NIDA INVEST Fellow João Mauricio Castaldelli-Maia, M.D., Ph.D., won the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) Early Career Research Presentation Competition. Dr. Castaldelli-Maia received the award for Excellence in Clinical Work by a Postdoctoral Researcher. His research, Cannabis-Related Deaths in the United States, 1999–2018, found that cannabis-related death rates were about 0.12 per 100,000, but identified three areas where excess deaths have been related to cannabis use and should be targeted for preventive interventions: cardiovascular events, transportation accidents, and homicide. The judges called his abstract “one of the best for this year’s conference overall” and said his oral presentation was impressive. Dr. Castaldelli-Maia was a 2020 NIDA INVEST Fellow from Brazil, where he is an auxiliary professor of psychiatry at ABC Health University Center in São Paulo. His INVEST Fellowship mentor was Silvia Martins, M.D., Ph.D., Columbia University in New York.
