CONTENTS

Ms. Migs Woodside, founder and former President and Chief Executive Officer of the New York-based Children of Alcoholics Foundation, was named the third recipient of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's annual Senator Harold Hughes Memorial Award. NIAAA Director Enoch Gordis, M.D., announced the award February 6 in Washington, D.C., at the 2001 Public Policy Conference on Alcohol and Other Drugs.

According to the press release announcing this award, "Migs Woodside's career exemplifies those attributes that characterized Senator Hughes' career. For three decades she has worked to translate research into practice, build bridges among the various components of the alcohol field, and improve the future for persons with alcohol problems." Ms. Woodside was chosen from a field of clinicians, prevention professionals, and advocates nominated by national, state, and local alcohol field organizations.

The Harold Hughes award, named for the late Iowa Senator and State Governor who was also known as the "father of NIAAA," was established in 1998 to recognize a non-researcher who has demonstrated commitment to the practical use of alcohol research in preventing or treating alcohol abuse and alcoholism. The awardee also must have demonstrated a commitment to linking the research community with the prevention, treatment, and policymaking communities.

Senator Hughes, himself a recovering alcoholic, was among the first to recognize that progress against alcohol problems must come from research. As the force behind the 1970 legislation that created NIAAA, Senator Hughes also was the force behind the genetics, neuroscience, and behavioral research that today is improving alcoholism treatment and prevention, and the economics and policy research that offers proven solutions to alcohol-related social problems.

As major sponsor in 1986 of an international workshop on the search for alcoholism risk genes, Ms. Woodside contributed to initiating the major NIAAA research endeavor today known as the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA). Her professional career in alcohol and other drug program administration began in 1969 with New York's Phoenix House Foundation and progressed through positions with the New York City Addiction Services Agency to the position of Assistant Commissioner in 1975 and 1976. From 1977 to 1982, she served as consultant to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency, staff consultant to Joseph A. Califano, Jr., Special Counselor on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse to Governor Hugh L. Carey (New York), and executive consultant to the Governor's Conference on Children of Alcoholics.

In 1982, Ms. Woodside established the Children of Alcoholics Foundation, a private foundation to educate and inform professionals and the public about children of alcoholics, alleviate suffering and prevent future alcoholism, and promote and disseminate research. During her 1982-1995 tenure as President and Chief Executive Officer, the foundation highlighted the impact of alcoholism on children and families through conferences, publications, and other outreach activities.

Ms. Woodside served on the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services' National Advisory Council (NAC) on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism from 1994 until 1997. Subsequent to her NAC service, Ms. Woodside served on a Subcommittee of the Advisory Council to review NIAAA extramural research portfolios. At present, she serves on the NAC's Subcommittee on Research Priorities, the Harvard University School of Public Health's Advisory Council on Child Health, and boards of the Alliance for Children and Families, the Phoenix House Foundation, and the Arizona Foundation for Women.

Ms. Woodside is the recipient of numerous past awards, most recently from the National Association for Children of Alcoholics, South Oaks Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Carrie Randall, Ph.D., was the recipient of the NIAAA 2000 Mark Keller Honorary Award. Dr. Randall is an internationally recognized scientist with a distinguished career in alcohol research and former National Advisory Council member. She received her award on November 15 and presented the annual Mark Keller Lecture. Dr. Randall's Lecture was entitled, "Alcohol and Pregnancy: Highlights From Three Decades of Research."

The Mark Keller Honorary Award and Lecture Series was established by NIAAA as a tribute to Mr. Keller's contributions to the field of alcohol research. Each year the series features a lecture by an outstanding alcohol researcher who has made significant and long-term contributions to our understanding of how alcohol affects the body and mind, how we can prevent and treat alcohol abuse and alcoholism, and how today's scientific advancements can provide hope for tomorrow.

