scientists gathered to discuss the latest research findings on drug abuse and dependence. The conference was held June 8-13, 2002 at the Hilton Hotel and the Quebec City Convention Center.

Drs. James Colliver and Meyer Glantz, DESPR, chaired a symposium at the CPDD meeting in June, 2002 in Quebec, Canada. The symposium, entitled Longitudinal Studies of Pathways to Drug Abuse: Current Status, Emerging Findings, and Implications for Prevention, brought together the principal investigators of several of the best designed and most comprehensive longitudinal studies of the development of drug abuse to discuss the current status of their research programs, present recent findings, identify emerging trends and patterns across studies, and highlight implications for prevention. Papers were presented by Drs. Laurie Chassin, Ralph Tarter, Thomas Wills, and Rolf Loeber, and Dr. Robert Pandina served as discussant.

On June 10, 2002 during the CPDD meeting in Quebec City, Drs. David McCann and Jane Acri (DTR&D) presented an evening workshop entitled NIDA Medications Development Workshop: New Directions and Resources for Medicinal Chemists Targeting Biogenic Amine Transporters. The workshop was aimed at medicinal chemists and their pharmacologist collaborators who are focusing on biogenic amine transporters (DAT, NET and/or SERT) as targets for the discovery of medications to treat drug dependence disorders. A new method for visualizing a compound's transporter selectivity, with regard to activity at the 3 different biogenic amine transporters, was presented. Using the new method for data analysis and graphing, the selectivity of marketed transporter compounds (bupropion, mazindol, etc.) and transporter compounds in clinical development (GBR-12909 and NS2359) were visualized and "gap areas" in transporter selectivity were identified. These gap areas represent transporter selectivity patterns for which there are no clinically available compounds and, therefore, they may serve to focus new medication discovery efforts. The new method was also used to visualize the selectivity patterns of the hundreds of novel transporter compounds that were submitted to NIDA's Cocaine Treatment Discovery Program over the past decade. Again, gap areas in transporter selectivity were identified. The theoretical pros and cons of including DAT, NET, and/or SERT inhibition activity in potential medications were discussed and the theoretical rationale (beyond "novelty") for pursuing the discovery of compounds with specific transporter selectivity patterns was presented. Finally, contract resources available to chemists (through NIDA) to support compound testing were summarized. It is hoped that this workshop will facilitate the discovery of novel transporter-directed medications for treating cocaine and other drug dependence disorders.

NIDA's Center on AIDS and Other Medical Consequences of Drug Abuse (CAMCODA) held a Working Meeting on Strategies to Improve the Replicability, Sustainability, and Durability of HIV Prevention Interventions for Drug Users, on May 6-7, 2002, in Chevy Chase, Maryland. The meeting brought together experts in the field of HIV prevention to exchange information on their current research on interventions to prevent HIV and other infectious diseases among drug users, their sexual partners, and other at-risk populations. Its focus was on strategies to improve the replicability, sustainability, and durability of interventions, and to address gaps and future directions in HIV prevention research in drug users and other populations at risk. Helen Cesari, M.Sc., and Elizabeth Lambert, M.Sc., of CAMCODA organized the Working Meeting, which was chaired by Wendee Wechsberg, Ph.D., of the Research Triangle Institute. Additional information about the meeting is now available on the NIDA website.

A science workshop on Adolescent Decision Making: Proximal Processes in Adolescent Drug Abuse organized and chaired by Drs. Kathy Etz from DESPR, Minda Lynch and Cora Lee Wetherington from DNBR, and Suman Rao from OSPC, was held in Bethesda, MD on July 19, 2002. Participants with expertise ranging from cognitive decision-making models, to neurobiological substrates engaged by affective processes, discussed high risk and pathological behaviors along a developmental continuum.

