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DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS
Friends-
WOHOO—It’s SPRING- Hope, Renewal, Lightness of Being, and St. Patrick’s Day Parades … Not to mention fashion’s spring offerings. I mean, WOW, my nucleus accumbens is lighting up just writing about it. Yeah, right. I am not feeling it. Already I anticipate the circadian disruption created by that entire “Spring Forward” thing. I’m dreading the seasonal rains, oppressive humidity, and pollen. I worry (incessantly) that the application we submitted is chocked full of grammatical errors and reduced to a font size of 8. I’m pretty sure that all members of my team procured those on-line voodoo dolls and a stash of LARGE pins. They should. AND I exhaust myself thinking about a surprisingly awful interview that included absurd statements that (SURELY) I did not actually say (Deep Fake?). I’ve depleted my exercise options (running shoes are shot with the sole flopping with every stride, chlorine has destroyed the swimsuit, and I don’t play anything with a racquet or a club (there are reasons for that). THEN, I thought, WAIT, before you “follow” another self-help influencer…Among our talented members, UF CARE counts Dr. Lisa Merlo, the Director of UF College of Medicine Wellness Programs. Why not capitalize on her expertise (not with entirely altruistic intent) in this UF CARE SPOTLIGHT? We’re delighted she agreed. You’ll find the interview and relevant resources inside. Please share with others- boulders have many names.
You will also find updates on the Annual Symposium Events (April 7 & 8), links for registration, and applications for Symposium related travel awards. If you are a UF Affiliate, you do not want to miss the opportunity to apply for the Spring Travel awards. Additionally, you’ll find information on recent website updates. Relatedly, we want your input. What additions do you think would be useful (new tabs? Resource topics?). Finally, while our information may be incomplete, for those we are aware, we take the opportunity to celebrate your successes!!--- Please scroll on!
SJN
PS: TAKE HOME: Keep your eye on the stones, even if you can’t get no satisfaction in the moment.
"One must imagine Sisyphus happy" - A. Camus
Also: Bombard Meagan with emails—her realization of my pencil drawing totally ROCKS.
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11th ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM: REGISTER AND SUBMIT!
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DON'T MISS THE PRE-SYMPOSIUM EVENT SUNDAY APRIL 7TH
We are excited to continue the expansion of our programming to include the Pre-Symposium Community Networking Event, bringing together our statewide collaborators, trainees, and community advocates for food and informal conversation.
Click below to for more information and to RSVP!
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Spring/Summer Travel Awards
Closes March 20th
The call for travel awards is now open! Trainees may apply if they are attending a national/international meeting in which they are presenting a poster or giving a talk. Trainee mentors must be members of UF CARE. These funds provide support for travel and/or registration as needed. Awards are up to $750—but remember trainees may be awarded a total of $750/calendar year.
Click below for eligibility requirements and to apply!
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MONTHLY SEMINAR SERIES
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Watch January's Recorded Seminar
Thank you, Dr. Elton for a great seminar on January 17th AND thank you to all who were able to attend.Dr. Elton, Assistant Professor in Psychiatry, brings expertise in implementing neuroimaging methods and analysis. Her work focuses on correlations of substance use across adolescence and early adulthood.
Her recorded seminar "Early Life Stress and Addiction Vulnerability" is on the UF CARE website, linked below.
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Watch February's Recorded Seminar
We were delighted to welcome Dr. Donita Robinson, Professor and Education Outreach Director at University of North Carolina, as February's monthly seminar speaker! Thank you her and to those who were able to join the Zoom.
If you were unable to join, watch her recorded seminar "Adolescent ethanol exposure reduces behavioral flexibility via neuroadaptations in frontolimbic circuits" on the UF CARE website, linked below.
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March Seminar
The next UF CARE seminar will be March 20th at 3pm via Zoom. We are excited to welcome Dr. Nelly Alia-Klein, Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience and Co-Chief of the Neuropsychoimaging of Addiction and Related Conditions (NARC) Research Program at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Dr. Alia-Klein's talk is entitled "Heroin addiction and recovery - from brain to behavior in humans". You won't want to miss it!
Zoom information: https://ufl.zoom.us/j/92008118177?pwd=TjVpUjBzWEE1eTNTWXJMVzNwQld6UT09
Meeting ID: 920 0811 8177
Passcode: 592475
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UF CARE Spotlight
Last Fall, we introduced the UF CARE Spotlight, in which we periodically highlight UF CARE members. This issue, Meagan interviewed Dr. Lisa Merlo, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and the Director of UF College of Medicine Wellness Programs. Her research focuses on mental health, well-being, and professional fulfillment among physicians and other healthcare professionals and trainees.