The 3rd annual National Alcohol Screening Day (NASD) will be held on Thursday, April 5, during Alcohol Awareness Month. NASD is a program of the non-profit Screening for Mental Health in partnership with NIAAA, the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. More than 20 organizations are sponsoring NASD including the AMA, American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, ASAM, CADCA, Join Together, MADD, NAADAC, NaCOA, NOFAS, and others. In addition, through the efforts of Council ex-officio member Roger Hartman, the Department of Defense (DOD) will encourage all of its health facilities to participate in NASD. DOD facilities will publicize the NASD effort, and many will participate as actual sites. Last year an estimated 52,000 individuals attended NASD screening events at over 1,100 community-based and college screening sites nationwide. Recruitment letters for NASD 2001 have been sent to health-related organizations and associations, community health care facilities, colleges and universities, Indian Health Care facilities, safety net hospitals, and primary care providers. A number of products, such as the procedures manuals for the colleges and community sites, are being reviewed and updated for this year's NASD.

Since the September Council meeting, the Leadership initiative entered its second phase with a momentum generated by significant accomplishments and new activities and plans.

To address the complex issue of alcohol abuse among college students in a comprehensive, scientific manner, NIAAA's National Advisory Council created a Subcommittee on College Drinking in February, 1998. Comprised of college presidents and alcohol researchers, the subcommittee provides expertise and guidance to NIAAA based upon this unique dialogue among the administrators and scientists. The final report of the Subcommittee on College Drinking will be presented to the full Council at it June 2001 meeting.

More details concerning the Subcommittee on College Drinking is available through the NIAAA Website (http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/about/college/default.htm).

Flag Rank Promotion Ceremony

On January 12, Dr. Gordis was the Master of Ceremonies at a ceremony honoring Dr. Mary Dufour's promotion to the rank of Assistant Surgeon General in the Public Health Service (PHS) Commissioned Corps. Dr. Dufour was sworn in and presented with her rank and flag by RADM Kenneth Moritsugu, Deputy Surgeon General, PHS, assisted by Dr. Yvonne Maddox, Deputy Director, NIH. The ceremony, which was held at the NIAAA headquarters offices in Rockville, Maryland, was attended by Dr. Dufour's family and a large number of NIAAA, NIH, and DHHS staff.

At a Nov.30-Dec2 international workshop on "Omega-3 fatty acids, diabetes, and cardiovascular risk" co-sponsored by NIDDK and NHLBI, Dr. Lands gave the opening lecture titled "How do we die? Mediators or markers?" During the meeting, he received a "Pioneer in Omega-3 Research" award which recognized his "exceptional contributions to understanding the role of omega-3 fatty acids in metabolic processes".

Publications

W.E.M.Lands (2001) Alcohol: The balancing act. In "Primary and Secondary Preventive Nutrition" (eds. A. Bendich and R. Deckelbaum), 2001, Humana Press, New York, pp.373-395.

Lands, W.E.M. (2000) Impact of Daily Food Choices on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. In Fatty Acids and Lipids - New Findings (ed., O.R. Kochli) World Rev. Nutrition and Diet. Vol.88, pp 1-5, Karger, Basel

Lands, W.E.M. (2000) Commentary on the Workshop Statement. Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes, and Essential Fatty Acids 63: 125-126.

The mission of the Office of Collaborative Research (OCR) is to: (a) foster collaboration activities with other NIH Institutes, governmental agencies, and other organizations interested in alcohol research; (b) provide momentum and guidance to projects in collaboration with appropriate program administrators or subject matter experts in other NIAAA offices or divisions; (c) coordinate and administer collaborative international research programs and scientific exchanges; (d) develop and coordinate science education projects and initiatives, and administer the National Research Centers, Institutional Training Grants and AIDS Programs.