A scientific workshop entitled Nonconscious Processes in Self-Regulation: Application to Drug Abuse and Addiction, organized and chaired by Dr. Paul Schnur, DNBR, was held on July 22-23, 2002, at the Neuroscience Center in Rockville, MD. Participants discussed a role for learning processes in physiological and behavioral regulation, the influence of homeostatic variables, impulsivity as regulation directed to positive versus negative goals. Parallels were drawn to compulsive, excessive patterns of drug abuse and interpretations discussed in regard to automatic behaviors and nonconscious processes.

A symposium on Drug Abuse Relapse-Behavioral and Neurobiological Perspectives, organized and co-chaired by Dr. David Shurtleff, DNBR, and Dr. Lisa Onken, DTR&D was held on August 25,2002 at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association (APA) in Chicago, IL. The participants and the titles of their presentations included: Dr. Peter Kalivas, Medical University of South Carolina, "Neural Circuitry Mediating Relapse," Dr. Rajita Sinha, Yale University, "Stress, Drug Cues and Cocaine Relapse: Neurobiological and Cognitive Correlates, " Dr. Thomas Piasecki, University of Missouri, Columbia, " Individual Differences in Smoking Withdrawal Dynamics and Smoking Relapse," and Dr. Saul Shiffman, University of Pittsburgh, "Real Time Data on Relapse."

On July 24, 2002, NIDA Acting Director, Dr. Glen Hanson and other NIDA senior staff members briefed Dr. Andrea Barthwell and the ONDCP demand reduction staff on NIDA's research programs and future directions.

A CCTN training session entitled "How to Monitor Clinical Trials for GCP Compliance" was conducted with members of the Network on August 11-12, 2002, in Seattle, Washington. A second training session will be held October 24-25, 2002, in Bethesda, MD.

Drs. Wilson Compton, Peter Delany, Elizabeth Robertson, Eve Reider, and Aria Crump of DESPR sponsored a meeting with representatives of the Casey Family Foundation, SAMHSA, and prevention researchers to provide technical assistance on the Casey/SAMHSA Starting Early Starting Smart (SESS) program. Scientists in attendance were: Margaret Burchinal, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Nicholas Ialongo, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University; Jill G. Joseph, M.D., Ph.D. Director, Center for Health Services and Clinical Research Children's Medical Center, George Washington University; Philip Leaf, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University; Fred Springer, EMT Associates and Director of the SESS Data Coordinating Center; and Daniel Shaw, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh. Casey Family Programs representatives included: Barbara Kelly Duncan, M.Ed., Vice President, Enterprise Development; Jean McIntosh, M.S.W., Executive Vice President, Strategic Planning and Program Development; Eileen O'Brien, Ph.D., Senior Enterprise Development Specialist for Federal Partnerships; Peter J. Pecora, Ph.D., Senior Director, Research Services and Professor, University of Washington. This program was formerly sponsored by CSAP. Representatives from SAMHSA included: Michele Basen, M.P.A.; Pat Sabry, M.A; Paul Brounstein, Ph.D.; Sybil Goldman, Ph.D.; Soledad Sambrano, Ph.D..

On May 8, 2002, the Prevention Research Branch, DESPR, hosted a presentation by Dr. Mary Jane Rotheram-Borus and Mr. Mark Etzel from the University of California at Los Angeles. The title of the presentation was Prevention Programming for HIV Positive Youth. Following the presentation Dr. Rotheram-Borus met with the Street Youth Interest Group to provide technical assistance on ideas related to research on street youth.

Drs. Elizabeth Robertson, DESPR, Timothy Condon, OSPC, Eve Reider, DESPR, Jack Stein, OSPC, and Suman Rao, OSPC, provided a technical assistance workshop at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill on May 20 and 21, 2002. The purpose of the workshop was to provide expertise in the areas of program development and evaluation for a pilot project of the National Families in Action (Ms. Sue Rusche, Director) titled The National Parent Corp. Over 20 scientists primarily from North Carolina attended along with Ms. Sue Rusche and three scientists from outside the state: Drs. Richard Catalano, University of Washington, Michael Hecht, Pennsylvania State University and Steve Sussman, USC.

