NIDA Welcomes New Fellows

NIDA staff welcomed 26 fellows from 22 nations as part of an orientation for new fellowship awardees. International Program Director Dr. Steven W. Gust and Associate Director Dale Weiss hosted the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows from Virginia Commonwealth University, Johns Hopkins University, and Emory University, who were joined by NIDA INVEST and INVEST/CTN Fellows, and a DISCA awardee for the 3-day orientation. Fellows learned about the Institute’s international research priorities as well as NIDA and National Institutes of Health resources and collaboration and training tools that the fellows can access during their time in the United States and after they return to their country to continue their research.

Drs. Joseph Perpich and Krystyna Isaacs discussed the NIDA International Virtual Collaboratory (NIVC) and the Humphrey Fellowship Professional Affiliation Directory created through NIVC. Representatives from NIDA Divisions talked with the fellows about their offices’ international research priorities and opportunities for collaborative international research.

NIDA International Program Director Dr. Steve W. Gust, bottom row far left, and Ms. Dale Weiss, Associate Director, bottom row far right, welcome new 2011 Hubert H. Humphrey, INVEST, and INVEST-CTN Fellows.

The fellows visited NIDA’s Intramural Research Program in Baltimore, touring the chemistry and drug metabolism laboratories with Dr. David Gorelick, and the magnetic resonance imaging suite with Dr. Eliot Stein. They heard presentations from Dr. George Uhl of the Molecular Neurobiology Section regarding genetic addiction research, and Dr. Steve Heishman of the Nicotine Psychopharmacology Section about the Institute’s research on nicotine addiction. Fellows also toured the National Library of Medicine and met with staff at the Fogarty International Center.