The Birth Defects and Teratology Interest Group (BDTIG) is one of the nearly 80 inter-Institute scientific interest groups at NIH. The NIAAA initiated this Trans-NIH Interest Group to enhance exchange of information and foster collaboration on human development, birth defects, and teratology. Nine Institutes are currently represented among the membership, which meets quarterly for an informative, academic seminar. Dr. Megan Adamson, Medical Officer, OCR serves as the NIAAA representative and co-chairs the Executive Committee with Dr. Kenneth Warren, Director, OSA.

NIAAA is currently developing a model curriculum and faculty training course for social workers on preventing and treating alcohol-use disorders. Based on NIAAA's successful medical education initiative, the major aim of this project is to disseminate research-based knowledge on alcohol to Master of Social Work (MSW) programs and graduate social workers throughout the world. On December 13 and 14, a meeting was held in Rockville, MD that brought together faculty from schools of social work throughout the United States who have been commissioned to write the 12 modules that will make up the curriculum. The focus of the meeting was on developing the core concepts that will be needed in the curriculum, as well as determining how it will be presented and disseminated. The Council of Social Work Education and the National Association of Social Workers have agreed to co-publish and disseminate the curriculum. Peggy Murray, M.S.W., and Isabel Ellis, M.S.W. are leading the project for NIAAA.

On November 27-December 1, Peggy Murray traveled to Budapest, Hungary to conduct the Medical Education Model for the Prevention and Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorders with faculty from the five Hungarian Medical Schools. This was a joint project with the Department of Family Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, and the Hungarian Society of Addictionolgy. The Hungarian Ministry of Sport and Youth, the federal agency responsible for alcohol prevention in Hungary, provided the majority of the funding for the course. Techniques of identification and early intervention, as well as research-based knowledge on alcohol's effects on the body, were presented to 40 faculty in Family Medicine, other primary care specialties, and psychiatry. Six-month follow-up interviews will measure the impact of this course on Hungarian medical education concerning alcohol-use disorders.

Russia

On October 15-20, Peggy Murray led a team of alcohol researchers from Boston University, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Wisconsin to develop two new projects in alcohol and HIV infection in Russian patients. Jeffery Samet, M.D. is the Principal Investigator (P.I.) on one of the projects aimed at determining the relationship of alcohol abuse and addiction to HIV infection in a large sample of patients from an alcohol treatment program. Michael Fleming, M.D., is the P. I. on the second project which is a faculty development grant to train infectious disease specialists in the management of their HIV- and TB-infected patients who have alcohol use disorders. A third focus of the site visit was to determine the feasibility of conducting an intervention trial to improve treatment compliance and alcohol outcomes of Russian patients with TB and HIV at a large infectious disease hospital in central Russia. As a result of the site visit, a collaborative research project will be developed. The Russian collaborators are infectious disease and addiction researchers at the Pavlov Medical Institute in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Council Liaison Representative Organizations - OPLPL is responsible for liaison activities as they relate to Council meetings (and associated "liaison group meetings"). Currently, over 400 outside groups comprise our contact list, and we share information on a regular basis. Liaison representatives meet informally with NIAAA Director Dr. Enoch Gordis and senior staff following the adjournment of Council meetings. In addition to liaison activities, NIAAA maintains a program of specific, formal collaborations with outside groups. Collaborative activities are described below.

Collaborations with Outside Organizations - In addition to the broad range of informal collaborative activities and contacts between the Institute and its constituent organizations, NIAAA implements an annual plan of specific, formal collaborations with outside groups. Examples of recent and future collaborations include:

"Research To Practice" Initiative

New York Collaboration, Phase II - NIAAA has continued its work with the New York State Office of Substance Abuse Services, the Association of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Providers of New York, and CSAT to complete phase II of this project, the Researcher in Residence Program. Dr. Mike Hilton of DCPR has had the programmatic lead on this project, and worked with the programs and researchers as they developed and implemented their specific efforts. Dr. Hilton visited all of the sites and has written a report summarizing the project overall, and how successfully each program was able to implement its chosen "intervention" This report is in the final phase of editing and will be available very soon from NIAAA.

