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DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS
Since our last newsletter, I’ve been ruminating on phrases that cause me to “twitch” (even if heard in my own voice). The result is a 3 group taxonomy of “twitch” phrases. Right, not really a taxonomy, maybe a literary (HAHA) tool? Anyway: Category 1: Somewhat Suspect Phrases: e.g., “All perspectives are welcome. Nothing you say will leave this room.”…Well, hum..maybe?; Category 2: Dismissive Phrases: e.g., “Really? Just fix it in the revision.” Yeah, right, and who’s paying for staff salaries?; And, Category 3: Silly/Superfluous Phrases: e.g., “Ya’ll on ZOOM, feel free to stand-up, if you need to.” Permission required? I’ll show them, I’ll just sit. I don’t think this “taxonomy” references malicious intent. To the contrary, exemplar phrases seem more “automatic”. They are uttered; but with little intent or purpose. In the same period, I completed several reviews. AND guess what I found. Yep, our scientific writing is marked by similar short-comings. For example, 99.99% of the published literature (close estimate, I assure you) concludes with, “These results reflect the need for additional research.” Well, SURE for my work. BUT, maybe those results are screaming “HEY, WE SHOULD BE DONE WITH THIS QUESTION”. Also, almost NO question can be answered in the absence of complex mixed model analyses (yes, an exaggeration). Don’t get me wrong, I love a good complete longitudinal mediational model. We have an entire project relying on one. Seriously, though, sometimes a 2 X 2 is simply a 2 X 2. Finally, being underpowered is often irrelevant to study analyses and requires only a note in the limitations section. Well, that revelation was personally embarrassing. The point? Overall, it isn’t enough to do an analysis because you can (albeit fun), or either ignore or over-interpret outcomes from underpowered analyses (though commonly practiced), or claim that all questions merit continued study (regrettably). Yeah, serendipitous findings make great screenplays, but shouldn’t science be characterized by purpose/intent? Surely, I (and others?) can do better.
Let me assure you, all is not lost! Inside you’ll find real-life examples of success enabled by intentionality; papers, awards, grants, and plans for the next year. You’ll also meet Dr. Yan Wang, the subject of our inaugural UF CARE Spotlight. Please take a look—and send a quick note of congratulations- it matters!
SJNP.S. I’m narrowing the field of actors qualified to play me in an inevitable movie [even serendipity benefits from intentionality]. See above. They share at least 1 commonality.
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ADDICTION LECTURE SERIES AT OAK HAMMOCK
Reflecting their commitment to our educational mission within the larger community, Dr. Joanna Peris, former UF CARE Associate Director, and UF Department of Physiology and Aging Emeritus Faculty Dr. Pushpa Kalra are facilitating the Addiction Lecture Series for the Institute of Learning in Retirement at Oak Hammock. The series features UF CARE members with lectures occurring weekly through the Fall. The speakers and lecture topics include:
September 25 – Introduction to alcohol and substance use disorders. Oxytocin treatment of substance and alcohol use disorders Speaker: Joanna Peris, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Dept of Pharmacodynamics, COP
October 2 – Medical Marijuana for Chronic Pain: Are we addressing an addiction or creating a new one? Speakers: Robert Cook, M.D, M.P.H. Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine, COM & PHHP, Director, SHARC Center for Translational HIV Research, & Associate Director, Consortium for Medical Marijuana Clinical Outcomes Research and Yan Wang, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, Associate Director, SHARC Center for Translational HIV Research
October 9 – Novel therapeutic approaches for Addictive Behaviors and Mental Health Speakers: Meredith Berry, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Dept. Health Education and Behavior, HHP & Shahar Almog, Predoctoral Fellow, Dept. Health Education and Behavior, HHP
October 16 – Psychedelic-assisted therapy for addictive behavior Speaker: Jesse Dallery, Ph.D. Professor,Dept. Psychology, CLAS
October 23 – Media influences on addictive behaviors in youth Speaker: Joy Gabrielli, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Dept. Clinical and Health Psychology, PHHPOctober 30 –Effects of age on impulsivity, risk taking, and addictive behavior. Speaker: Barry Setlow. Ph.D. Professor, Dept. Psychiatry, COM
Information about registering for the series can be found here: https://www.oakhammock.org/ilr/register-for-a-class/.
