NIDA IP

Researchers from Russia and South Africa were selected as the 2011 WHO/NIDA/CPDD International Traveling Fellows. NIDA partners with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) to provide support for a 1-week research visit with a NIDA grantee and participation in the NIDA International Forum and the CPDD Annual Scientific Meeting.

The 2011 International Traveling Fellows are:

Abstracts will soon be accepted for the 5th Annual NIDA International Poster Session at the Society for Prevention Research (SPR) 20th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, May 29–June 1, 2012.

NIDA’s International Program and Division of Epidemiology, Services and Prevention Research will host the poster session to highlight international drug abuse-related prevention research, including HIV/AIDS prevention research in drug-using populations. Abstract submissions will undergo the same peer review process as other poster submissions for SPR.

“Find good partners, start small, and take advantage of every research training and funding opportunity available.” That was the theme of presenters at the 16th Annual NIDA International Forum, which featured reports on U.S. initiatives to improve evidence-based drug treatment, research training, and policy implementation around the world.

NIDA International Program Director Steven W. Gust, Ph.D., received the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) J. Michael Morrison Award for outstanding contributions in the area of scientific administration related to drugs of abuse.

A new fellowship program will enable talented Mexican postdoctoral scientists to devote 12 months to drug abuse prevention research in the United States.

NIDA and the Mexican National Institute of Psychiatry Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz (NIP), along with the Mexican National Commission Against Addictions (CONADIC) and the Society for Prevention Research, have established the United States–Mexico Drug Abuse Prevention Research Fellowship.

Three scientists are working to get to the roots of addiction through support from NIDA and the Fogarty International Center (FIC). The scientists and their work, highlighted in FIC’s recent newsletter, illustrate the true intent of the NIDA/FIC collaboration to nurture global research exchange and bring about a greater understanding of drug abuse and addiction worldwide. Highlights of the scientists’ research are described below:

A new supplement to Substance Use & Misuse addresses volatile substance misuse (VSM). Supported by the NIDA International Program, this special issue addresses the public health aspects of VSM, the inhalation of gases or vapors for psychoactive effects, assessing the similarities and differences in the products misused, patterns, prevalence, etiologies, and impacts of VSM. In 20 peer-reviewed articles, authors from 12 countries examine these issues through sociocultural epidemiology, neuroscience, and interventions research. The Australian, Canadian, and U.S.

The Society for Prevention Research (SPR) recently welcomed scientists and experts from around the world to explore prevention science from a global health perspective with the intent of fostering worldwide rapid development of evidence-based policies, strategies, and programs.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) International Program recently unveiled its redesigned Web site with new features for more direct access to information essential to the international drug abuse research community.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) International Program is pleased to announce the selection of the 2011 Awards of Excellence winners, who are recognized for their outstanding contributions to international cooperation in drug abuse research and training.

NIDA Awards of Excellence recipients Richard Rawson (left), María Elena Medina-Mora Icaza, and Jeffrey Samet (far right) with NIDA International Program Director Steven W. Gust.