North Carolina Collaboration, Phase II - As with the New York State project, NIAAA and CSAT are moving to phase II of the research to practice effort with our North Carolina colleagues. A variety of planning discussions have been held, and a formal "kickoff" meeting among all of the involved parties was held on February 23. A process similar to the one used in New York will be implemented in North Carolina.

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Grant Solicitation Topics

NIAAA SBIR/STTR grant solicitation topics have been posted on the NIH Website Application receipt dates are April 1, August 1, and December 1, 2001. Information, applications, and instructions are available on the NIH Website. NIAAA is required to reserve 2.5 percent of its extramural budget for SBIR projects and 0.15 percent of its extramural budget for STTR projects.

Planning and Evaluation efforts at NIAAA have been placed in the OSA. Dr. Mike Eckardt will serve as Planning and Evaluation Team Leader. New employees, Drs. Lorraine Gunzerath (MBA and Ph.D. in Psychology) and Mary Westcott (Ph.D. in Sociology) are the new team members. Dr. Gunzerath is also responsible for scientific coding of grants and research contracts in addition to gender/minority coding.

New DARPA-Like Projects

"DARPA "stands for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the central research and development organization of the Department of Defense. Its most prominent role is to invest in the highest-payoff technologies, even when technical risk would inhibit others. DARPA is uniquely idea-driven and project-oriented in contrast to other agencies that are driven by formalized requirements and oriented around programmed investments.

NIAAA has adopted this concept and has developed its own DARPA-like program. The NIAAA program, like the DARPA program. is designed to promote new high-risk approaches to traditionally intractable alcohol-related problems, the solution of which may result in major scientific breakthroughs."

Three NIAAA DARPA-like projects have been initiated: Alcohol Biosensor, Theoretical and Computational Neurobiology and Geomathematics/Epidemiology. Program Managers are being recruited and these programs are scheduled to be operational in FY2001/2002.

Extramural Project Review Branch

For this review round, Extramural Project Review Branch staff completed 13 review meetings with a total of 137 grant applications.

• Reviews completed include the following applications submitted in response to specific RFA's:

• An additional 75 applications that were not submitted in response to special initiatives were reviewed in the Institute's standing review committees.
• Review Committees within the NIH Center for Scientific Review (CSR) evaluated 118 research grant applications over the course of this cycle.

Report to Congress on Alcohol and Health

Since the last council meeting, the final printing of the 10th Special Report to the U.S. Congress on Alcohol and Health was completed. In addition to the full report, chapters on fetal alcohol syndrome, neuroscience, prevention, and treatment were printed separately. NIAAA issued a press release on the report, and copies of the full report were sent to members of Congress and liaison organizations. The online version of the report has been reformatted to include chapter outlines in the left frame, which makes it easier for users to learn about the chapter content. Further refinements are underway, including linking hundreds of index entries with appropriate pages in the publication and creating more detailed outlines of the individual sections.

Ordering information for these monographs is available online at http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/monograp.htm

NIAAA in collaboration with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is developing two television and two radio public service announcements (PSAs) on underage drinking. Scripts for the PSAs have been pre-tested using focus groups, and filming of the PSAs is scheduled to begin February 21. The selected messages are based on 1) the development of positive norms (cool kids don't drink) and 2) the development of resistance/refusal skills (it's acceptable to refuse a drink).

These messages are consistent with the media messages being developed by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) for its national media campaign targeting underage drug use. The PSAs will be submitted to ONDCP for its media match program through the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Several collateral materials are being developed to complement the PSAs including posters, print ads, and a Website.

Public Education Campaign on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) - Update

Campaign messages and "taglines" for posters, public service announcements, and transit displays are being tested. These materials will be used in this public education campaign targeting African-American women of childbearing age in Washington, DC. Plans are to launch the campaign during Spring 2001.

During calendar year 2000, NIAAA responded to nearly 10,000 inquiries and distributed more than 1.5 million copies of NIAAA materials. One of the most popular and frequently requested publications is the parent's booklet, Make a Difference, Talk to Your Child About Alcohol.