A workgroup composed of representatives from several NIH Institutes met on July 23, 2002, and discussed "Safety Monitoring in Behavioral Trials". The participants discussed current regulations and guidelines; current experiences in Adverse Event reporting in behavioral trials; and next steps for the workgroup.

On April 26, 2002, the Division of Epidemiology, Services, and Prevention Research hosted a presentation by Drs. Lynne Vernon-Feagans and Martha Cox at University of North Carolina, and Dr. Mark Greenberg at Pennsylvania State University. The title of the presentation was Families Living in Rural Poverty: Environmental and Biological Influences Related to Alcohol and Drug Abuse.

On June 26, 2002, the Division of Epidemiology, Services, and Prevention Research hosted a presentation by Drs. Michael Dennis and Christy Scott on promising models for treating addiction as a chronic, relapsing condition.

Rafael de la Torre, Pharm.D., Ph.D., Head, Pharmacology Unit, IMIM, Barcelona, Spain, at the invitation of NIDA's Club Drugs Workgroup, spoke on July 26, 2002 on the Involvement of Drug Metabolism in MDMA ("Ecstasy") Pharmacology and Neurotoxicity.

Mr. Richard A. Millstein, Deputy Director, NIDA, spoke on NIDA's three RFAs comprising the NIDA National Prevention Research Initiative at the annual meeting of the Society for Prevention Research, Seattle, Washington, May 30-June 1, 2002.

Mr. Millstein chaired a symposium, "Drugs and Crime," at the annual meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, June 9-13, 2002.

Mr. Millstein represented NIDA at the American Association of Immunologists' Public Service Award recognition for NIH Deputy Director, Dr. Ruth Kirschstein, Bethesda, Maryland, June 18, 2002.

Mr. Millstein met with Mr. Robert Morrison, Director of Public Policy, National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD), Ms. Lizbet Boroughs, Director of Government Relations, American Psychiatric Association, and Mr. Andrew Kessler, Director of Government Relations, American Psychological Society about opportunities for NIDA and their organizations to work collaboratively, Bethesda, Maryland, July 2, 2002.

Mr. Millstein spoke at the NIDA/CCTN-sponsored meeting on Safety Monitoring and Reporting in Behavioral Clinical Trials, Bethesda, MD, July 23, 2002. NIDA, NIMH, NIAAA, NHLBI, NIH Office of the Director and pharmaceutical company officials presented and initiated a dialogue.

Mr. Millstein presented remarks at the NIDA/CAMCODA-sponsored working meeting, "HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean," Washington, DC, August 15, 2002. Representatives of CARIB, NIDA, NIAAA, NIMH, NIH Office of AIDS Research, and Caribbean Basin nations began a dialogue on enhancing research on drug abuse-related HIV/AIDS in this region of the world.

Mr. Millstein participated in the Clinical Review of NIDA's Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, September 12-13, 2002.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon presented "Addiction as a Brain Disease: Implications for Prevention and Treatment" and discussed NIDA program initiatives with NIDA-funded investigators at the University of Kentucky, Lexington on May 24 and 25, 2002.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon presented "Addiction as a Brain Disease: Implications for Drug Abuse Treatment," on May 30, 2002 at the Substance Abuse Treatment Symposium in Sacramento, California.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon spoke at the CADCA Mid-Year Training Institute on "New Advances in Drug Prevention Research," on August 8, 2002 in Seattle, Washington.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon participated in the American Psychological Association 2002 Annual Convention, August 21-25, 2002 in Chicago, Illinois.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon presented "Drug Abuse Research Update: Communicating Science Fact, Not Science Fiction" at the Partnership for a Drug-Free America Leadership Conference in Chicago, Illinois on September 6, 2002.

Dr. Timothy P. Condon presented on substance abuse after 9/11, at The New York Academy of Medicine conference "One Year After 9/11: What Have We Learned and Where Do We Go From Here?" on September 9, 2002 in New York, New York.

Dr. Jack Stein, Deputy Director, OSPC, presented "Update on NIDA Research" at the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center's Third Annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Health Roundtable in Los Angeles, CA on June 7, 2002.