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Lisa Merlo, PhD, MPE
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Question 1: Developing a "Culture of Wellness". Given her role in the Wellness Programs, Meagan asked what actually constituted a culture of wellness. Her response was that identifying one is easy. it can be felt immediately by those who encounter it. Basically, a culture of wellness is a group of individuals who share common goals/missions and who create and sustain a climate of psychological safety. She emphasized that psychological safety refers not only to the absence of bullying or harassment, but also includes safety to be curious and ask questions free of criticism. In a culture of wellness, the spirit of cooperation nurtures a feeling of community. She emphasizes that a culture of wellness is not merely resilient individuals in a group, but an environment that promotes individuals' resiliency.
Question 2: Resources and Tips. Given this month’s director’s comments, we wanted her thoughts on burnout and how one might cultivate individual wellness. She began by observing that preventing burnout and cultivating wellness is not a one size fits all proposition. What works differs between people and varies within the same individual at different times. She remarked on the importance of avoiding comparisons between yourself and others and remaining open. She also mentioned that even small changes can have positive effects; things like eating lunch away from your desk and with an actual person (nurturing those workplace relationships is beneficial in many ways!), getting enough sleep, and taking breaks to give your brain a chance to really stop.
Question 3: A Challenging Time. When queried about a challenging time in her career, Dr. Merlo recounted the fact that approximately mid-way through her graduate training, she was confronted with the stressful situation of having to identify an alternate primary advisor. She said "It was like starting over." She succeeded despite the fact that the mentors had different approaches by remaining flexible and focusing on what was common between the two.
Question 4: Advice. Dr. Merlo's advice to our affiliates is to pay attention to that gut feeling and follow it: what are you really passionate about? What job allows you to pursue that passion? For more established individuals, can and how might you shape your job toward those priorities? She cautions against relying on external indicators of success to find fulfillment. In fact, she has a TED Talk to that end, "To Find Fulfillment, Stop Chasing Success", linked in the resources section below.
Question 5: In her free time. When asked about free time, she quipped that, with four children, much of her free time is spent doing laundry! Between loads, she enjoys a range of activities including family travel to see extended family, cheering at her children’s soccer games and as well as cheering (quietly) at their chess tournaments. When not cheering, she enjoys attending events at the Hippodrome and Phillip's Center.
Question 6: Her proudest achievement to date? Not unexpectedly, Dr. Merlo says that her proudest achievement is raising her children. :)
Thanks, Dr. Merlo for being our UF CARE Spotlight! For more information about resources for enhancing your personal and group wellness, please see links below
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Wellness Resources
A special thank you again to Dr. Merlo for providing us with a variety of resources to prevent burnout and promote wellness!
UF COM Wellness Programs offers a listing of resources on their website here: https://wellness.med.ufl.edu/resources/
The University of Florida's Human Resources website offers resources toward maintaining well-being: https://worklife.hr.ufl.edu/
The GatorCare Wellness Program works in partnership with UF-HR Wellness to offer support on a 9-dimensional model of wellness. Access their website here: https://gatorcare.org/wellness/
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National Resources
We've recently updated the resources on our website! Click below to view the newly added national resources page.
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RECOGNITION AND ACHIEVEMENTS
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Linda B Cottler, PhD, MPH, FACE
Dean's Professor, Department of Epidemiology, PHHP
We are delighted to announce that UF CARE member Dr. Linda Cottler was selected to present the Endowed Lecture at the American College of Epidemiology Meeting in Ohio on September 11, 2024.
The American College of Epidemiology Endowed Lecture Series honors ground-breaking contributions to seminal areas of epidemiology. Congratulations, Dr. Cottler!
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Superior Accomplishment Awards: UF Faculty
Two of our faculty members received these prestigious awards
We are also proud to share that two UF CARE members have received UF 2024 Superior Accomplishment Awards!
Dr. Jennifer Bizon, Professor and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience and Director of the Eveyln F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute, received a Superior Accomplishment Award for Sustained Excellence.
Dr. Dan Wesson, Chair & Associate Professor, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, COM, received a Faculty Superior Accomplishment Award.
Congratulations Drs. Bizon and Wesson!
