142nd Meeting Minutes

Minutes – September 13, 2022

The National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse convened its 142nd meeting at 11:00 a.m. on September 13, 2022. This meeting was conducted virtually. The closed portion of the meeting held on September 13th was for reviewing applications for Federal grant assistance and was open only to Council members and Federal employees. The open portion, which was open to the public, began at 1:15 p.m. and was also videocast. The Council adjourned on September 13, 2022 at 4:30 p.m.

Council Members Present
Charles Chavkin, Ph.D.
Anna Rose Childress, Ph.D.
Dennis Deer, Ph.D.
Amit Etkin, M.D., Ph.D.
Daniel Goonan
Shelly Greenfield, M.D., M.P.H.
Paul Kenny, Ph.D.
Jessica Hulsey Nickel
Andrey Ostrovsky, M.D.
Travis Rieder, Ph.D.
Rajita Sinha, Ph.D.
Melissa Walls, Ph.D.
Sharon Walsh, Ph.D.

Council Chair
Nora Volkow, M.D.

Executive Secretary
Susan Weiss, Ph.D.

During the Open Session of Council, 238 participants joined live via videocast.

Closed Portion of the Meeting

1. Call to Order

   This portion of the meeting was closed to the public in accordance with sections 552b(c) (4) and 552b(c) (6), Title 5, U.S. Code and section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2).

   Dr. Nora Volkow, Director, NIDA, called the meeting to order and welcomed the Council and staff. She reminded those present that the Federal Advisory Committee Act applies to Council meetings and that this portion of the meeting was closed to the public.

   Dr. Susan Weiss, Executive Secretary, summarized relevant NIH policies, provided detailed instructions on Council review procedures, and reminded those present about NIH confidentiality and conflict of interest policies.

2. Application Reviews

   Drs. Carlos Blanco, Elena Koustova, Iván Montoya, Rita Valentino, and Albert Avila, Directors of NIDA’s Division of Epidemiology, Services and Prevention Research, Office of Translational Initiatives and Program Innovations, Division of Therapeutics and Medical Consequences, Division of Neuroscience and Behavior, and Office of Research Training Diversity, and Disparities, presented their Division’s/Office’s assigned and peer reviewed applications for consideration by the Council. For each application, Council provided unanimous en bloc concurrence with the initial scientific review. Four administrative supplements, 1 MERIT extension, and 3 foreign applications were presented to Council, and Council concurred with program assessments. The initial review of all Trans-NIH Initiatives, including NIH Common Fund, Blueprint, and BRAIN applications as well as foreign applications and applications with a secondary assignment to NIDA also received Council concurrence. In total, Council concurred with the initial review of 1,622 applications totaling $112,101,962 in direct costs.

   Council and staff were recused from the Council meetings during discussion of, and voting on, individual applications from their own institutions or other applications for which there was a conflict of interest, real or apparent. Conflicts of interest statements were signed by each member of the Council. Members were not required to leave the room if an application in conflict with that member was acted upon en bloc.

Open Portion of the Meeting

1. Call to Order

   Dr. Nora Volkow, NIDA, called the open portion of the meeting to order and welcomed all attendees. She reminded all in attendance that the meeting was open to the public in compliance with the Government in the Sunshine Act, was available and recorded via videocast, and indicated that any public comments submitted via email within 10 days of the meeting would be included in the minutes.

   She then called attention to future Council meeting dates: February 8, 2023, and May 9-10, 2023.

2. Consideration of the Minutes of Council

   The Minutes of the May 2022 NIDA Advisory Council were unanimously approved as written.

3. Office of National Drug Control Policy (NIH Videocast @ 0:11:20) – Rahul Gupta, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., FACP, Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy

   Dr. Gupta presented the Biden Harris administration’s drug policy and their deep commitment to following the data and science as they seek to beat the overdose epidemic. He discussed the work of ONDCP at the intersection of public health and public safety and the current status of the opioid epidemic, particularly the rise in deaths from synthetic opioids, methamphetamines, and cocaine. Dr. Gupta focused on the rise in synthetic substances infiltrating vulnerable communities and the insufficient prevention efforts, treatment and recovery support services. ONDCP has a mandate to reduce the number of overdose deaths, to provide quality public health services to all who need them, and to stop drug trafficking organizations that seek to profit from harming Americans. Dr. Gupta presented the 4 strategies ONDCP is using to meet this mandate: expanding access to naloxone, expanding treatment, disrupting trans-national criminal organizations, and bolstering data and scientific research. He emphasized that science should be driving policy and highlighted the need to address social determinants of health and adverse childhood experiences to help prevent substance use disorders. Dr. Gupta concluded with remarks on the need for more investment in building and training the addiction workforce to ensure that people can access resources.