Drs. Cindy Miner, Chief, Science Policy Branch, OSPC, and Suman Rao, OSPC, organized NIDA's Grant Writing Workshop at CPDD in Quebec City, Canada. Presentations were made by Drs. Cindy Miner, David Shurtleff, and Mark Sweiter from NIDA and Dr. Scott Lukas from McLean Hospital.

Dr. Suman Rao, OSPC, coordinated and moderated the NIDA Tutorials at CPDD in Quebec City, Canada. Speakers at the 2002 Tutorials were Nicholas Goeders, Louisiana Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, Alexandros Makriyannis, University of Connecticut, John Gatley, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Andrew Health, Washington University School of Medicine.

Drs. Cindy Miner and Suman Rao, OSPC, organized the NIDA Training Director's Meeting for the Directors of T32 Institutional Training Grant sites from across the country. The meeting was held in Rockville, MD on September 13, 2002.

On May 6 -7, 2002, Ana Anders, Senior Advisor on Special Populations, co-chaired a meeting with the National Council of La Raza for a HRSA, CSAT and NIDA collaborative project entitled, "Sharing Success" in Washington, D.C.

On May 23, 2002, Ana Anders, along with NIDA grantee Jose Szapocznik, Ph.D., briefed Dr. Andrea Barthwell, Director of Demand Reduction, ONDCP, on the National Hispanic Science Network on Drug Abuse in Washington, D.C.

On June 10-13, 2002, Ana Anders made a presentation on Hispanic drug abuse research to health professionals at the University Menendez Pelayo in Valencia, Spain.

Ana Anders served as mentor and supervisor for a Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) summer intern from June - August, 2002.

On July 18, 2002, Ana Anders presented information on NIDA's Hispanic Initiative to a group of University faculty from the HACU organization at a meeting sponsored by NIMH in Bethesda, MD.

On July 23, 2002, Ana Anders presented and moderated a panel on drug research, prevention, and treatment at the National Council of La Raza annual conference in Miami, FL.

On July 30, 2002, Ana Anders presented information on NIDA's Hispanic Initiative at a conference sponsored by the University of Georgia in Athens, GA.

On August 9, 2002, Ana Anders met with a delegation of Puerto Rican scientists from the University of Puerto Rico at a NIMH sponsored meeting in Bethesda, MD.

On May 2, 2002, Dr. Donald Vereen, Acting Chief, Special Populations, was the keynote speaker at the 5th annual conference on "Counseling African American Families" in Houston, Texas.

On May 13, 2002, Dr. Donald Vereen was a speaker at a Substance Abuse and Mental Health symposium, sponsored by the Department of Psychiatry at Howard University's Medical School. The symposium was held in Washington, D.C.

On June 27, 2002, Dr. Donald Vereen was a keynote speaker at the Mississippi Mental Health Summit in Jackson, MS.

On August 4-6, Dr. Donald Vereen made two presentations and chaired a panel at the Annual Convention and Scientific Assembly of the National Medical Society in Honolulu, HI.

On May 20, 2002, Dr. Donald Vereen represented NIDA at the inaugural meeting of the State Department sponsored Campaign Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Washington, D.C.

On May 22, 2002, Dr. Donald Vereen delivered a Grand Rounds presentation to the Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine.

On May 29, 2002, Dr. Donald Vereen was a speaker at the 35th Anniversary conference of the Dwight Ashbury Free Clinic in San Francisco, CA.

On May 30, 2002, Dr. Donald Vereen was a keynote speaker at the National Association of Counties (NAC) annual meeting in Dallas, TX.

On June 21, 2002, Dr. Donald Vereen was a speaker at the annual convention of the Medical Association of Jamaica in Kinston, JA.

On August 19, 2002, Dr. Donald Vereen was a presenter at the Air Force Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment/Demand Reduction conference in Denver, CO.

On July 8, 2002, Dr. Peter I. Hartsock represented the Department at the annual Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) Seniors Meeting at the National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA. Jerry Frankenheim spoke at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville on MDMA - 'Ecstasy,' or 'Despair'" on June 4, 2002. This was a NIDA Club Drugs Workgroup activity.