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Dissertation Aid Grant Winners
Congratulations to our Fall 2023 Dissertation Aid Grant winners!
Courtney Wilkinson; Department of Psychology; Mentor: Dr. Lori Knackstedt; Title: Enhanced vulnerability to opioid use disorder in stress-exposed females: a role for monoamines.
Bo Sortman; Department of Pharmacodynamics; Mentor: Dr. Brandon Warren; Title: The role of prelimbic ensembles in the acquisition and maintenance of cocaine seeking.
A huge thank you to our Dissertation Aid Grant review committee, Drs. Striley and Wesson!
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Andrew Moore
We are excited to share that affiliate member Andrew Moore, a PhD candidate working with Dr. Sara Jo Nixon, has been accepted to give an oral presentation at the College of Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) 86th Annual Scientific Meeting.
His presentation, “Impact of Pre-Adolescent Substance Familiarity on Subsequent use: Longitudinal Analysis of Risk by Latent Classes of Familiarity in the ABCD Sample” will be in a session called “Oral Session: Drug Use Involvement: Insights From the Adolescents Brain Cognitive Development Study”. Congratulations, Andrew!
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Katherine Gonzalez
Congratulations also to affiliate member Katherine Gonzalez, a PhD student working with Dr. Barry Setlow. Katherine selected as an Early Career Policy Ambassador for the Society for Neuroscience.
Ambassadors representing many career stages and the diversity of the neuroscience community were chosen for their dedication to advocating for the scientific community, their desire to learn more about effective means of advocacy, and their experience as leaders in their labs and community. Congratulations, Katherine!
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Nae Won
We wish affiliate member Nae Won good luck defending her dissertation on March 20th. Her dissertation is entitled "Drug Use in Non-Fatal Motor Vehicle Crash Injuries and Its Association with State Policies in the US from 2019 to 2023". Her primary mentor is Dr. Linda Cottler, and Drs. Sara Jo Nixon and Cathy Striley are UF CARE members on her dissertation committee.
Nae was also recently awarded three travel awards: the Department of Epidemiology Chair Travel Award, the UF Office of Research Travel Award, and the American Psychopathological Association Travel Award. Congratulations, Nae!
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Welcome our latest Affiliate Member!
Kayla McKneely is T32 Predoctoral Fellow in the NIDA Substance Abuse Training Center in Public Health, directed by Dr. Linda Cottler and co-directed by Dr. Sara Jo Nixon. If you are a UF CARE faculty member and are working with outstanding trainees in addiction science, click here to nominate them for affiliate membership. And if you are a UF CARE faculty member working with outstanding staff in addiction sciences, click here to nominate them for staff affiliate membership!
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Recent Publications & Presentations
Everett, T., Ten Eyck, T. W., Wu, C. H., Shelowitz, A. L., Stansbury, S. M., Firek, A., Setlow, B., & McIntyre, J. C. (2024). Cilia loss on distinct neuron populations differentially alters cocaine-induced locomotion and reward. Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England), 38(2), 200–212. https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811231219058
Faraji, M., Viera-Resto, O. A., Setlow, B., & Bizon, J. L. (2024). Effects of reproductive experience on cost-benefit decision making in female rats. Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience, 18, 1304408. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2024.1304408
Palamar, J. J., Fitzgerald, N. D., Carr, T. H., Rutherford, C., Keyes, K. M., & Cottler, L. B. (2024). National and regional trends in seizures of shrooms (psilocybin) in the United States, 2017-2022. Drug and alcohol dependence, 111086. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2024.111086
Won N.Y., Jabot B., Wang A., Palamar J.J., Cottler L.B. (2024). Willingness to Provide a Hair Sample for Drug Testing: Results from an Anonymous Multi-City Intercept Survey. Manuscript in Press. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse.
Won N.Y., McCabe A.J., Cottler L.B. (2024). Alcohol-Related Non-Fatal Motor Vehicle Crash Injury in the US from 2019 to 2022. Manuscript in Press. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse.
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Not yet a member?
If you are a UF Faculty member working in addiction science and would like to join UF CARE, click below for more information about becoming a full member of UF CARE.
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Have news
to share?
Have updates you'd like to be included in the next UF CARE newsletter? Click below to share news about you and/or your affiliate trainees!
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Stay in touch!
We want to know about and share with others your professional and personal success! If you studied addiction-related research here at UF- please be
sure your contact information is current and keep us in the loop!
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