Director of National Institute on Drug Abuse to Speak at Yale

The director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Alan Leshner, will be the keynote speaker at a symposium at Yale Sept. 18 on innovative treatments for drug abuse.

David Kessler, M.D., dean of Yale School of Medicine, and Benjamin Bunney, M.D., chairman of the Department of Psychiatry, also will address the gathering.

The symposium, titled “Innovations in Drug Abuse Treatment From Research to Practice,” will mark the inauguration of two new NIDA-supported clinical research centers at Yale: the Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center and the Clinical Trials Network: New England Node.

The two centers will help rapid translation of findings from basic science and clinical research into clinical practice in community prevention and treatment programs.

Other speakers and their topics are: Kathleen Carroll, associate professor of psychiatry, who will talk about the new clinical trials network; Stephanie O’Malley, professor of psychiatry, who will explain the new tobacco use research center; Thomas Kosten, M.D., professor of psychiatry, who will speak about the neurobiology and pharmacotherapy of cocaine abuse; Bruce Rounsaville, M.D., who will discuss combining behavioral and pharmacological treatment; and Richard Schottenfeld, M.D., who will speak about broadening the base of addictions treatment.

The symposium will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Harkness Auditorium, Sterling Hall of Medicine, 333 Cedar St.

For further information, please call 203-937-3486.