Dr. Cora Lee Wetherington, DNBR and NIDA's Women & Gender Research Coordinator, participated in the ORWH-sponsored meeting of the principal investigators from the 12 ORWH-funded women's health centers on July 12, 2002, in Bethesda, MD. Established in response to the RFA, "Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health" (BIRCWH), these K12 centers provide for mentoring and protected time for research by junior faculty members wishing to pursue a program of research on women's health and gender differences. Three of these 12 BIRCWHs are co-funded by NIDA. They are located at the University of Kentucky (Emory Wilson, PI), Virginia Commonwealth University (Roy Pickens, PI), and Yale University (Carolyn Mazure, PI).

At the American Psychological Association annual meeting, Aug 22-25, 2002, in Chicago, Dr. Cora Lee Wetherington, DNBR and NIDA's Women & Gender Research Coordinator, co-chaired a session on "Prescription Opioid Abuse: The Problem Seen from Multiple Perspectives," with Dr. James Zacny from the University of Chicago. The speakers and presentation titles were as follows: Drs. Jim Zacny, "Prescription Opioids and Abuse Liability Issues;" Peggy Compton, UCLA, "Epidemiology of Prescription Opioid Abuse;" Christine A. Sannerud, DEA, Role of Governmental Agencies in Preventing Prescription Opioid Diversion; and June L. Dahl, "Impact of Opioid Abuse on Legitimate Use: Stigmatization, Opiophobia, Under-Medication." Dr. Davied Thomas, DNBR, NIDA served as the session's discussant.

At the American Psychological Association annual meeting, Aug 22-25, 2002, in Chicago, Dr. Cora Lee Wetherington, DNBR and NIDA's Women & Gender Research Coordinator, participated in the Executive Committee meeting of Division 28: Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse. Dr. Wetherington serves as a Member-at-Large on the Executive Committee.

At the annual meeting of the Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, June 26-30, 2002, in Amherst, MA, Dr. Susan Volman, DNBR, was the discussant for a symposium on Neuroendocrinology of Motivation and Reward. The keynote speaker was Dr. Barry Everitt, University of Cambridge, whose presentation was entitled "From Sexual Behavior to Drug Addiction via Associative and Motivational Systems in the Brain". Other participants were: Dr. Lique Coolen, University of Cincinnati, "Motivating Circuits: Common Substrates for Sex and Drugs;" Dr. Jill Becker, University of Michigan "Rapid Effects of Estrogen on Dopamine Systems: Effects on Motivated Behaviors;" Dr. Elaine Hull, SUNY, Buffalo, "Sex and the Single Rat: Tales of Dopamine and Serotonin;" and Dr. Thomas Insel, Emory University, "Is Love an Addictive Disorder?"

Dr. Susan Volman, DNBR, represented NIDA at 5th International Zebrafish Development and Genetics meeting, June 12-16, 2002, in Madison, WI. With representatives from other NIH Institutes, she spoke in an information session on opportunities for funding and NIH interest in research using this model organism. Dr. Volman emphasized NIDA's encouragement of the use of zebrafish for behavioral and systems neurobiological studies.

Dr. William Corrigall, DNBR, attended a conference in Providence RI in June 2002 at which progress in the Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Centers was reviewed. NIDA co-funds these centers with NCI and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This meeting allowed NIDA to gain additional insights to the overall performance of the centers as they complete their 3rd year of support.

Dr. James Colliver, DESPR, gave a presentation entitled "Drugs of Abuse: Overview of Epidemiologic Patterns" at the Structural Biology and Structural Genomics/Proteomics Symposium chaired by Dr. Rao Rapaka, DNBR, May 8-10, 2002 in Bethesda, MD.

Dr. Jerry Flanzer, DESPR, presented a lecture on "The Relationship of Substance Abuse and Child Abuse and Neglect Services as Influenced by the Recent Welfare Reform Act" to the Senior staff of the Children's Bureau, Administration of Child, Youth and Families, HHS, Washington, DC, May 16, 2002.

