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African American Researchers and Scholars Work Group (AARSWG)

Mission and Goals

NIDA’s African American Researchers and Scholars Work Group (AARSWG) is one of the four ethnic/minority advisory workgroups established by NIDA to forward its efforts to increase the numbers of underrepresented investigators conducting drug abuse research, and to increase its support of appropriate research on drug abuse in minority communities.   The AARSWG was convened in 1994 to advise the NIDA Director on the unique drug abuse research and drug abuse research development needs of the African American community that, ultimately, will result in more effective prevention and treatment approaches in African American populations.  Work group members are comprised of NIDA and NIH-funded researchers, educators, treatment providers, and community-based practitioners.

Major Highlights and Accomplishments

The AARSWG has successfully supported and mentored new African-American investigators through the sponsorship of four (4) annual Addiction Research Training Institutes; held intensive research grants preparation booster sessions; convened annual Mini Medical School forums on drug abuse topics pertinent to African American communities; actively lobbied for increased interest in drug abuse research in professional associations, such as the American Association of Criminology and the American Psychological Association; has been instrumental in establishing a NIDA Southern African Initiative, encouraging collaborative drug abuse and related research between NIDA and Southern African researchers; and increased African American representation as reviewers in the NIDA/ NIH review process.  In addition, AARSWG workgroup members have successfully mentored and advised each other in pursuing research funding from NIDA and other NIH/PHS agencies.

Resources and Links

Workgroup Roster:

  • Faye Belgrave, Ph.D.
    Professor
    Director, Center for Cultural Experiences in Prevention
    Department of Psychology
    Virginia Commonwealth University
    808 West Franklin Street
    P.O. Box 842018
    Richmond, VA 23284
    804-827-3908
    804-828-2237 Fax
  • Ronald L. Braithwaite, Ph.D.
    Professor
    Morehouse School of Medicine
    Departments of Community Health and Preventive Medicine,
    Family Medicine and Psychiatry
    1513 East Cleveland Avenue
    Building #100, 2nd Floor, Suite 250-B
    East Point, GA 30344
    404-756-1238
  • Lawrence Brown, M.D., M.P.H.
    Executive Senior Vice President
    Addiction Research and Treatment
    Corporation
    22 Chapel Street
    Brooklyn, NY 11201
    718-260-2917
  • Ann Kathleen (Kathy) Burlew, Ph.D.
    Professor, Department of Psychology
    University of Cincinnati, ML #376
    Cincinnati, OH 45221
    513-475-5341
    513-556-1904 Fax
  • Julius Debro, Ph.D.
    Professor, Department of Political Science
    University of Washington
    11531 36th Avenue, NE
    Seattle, WA 98125
    206-383-0603
  • Robert Dunigan, Ph.D., MSW
    Senior Research Associate
    Institute of Behavior Health
    Schneider Institute for Health Policy
    The Heller School of Social Policy & Management
    Brandeis University
    415 South Street, Mail Stop 035
    Waltham, MA 02454-9110
    781-736-3900
    781-736-3905
  • C. Debra Furr-Holden, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor,
    John Hopkins University
    Bloomberg School of Public Health
    Department of Mental Health
    Director, DIVE Studies Laboratory
    Deputy Director, Center for the Prevention of
    Youth Violence
    111 Market Place, Suite 850
    Baltimore, MD 21202
    410-347-3211
    410-347-3200 Fax
  • Estelle B. Gauda, M.D.
    Professor of Pediatrics
    Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
    Department of Pediatrics
    Division of Neonatology
    Neonatology Research Laboratories
    CMSC 6-104
    600 N. Wolfe Street
    Baltimore, MD 21287-3200
    410-955-5259
  • Barbara J. Guthrie, R.N., Ph.D., F.A.A.N.
    Professor, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
    Yale School of Nursing
    100 Church Street South
    New Haven, CT 06519
    203-785-2399
    203-737-2685 Fax
  • Murelle Harrison, Ph.D.
    Chair, Department of Psychology
    Southern University
    500 Jesse Stone
    Baton Rouge, LA 70821
    Phone: 225-771-2990
    Fax: 225-771-2082
  • Rhonda Conerly Holliday, Ph.D.
    Research Associate Professor
    Dept of Community Health and Preventive Medicine
    Morehouse School of Medicine
    1513 East Cleveland Ave
    Bldg 100, Suite 250-B
    East Point, GA 30344
    404-756-5042
    404-756-1222 Fax
  • Sean Joe, Ph.D., LMSW
    Assistant Professor and Director
    School of Social Work
    University of Michigan
    1080 South University Avenue
    Ann Arbor, MI 48109
    734-763-6288
  • Norweeta G. Milburn, Ph.D.
    Professor-in-Residence
    Department of Psychiatry and
    Biobehavioral Sciences
    Director of Research and Evaluation
    FOCUS Headquarters
    UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and
    Human Behavior
    760 Westwood Plaza, A8-159A
    Los Angeles, CA 90024
    310-794-3773
    310-794-6159 Fax
  • Ernest Quimby, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor
    Sociology and Anthropology
    Howard University
    2441 6th Street, NW
    Washington, DC 20059
    202-806-6853
    202-806-4893 Fax
  • Daniel Sarpong, Ph.D.
    Director and Senior Biostatistician
    Jackson Heart Study
    Jackson State University
    350 West Woodrow Wilson Drive, Suite 701
    Jackson, MS 39213
    601-979-8748
    601-979-8701 Fax
  • Scyatta A. Wallace, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor
    Department of Psychology
    St. Johns University
    Marillac Hall, 8000 Utopia Parkway
    Queens, NY 11439
    718-990-2398

This page was last updated April 2012

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