Funding

This Training Program has become an integral component of the growing addiction research and education enterprise at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. The Program addresses the need for well-trained young scientists who are familiar with a broad range of addiction research. Under the guidance of an experienced Director and expert Advisory Committees, the Program has grown significantly, all available positions have been filled, and all those completing the Program successfully continue their careers in biomedical science and education.  Principal Investigator: Charles P. France, PhD - program administered through the Addication Research, Treatment & Training Center of Excellence (the ARTT of Translational Science).

Current Mentored Trainnees in the NRLC: Tae-Joon Moon PhD; Alexander Wasserman PhD

The National Institute on Drug Abuse Summer Research Internship Program supports undergraduate students with a focus on increasing underrepresented populations in drug abuse research.  Our intern's summer research rotation provides training in on a longitudinal study of development of substance use involvement of high risk youth (Consequences of Adolescent Substance Use on the Development of Impulse Control).

This study will advance our understanding of how the development of impulse control and environmental influences, occurring between pre-adolescence through early adulthood, interact with one another to lead to problems with substance use. Understanding these relationships will aid in the identification of the antecedents and consequences of substance use on key processes of development. Identifying factors related to both resiliency and risk will lead to better prevention programs and substance use treatments, which are dependent on a gaining a better understanding of these complex relationships.

Driving while intoxicated offenders, largely ignored by the research community, pose a significant risk to themselves and society. The results of this study will inform the development of interventions aimed at this unique population of risky drinkers. The proposed study will also provide fundamental information on how specific behavioral processes relate to individual differences in the ability to reduce alcohol consumption and inform us about how differences in these behavioral processes might be leveraged to affect better and more cost-effective outcomes within the criminal justice system.