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MONTHLY SEMINAR SERIES
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October Seminar
The next UF CARE seminar will be October 18th at 3pm. We are excited to welcome Dr. Scott Parnell, Associate Professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology at the University of North Carolina. Dr. Parnell's work focuses on the separate and syngeristic effects of cannabis and alcohol use and the differences in developmental impact as function of offspring sex.
Dr. Parnell's seminar will be presented via ZOOM—watch for the flyer in early October!
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RED SHOES ROCK CHALLENGE 2023
One of the highlights from our Community Networking Event last April was the opportunity to meet Lindsey and Spencer Munns. Our Center benefitted enormously from their willingness to share their lived experience. What a gift! Thus, when asked, we were delighted to be challenged by Spencer Munns in this year’s RED SHOES ROCK Challenge. If you accept the challenge, you commit to wearing red shoes on “Challenge Day” and to challenging at least three others. When you wear red shoes, people notice… and ASK! A great opportunity to talk about the #1 Preventable Cause of Birth Defects—prenatal exposure to alcohol. Dr. Ed Riley, who leads the NIAAA funded Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, accepted our Challenge! (Cool Shoes; Weird Lacing).
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UF CARE SPOTLIGHT
We’re adding a new column. It’s a brief interview- the UF CARE Spotlight. It’ll occur periodically, offering an additional reward for reading the newsletter. Also, a fresh voice drawn from a familiar email address is conducting the interviews, Meagan Sullivan. Our inaugural UF CARE Spotlight falls on Dr. Yan Wang, Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, PHHP. Her research focuses on the development of innovative technologies to increase the understanding of the etiology and outcomes of substance use. The work is inherently collaborative and interdisciplinary. We note that Meagan and Dr. Wang had quite a conversation. It is necessarily summarized/paraphrased with final text approved by Dr. Wang. Meagan posed a series of questions, the first about developing collaborations, the second about challenges, and the third, advice for affiliate members. The fourth probed her leisure interests, and the final asked her to identify her proudest achievement to date. Read on!
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Yan Wang, PhD
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Question 1: Developing collaborations. Dr. Wang stated, “Early in my career, a key strategy I used was to proactively seek out opportunities to establish collaborations at conferences and other networking events.” She believes she benefitted from networks established by her senior collaborators and reiterated the importance of communication and engagement in sustaining collaborations. She feels an obligation to contribute to science and this leads her to rarely declining an invitation to collaborate. Question 2: Challenges. Dr. Wang cited significant challenges in developing the alcohol biosensor technology central to her work. From prototype to final, there were recurring delays and challenges. Dr. Wang persisted and detailed these challenges in publications and presentations. Ultimately, as her work shows, her persistence yielded much fruit. Question 3: Advice. Dr. Wang’s primary advice to our affiliates is “Learn from the best”. It’s followed by the reminder of the significance of gratitude and giving-back, as the time arrives. Question 4: In her free time, Dr. Wang enjoys traveling with family. She returns to China frequently and lists Hawaii as one of her favorite destinations. She also enjoys new hobbies- her most recent endeavor is latte art! Question 5: Her proudest achievement to date? Not unexpectedly, her proudest achievement is receipt of the 2023 Ayman El-Mohandes Young Professional Public Health Innovation Award from the APHA (click below to read more)! This prestigious award recognizing the innovation, effort, and teamwork that is a part of research in public health couldn’t have gone to a more deserving recipient! Thanks, Dr. Wang for being our inaugural UF CARE Spotlight!
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RECOGNITION AND ACHIEVEMENTS
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Funding and Awards
Drs. Lori Knackstedt (CLAS, Psychology) and Linda Cottler (PHHP, Epidemiology) (MPIs) with co-Is Drs. Natalie Ebner (CLAS, Psychology), Marek Schwendt (CLAS, Psychology), & Barry Setlow (COM, Psychiatry) were awarded a R61 from NIDA, entitled “Patterns and neurocognitive consequences of opioid-alcohol polysubstance use.” During the funding period, they will be using substance use patterns and cognitive data obtained in human studies to inform the conduct of pre-clinical rodent models. Dr. Liana Hone (HHP, HEB) (PI) was awarded a NIAAA supported L30 Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program Contract. The title of her project is “Alcohol Administration Improvements for Sexual Assault Prevention”. Her mentor is SJ Nixon.Andrew Moore, PhD Candidate (COM, Neuroscience) was awarded a NIAAA-funded, individual NRSA, an F31. The title of his project is “Identification of Prospective Predictors of Alcohol Initiation During Early Adolescence”. Dr. Sara Jo Nixon serves as the primary mentor. She is joined by another UF CARE member, Dr. Amanda Elton and one of UF CARE’s former Symposium Speakers, Dr. Lindsay Squeglia (MUSC). Additionally, Andrew is one of only two trainees selected for the Research Society on Alcohol's Education Committee. CONGRATS, Andrew!
