Addiction Science Center Working Group
In the Spring of 2012, a small group of ETSU scholars, health professionals, elected
officials, and other interested parties came together to discuss the dramatic increase
in prescription drug abuse and drug overdose death rates in the Appalachian Region.
As a result, the Addiction Science Center (ASC) Working Group was formed. This group collaborated to generate a National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) proposal that culminated in a 5-year Diversity-promoting Institutions Drug Abuse Research Program (DIDARP).
The Working Group is open to all substance abuse scholars, pharmacists, prescribers, and preventionists from across campus and the community. Presently, there are more than 300 invitations sent for every meeting, and as many as 25 individuals typically attend our meetings. The group includes physicians, pharmacists, a social worker, a pharmacologist/systems researcher, a psychologist, qualitative and quantitative researchers, research staff and masters, professional and doctoral graduate students. At each meeting the group pursues opportunities for research, education, outreach and development.
The group has monthly meetings that focus on addiction research proposal opportunities, grant deadlines, feedback to PI's, a journal club environment, an update on the DIDARP projects, and statistical and methods assistance on manuscripts.
Importantly, this working group includes both students and faculty. Association with the group, irrespective of membership, allows an opportunity for addiction research career recruitment and collaborative relationship development.
The ASC Working Group is the central networking hub for the Addiction Science Center and has a goal to increase the affiliated faculty and students to every logical participant at the university, sustaining at least 25 participants at every group meeting.
To get involved in the working group contact Christopher Lewis at lewsicl1@etsu.edu.