Drs. Jerry Flanzer and Thomas Hilton, DESPR, led the drug abuse researchers caucus, June 25, 2002, and participated in the federal workshop on grantmanship on June 23, 2002 at the Academy of Health Services Research and Health Policy's Annual Conference, Hilton Hotel, Washington, D.C.

Drs. Jerry Flanzer and Peter Delany, DESPR, led a grantmanship workshop for potential principal investigators, at the National Association of Drug Court Professionals' (NADCPs') 8th Annual Drug Court Training Conference, held in Washington, DC at the Marriott Wardman Park on Connecticut Avenue, NW, June 13, 2002.

Dr. Aria Crump, DESPR, presented a paper at the Society for Prevention Research Conference in Seattle, Washington on June 1, 2002. The paper was entitled "Going Places: Persuasive Communications in the Context of a School-Based Problem Behavior Prevention Program."

Drs. Shakeh Jackie Kaftarian and Elizabeth Robertson, DESPR, organized and made a presentation at a session titled " NIDA's New Initiatives: Will they Complete the Cycle of Prevention Research to Practice?" on June 1, 2002 at the annual meeting of the Society for Prevention Research in Seattle, Washington.

Drs. Shakeh Jackie Kaftarian and Elizabeth Robertson presented a seminar at the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program, National Technical Assistance Meeting August 5-7, 2002, at the Marriott Wardman, Washington, D.C.

On July 25, 2002, Dr. Susan Martin, DESPR, chaired a breakout group focused on Community Violence as part of a meeting on "Children's Exposure to Violence: Current Status, Gaps, and Research Priorities" organized by NICHD, cosponsored by NIDA, and held at the Georgetown Holiday Inn, Washington, D.C.

On August 8 and 9, 2002, Dr. Susan Martin convened an Expert Panel meeting entitled "The ONDCP Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign Evaluation: Balancing Continuity and Change in the Next Iteration." Participants included research design experts Patrick O'Malley, University of Michigan, David McKinnon, University of Arizona, Joseph Schafer, Pennsylvania State University, and Steve Thompson, Pennsylvania State University; youth development and drug use specialists Steve Buca, Harvard University, Phyllis Ellickson, RAND, and Helene White, Rutgers; and persuasive communications researchers including William Crano, Claremont Graduate School, Brian Flynn, University of Vermont, Nancy Harrington, University of Kentucky, Leslie Snyder, University of Connecticut, and Jerome Williams, Howard University. After initial briefings by ONDCP Campaign staff and the current evaluators from Westat and the Annenberg School of Communications, the experts systematically reviewed all aspects of the ongoing study, and identified modifications and additions to strengthen further study.

Dr. William Cartwright, DESPR, presented a lecture, Costs and Drug Courts, to the National Association of Drug Court Professionals' (NADCPs') 8th Annual Drug Court Training Conference, taking place in Washington, DC at the Marriott Wardman Park on Connecticut Avenue, NW, June 15, 2002.

Dr. Thomas Hilton, DESPR, presented a paper co-authored by Drs. Flanzer, Fletcher, and Cartwright, all of DESPR, entitled, "Resistance to Innovation Among US Drug Abuse Treatment Providers: When Organizational Knowledge Interferes With Organizational Learning" at the 3rd European Conference on Organizational Knowledge, Learning, and Capabilities (OKLC 2002) in Athens Greece April 4-6, 2002.

Dr. Kathy Etz, DESPR, presented a paper entitled "Developmental Science: Bridges to Drug Abuse Research" at the annual meetings for the Society for Prevention Research in Seattle, Washington on June 1, 2002.

Dr. Jack Blaine, CCTN, participated in a meeting on " Research Priorities Suggested by Providers" sponsored by the NIAAA in Bethesda on April 19, 2002.

On May 13, 2002, Dr. Betty Tai, Director, CCTN, presented an update on the NIDA CTN to the EU Demand Reduction Seminar sponsored by the White House ONDCP.