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Lori Knackstedt, PhDAssociate Professor, Department of Psychology, CLAS
Congratulations- Dr. Lori Knackstedt was named a UF Research Foundation Professor for 2023-2026! This prestigious award is well-deserved and brings with it lofty expectations, as illustrated in Dr. Norton’s comments below. “This recognition goes to faculty who have a distinguished current record of research and a strong research agenda that is likely to lead to continuing distinction in their fields,” said David Norton, UF’s vice president for research. “Based on the more than 700 UF faculty recognized over the past 26 years, we can expect significant research discoveries, scholarship and technology transfer from this group in the future.”
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Lisa Merlo, PhD, MPEProfessor, Department of Psychiatry, COM
Congratulations also to Dr. Lisa Merlo. Dr. Merlo has been promoted to the rank of Research Professor. This promotion reflects her outstanding research productivity, her national reputation as a leader in her field and her exceptional commitment to and success in meeting the departmental and institutional educational mission. In addition to her academic promotion, she has been named Interim Co-Vice Chair of Faculty Development for the Department of Psychiatry. Congratulations, Professor Merlo.
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Jay McLaughlin, PhDProfessor, Department of Pharmacodynamics, COP
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Dr. McLaughlin has been making great use of time since our last newsletter. His new funding includes: 1) NIH-NIDA 1R01 DA055568 “Impacts of morphine and HIV-Tat exposures and dimethylfumerate treatment on brain BDNF and mitochondrial and behavioral dysfunction” (w/MPI Drs. Kaufman, McLean Hospital and Thangavel, TAMU). 2) NIH-NIDA 1 UG3/UH3 NS132600 “Cyclic peptides to treat cocaine use disorder” (w/ Dr. Jane Aldrich, Contact PI). 3) NIH-NIDA 1 R01 DA057884 “Autophagy dysfunction and compulsive drug seeking in comorbid HIV and opioid use disorder” (w/ Contact PI Dr. Nazira El-Hage, FIU). 4) NIH-NIDA 1 R01 DA057790 “Targeting the allosteric sodium site with novel probes for the delta opioid receptor” (w/contact PI Dr. Susruta Majumdar, Washington University). 5) UF-COP PROSPER: Seed/Pilot funding “Applying new mouse models to mechanistic studies of the sigma-1 receptor” (w/MPI Drs. Jason Frazier and Chris McCurdy). 6) NIH-NIDA 1 UG3/UH3 DA058553 “Development of sigma receptor/DAT dual-targeting compounds to treat stimulant use disorder” (w/Sparian Biosciences and Dr. Chris McCurdy). Additionally, Dr. McLaughlin received the College of Pharmacy Media Excellence Award on 5/23/2023. CONGRATULATIONS!!
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Natalie Ebner, PhDProfessor, Department of Psychology, CLAS
We are proud to note that Dr. Natalie Ebner (CLAS, Psychology) was recently recognized as one of the UF Women In Neuroscience. The McKnight Brain Institute has been recognizing women doing innovative work in neuroscience since 2021. Dr. Ebner conducts exciting work probing the neurobiological processes of cognitive aging. Please check out the MBI Researchers in the Spotlight to find out more!
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Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories Neuroscience of Addiction
We are proud that three of our Affiliate Members were selected to attend the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories Neuroscience of Addiction course in August 2023. These trainees are Javier Mesa, Courtney Wilkinson, and Cassandra Modrak. Notably, all three trainees are under the tutelage of Dr. Lori Knackstedt!
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Erin Ferguson, PhD
Erin Ferguson had an enormously productive graduate career capped off by being “hooded” by her mentor, Dr. Jeff Boissoneault, at the August graduation ceremony. We share her excitement at joining Brown University’s Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies as a postdoctoral fellow. CONGRATS!
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Amy Alleyne, PhD
We are also proud to recognize Dr. Amy Alleyne’s recent dissertation defense, entitled, “A mechanistic interrogation of the sigma-1 receptor as a potential target for psychostimulant use disorder”. Her mentor is Dr. Jay McLaughlin. Dr. Amy Alleyne is now a Medical Science Liaison at the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson in Utah.
