Wendy Kliewer, Virginia Commonwealth University, left, and Rabia Hanif, Pakistan, with their award-winning poster.
NIDA Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow Rabia Hanif, Pakistan, received the 2018 College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) International Committee Award for Best International Research Poster. The committee reviews posters submitted to the joint NIDA International Forum/CPDD International Research Poster Session by researchers from low-, lower middle-, and upper middle-income countries. The winner receives 3 nights’ lodging at the conference hotel for the CPDD Annual Scientific Meeting in 2019 or 2020. Ms. Hanif is a 2017–2018 NIDA Hubert H. Humphrey Drug Abuse Research Fellow who is completing her doctorate. Her poster was "Personality traits differentiate Pakistani males in recovery versus relapse from substance use disorders." Her coauthor on the poster was Dr. Wendy Kliewer, professor and chair of the Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Psychology. The semifinalists were Elena Blokhina, Russia, and Antonio Pascale, Uruguay. Dr. Blokhina’s poster was "Craving, drugs, and alcohol use by HIV-positive patients with opioid use disorder stabilized on naltrexone." Dr. Pascale’s poster was "Marijuana users seeking treatment in Uruguay: A clinical characterization in the frame of cannabis market regulation."
The 2018 judges included International Committee Chair Clyde McCoy, University of Miami; Committee members Suzanne Nielsen, Monash University, Australia; and Renee Goodwin, City University of New York and Columbia University; former CPDD Treasurer Linda Cottler, University of Florida; and NIDA International Program Director Steven Gust. Dr. Nielsen coordinated the judging of 73 eligible posters.