The CTN Data and Safety Monitoring Board met July 22-23, 2002. The Board reviewed the current trials for safety and scientific integrity. The meetings addressed: 1) reports on all Serious Adverse Events; 2) the trials' progress; 3) review of a new protocol; and 4) discussion of current issues.

On May 23, 2002, Drs. Ling Chin and Paul Wakim, CCTN, presented "Clinical Trials for the Layman" to NIDA personnel as part of the Director's "Science for the Layman" series.

On June 21, 2002, Dr. Janet Levy, CCTN, presented "CTN Data Management System" as part of the CCTN Classroom series.

On July 2, 2002, Dr. Betty Tai, Director, CCTN, gave a presentation on the Clinical Trials Network to representatives from NASADAD, APA, and APS.

On July 17 Jacquelyn Goldberg, J.D., gave a presentation on NCI's Central Institutional Review Board as part of the CCTN Classroom series.

Dr. Frank Vocci spoke at the CSAT sponsored Buprenorphine Stakeholders Meeting on July 26, 2002, in Bethesda. His presentation was on recent clinical trials with buprenorphine and buprenorphine/naloxone products.

Dr. Frank Vocci was a discussant at a Medications Development Symposium on the development of cocaine dependence pharmacotherapies at the American Psychological Association meeting in Chicago on August 23, 2002.

Dr. Cece McNamara, DTR&D, presented a talk entitled "Contingency Management and the Stage Model" to the Contingency Management Workgroup June 10, 2002 in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada to inform the field of NIDA's continuing interest in contingency management research.

Dr. Cece McNamara, DTR&D, gave a presentation on Drug Abuse Treatment Development Research and participated in a day long seminar for graduate students attending the NIDA sponsored National Hispanic Science Network Training Institute on Hispanic Drug Use in Houston Texas June 18, 2002.

Dr. Lisa Onken, BTDB Chief, DTR&D, gave a presentation on the Stage Model of Behavioral Treatment Development to the CSAT Targeted Capacity Expansion Grantees and Evaluators on June 25th and 28th, 2002. The BTDB branch staff attended these talks to provide technical assistance to potential grantees.

Dr. Debbie Grossman, BTDB, DTR&D, participated in the Youth Tobacco Cessation Collaborative Meeting on June 3, 2002 in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Dorynne Czechowicz, DTR&D, participated in a CSAT meeting to review Clinical Guidelines on LAAM in June, 2002.

Drs. Steven Grant, Ro Nemeth-Coslett, and Joseph Frascella of the Clinical Neurobiology Branch participated in the organization and conduct of the NIDA-sponsored meeting on "Youth, Internet, and Drugs" held in Rockville, MD on June 6, 2002.

Dr. Joseph Frascella gave a presentation entitled "NIH Grant Proposal Writing: Some Hints and Strategies" at the "National Hispanic Science Network Summer Research Training Institute on Drug Abuse" in Houston, Texas on June 23, 2002.

Dr. Jonathan L. Katz, IRP, was invited to present a paper entitled "Cocaine-Induced Locomotor Activity and Cocaine Discrimination in Dopamine D4 Receptor Mutant Mice" at Dopamine 2002, a Satellite Symposium of the IUPHAR Congress, in Portland OR, July, 10-14, 2002.

Dr. Santosh S. Kulkarni, IRP, was accepted as a poster presenter at the 2002 Gordon Conference on Medicinal Chemistry, New London, NH, August 4-9, 2002.

Dr. Amy H. Newman, IRP, was invited to present a seminar entitled "Three Generations of N-Substituted Benztropine Analogues as Potential Medications for Cocaine Abuse" at the Department of Pharmacology, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, July 9, 2002.

Dr. Toni S. Shippenberg, Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, IRP, chaired a symposium entitled: "Opiate Dependence and Addiction: The Neuropeptide/GABA Connection" at the 33rd International Narcotics Research Conference held July 9-14, 2002 in Pacific Grove, CA.