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Christian Garcia, PhD
This past summer, Christian Garcia began a postdoctoral fellowship with the University of New Mexico's Center on Alcohol, Substance Use, and Addictions. He is gaining additional expertise in addressing substance use risk, resiliency, and consequences in large populations. Congratulations, Christian!
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Victor Schneider II
Victor, who also moderates our podcast interviews with affiliate members, successfully defending his dissertation, "Validation of a Virtual Reality Platform for the Measurement of Drinking Topography" in the Department of Clinical Psychology under the mentorship of Drs. Jeff Boissoneault and Michael Robinson. He’s excited to have started his year of clinical psychology internship with the VA Connecticut in West Haven.
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Nae Won
Congratulations to Nae Won for becoming a PhD candidate. Her primary mentor is UF CARE member Dr. Linda Cottler, other UF CARE members on her mentoring team include Dr. Sara Jo Nixon and Dr. Catherine Striley.
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Katherine Gonzalez
Katherine was recently notified that she has been selected as a 2023 NIDA Diversity Scholar. In addition to recognizing her exceptional contributions, the award also provides support for her attendance at the SfN meeting this Fall in Washington, DC.
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Congratulations to the new affiliate member!
Since the last newsletter, we have welcomed 2 new affiliate members:Dr. Cristiana Araujo is a postdoctoral trainee working with Dr. Lisa Merlo in the Department of Psychiatry. Natalie Barber is an undergraduate trainee working with Dr. Barry Setlow in the Department of Neuroscience. If you are a UF CARE faculty member and are working with outstanding trainees in addiction science, click below to nominate them for membership.
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Recent Publications
Bhatia, D., Lewis, B., Farrior, H., Moore, A., & Nixon, S. J. (2023). Substance familiarity in middle childhood and adolescent substance use. Drug and alcohol dependence, 250, 110892. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.110892
Dora, J., Piccirillo, M., Foster, K. T., Arbeau, K., Armeli, S., Auriacombe, M., Bartholow, B., Beltz, A. M., Blumenstock, S. M., Bold, K., Bonar, E. E., Braitman, A., Carpenter, R. W., Creswell, K. G., De Hart, T., Dvorak, R. D., Emery, N., Enkema, M., Fairbairn, C. E., ...Scaglione, N....King, K. M. (2023). The daily association between affect and alcohol use: A meta-analysis of individual participant data. Psychological Bulletin, 149(1-2), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000387
Hone, L.S.E., Testa, M. & Wang, W. (2023). It’s not just drinking, but where you drink: A daily diary study of drinking venue effects on sexual activity with new partners. Addictive Behaviors, 140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2023.107607
Liao, J., Allen, J. H., Yorke, M., Boettiger, C. A., & Elton, A. (2023). Family history, childhood maltreatment, and adolescent binge drinking exert synergistic effects on delay discounting and future alcohol use. The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse, 1–12. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/00952990.2023.2238242
Lysandrou, A. E., Teitelbaum, S. A., Merlo, L., Phalin, B., Janner, A., Solomon, L., Hunt, J., & Lewis, B. (2023). Co-occurring pain and addiction: prognostic implications for healthcare professionals in residential treatment for substance use disorder. Journal of addictive diseases, 1–10. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10550887.2023.2223505
Nixon, S. J., Garcia, C. C., & Lewis, B. (2023). Women's use of alcohol: Neurobiobehavioral concomitants and consequences. Frontiers in neuroendocrinology, 70, 101079. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101079
Ramasamy T, Doke M, McLaughlin JP, Thangavel S: Circadian disruption and psychostimulants dysregulates plasma acute-phase proteins and circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA. Brain Behavior & Immunity - Health 2023 July 27, 31:100659-100667. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100659. PMID: 37455861
Scaglione, N. M., Ward, R. M., Buben, A., & Turrisi, R. (2023). Alcohol’s role in sexual decision-making in first-year college women: An event-level assessment. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/03616843231186319
Tucker, J. A., Cheong, J., Stinson, L., & Chandler, S. D. (2023). Drinking risk and preferences for helping resources among emerging adults living in disadvantaged communities in the Southeastern United States. Alcohol and Alcoholism, ajad054. https://doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/agad054
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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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