   Following the presentation, a discussion with Council occurred (NIH Videocast @ 0:34:35)

4. NIDA Director’s Report (NIH Videocast @ 0:49:00) – Nora Volkow, M.D., Director, NIDA

   Dr. Nora Volkow began by reviewing NIDA’s final budget for FY2021, the enacted budget for FY2022 and the proposed budget for FY2023. She provided updates on retention and use of data in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study and status updates on the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study. Next, she focused on trends in substance use among adults and rises in detection of THC in injured drivers and children hospitalized for cannabis poisoning following legalization in Canada. She then discussed the intersection between COVID-19 and substance use disorders (SUD) with a focus on harm to pregnant women and differences in treatment for SUD by race and ethnicity. Next, Dr. Volkow highlighted implementation science efforts of CTN, JCOIN, and HCS. She focused on harm reduction approaches to reduce overdose deaths and long-term recovery support services. In addition, she highlighted funding opportunities from the Division of Therapeutics and Medical Consequences and alternative outcomes for medication development. Lastly, Dr. Volkow provided updates on the Racial Equity Initiative and the finalized Strategic Plan.

   Council thanked Dr. Volkow for her presentation and a discussion followed (NIH Videocast @ 1:36:18).

5. Updates from the Office of Science Policy and Communications (NIH Videocast @ 2:11:58) – Jennifer A. Hobin, Ph.D, Director, OSPC; Emily Einstein, Ph.D., Chief, Science Policy Branch

   Dr. Jennifer Hobin presented an overview of the Office of Science Policy and Communication and detailed the responsibilities of each branch. She discussed legislative engagements and media outreach. Next, Dr. Hobin focused on the stigma that surrounds addiction and NIDA’s efforts to combat this through language, work with health care providers, and changing NIDA’s name. She then brought attention to the increase in methamphetamine overdose deaths which led to the Methamphetamine Response Act, declaring methamphetamine an “emerging drug threat” that requires a response plan. Lastly, she presented recent efforts related to harm reduction.

   Dr. Emily Einstein presented the finalized NIDA Strategic Plan for fiscal years 2022-2026. She gave an overview of the planning process and various internal and external inputs. Dr. Einstein discussed the 5 priority scientific areas and the cross-cutting priorities that span NIDA’s portfolio and will contribute substantially to the mission over the next five years. She concluded by discussing the promotion plan and thanking the people with lived experience of addiction for contributing to the strategic plan.

   Following the presentation, a discussion with Council occurred (NIH Videocast @ 2:44:20).

6. Concept Clearances (NIH Videocast @ 2:53:00)

   Division of Epidemiology, Services, and Prevention Research (DESPR)
   — Patient Engagement Resource Centers – Lori Ducharme, Ph.D.
   — Leveraging Inpatient Medical or Surgical Hospitalizations to Improve Outcomes for People Who Use Drugs – Marcy Fitz-Randolph, D.O., MPH 
   — Rapid Translation of Epidemiological Findings into Interventions to Prevent Substance Use and Addiction – Alexa Romberg, Ph.D. 
   — Rural Community-Centered Prevention and Harm Reduction Research: Responding to the Fourth Wave Opioid/Psychostimulant Epidemic and its HIV/HCV Consequences in the U.S. – Aria Crump, Sc.D. 
   
   Office of Translational Initiatives and Program Innovations (OTIPI)
   — Using Cost‐Effective Technology to Develop Accessible and Affordable Products to Reduce (or even eliminate) Disparities in Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Diagnosis and Treatment – Yordan Kostov, Ph.D. 
   
   Division of Therapeutics and Medical Consequences (DTMC)
   — Marijuana Farm and Analytics to Produce Consistent, High Quality Material to Facilitate Cannabis Research – Jane Acri, Ph.D.

   Council voted to approve this concept

   Division of Neuroscience and Behavior (DNB)
   — Exploratory Clinical Neuroscience Research on Substance Use Disorders – Vani Pariyadath, Ph.D.
   — Responsible analyses of complex, large‐scale data – Vani Pariyadath, Ph.D.
   — Translating Socioenvironmental Influences on Neurocognitive Development and Addiction Risk (TransSINDA) – Holly Moore, Ph.D.
   — Mechanistic Research on Neuromodulation for SUD Treatment – John Fedota, Ph.D.
   — Advancing Psychedelics Research for Treating Addiction – Kiran Vemuri, Ph.D.
   — Remote Assessment 1: Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Participant Engagement – Janani Prabhakar, Ph.D.
   — Remote Assessment 2: Validation and Expansion of Remote Assessments of SUD-Relevant Behaviors – John Fedota, Ph.D. 
   
   Office of Research Training, Diversity, and Disparities (ORTDD) 
   — NIDA International Program – Lindsey Friend, Ph.D.

7. Public Comments (NIH Videocast @ 3:17:03)
   
   No public comments were submitted.
8. Adjourn (NIH Videocast @ 3:18:58)
   
   The 142nd meeting of the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse was adjourned at 4:30 p.m.

Certification

I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are accurate and complete.

• Nora D. Volkow, M.D.
  Director, NIDA
  Chair
  National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse
• Susan Weiss, Ph.D.
  Executive Secretary
  National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse

Council Roster

Note: Informational materials provided to the public at the open session of the meeting may be obtained from the Executive Secretary.