Exhibits

During calendar year 2000, NIAAA displayed its exhibit, grant announcements, and publications at 29 conferences across the country, including the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Society, American Nurses Association, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, The Coalition of Spanish-Speaking Mental Health Organizations (COSSMHO) Thirteenth National Conference on Hispanic Health and Human Services, National Medical Association, National Prevention Network, School Nurse Institute Program, and the Society for Neuroscience. Two new panels were created for our traveling exhibit.

DBR issued a Request for Applications on the Integrative Neuroscience Initiative on Alcoholism (INIA) on January 22, 2001. The purpose of INIA is to integrate molecular, cellular, neurocircuitry, neural network, and whole-animal levels of analysis to study various aspects of neuroadaptive responses to excessive alcohol consumption. The ultimate goal is to foster development of highly integrated, multi-investigator teams pursuing focused, hypothesis-driven research related to the neuroadaptive changes that occur with repeated alcohol exposure. INIA will provide the opportunity for collaboration between prominent scientists in the alcohol field and prominent investigators from other fields, resulting in the application of new ideas and technology to the study of neuroadaptation to alcohol.

More detailed information can be found on the NIAAA Website at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AA-01-002.html.

Purohit, V. (2000). Can alcohol promote aromatization of androgens to estrogens? A review. Alcohol 22:123-127.

Dr. Eleanor Hanna, Special Expert, gave a presentation entitled "Alcohol Abuse in Executives and Professionals" at the Annual Conference of the Academy of Organizational and Occupational Psychiatry, which was held January 12-14, in Washington, D.C.

Alcohol Epidemiological Data System (AEDS)

The following posters were presented at the 128th Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association held in Boston, Massachusetts, November 12-16, 2000.

Hanna, E.Z., Dufour, M.C., Yi, H., and Whitmore, C.C. Drinking, health and health-related behaviors among youth aged 12-16: Findings from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III).

Saadatmand, F., and Faden, V.B. Alcohol drinking levels and pregnancy outcomes among women who drink during pregnancy.

Whitmore, C.C., Hanna, E.Z., Yi, H., and Dufour, M.C. An examination of alcohol consumption at diverse stages of union formation: Findings from the 1992 National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey (NLAES).

Yi, H., Stinson, F.S., Hanna, E.Z., and Whitmore, C.C. Work schedule and alcohol use disorders.

New Surveillance Reports

Yi, H., Stinson, F.S., Williams, G.D. and Dufour, M.C. Surveillance Report #53: Trends in Alcohol-Related Fatal Traffic Crashes, United States, 1977-1998.

Saadatmand, F., Stinson, F.S., Grant, B.F., and Dufour, M.C. Surveillance Report #54: Liver Cirrhosis Mortality in the United States, 1970-1997.

Nephew, T.M., Williams, G.D., Stinson, F.S., Nguyen, K., and Dufour, M.C. Surveillance Report #55: Apparent Per Capita Alcohol Consumption: National, State, and Regional Trends, 1977-1998.

New Analytic Reports

Grant, B.F., Stinson, F.S., and Harford, T.C. Alcohol Use and Suicide Attempts: Results from the National Study.

Yi, H., Stinson, F.S., Dufour, M.C. and Hanna, E.Z. Former Drinkers: Who Stops Drinking and Why?

Stinson, F.S., Grant, B.F., and Harford, T.C. The Relation of Alcohol Use with Suicide Ideation and Attempts among U.S. High School Students.

Grant, B.F., Stinson, F.S., and Harford, T.C. Age at Onset of Alcohol Use and DSM-IV Alcohol Abuse and Dependence: A Twelve-Year Follow-up.

Stinson, F.S., Grant, B.F., and Harford, T.C. A Multivariate Analysis of DSM-IV Symptoms of Alcohol Abuse and Dependence in the 1992 National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey (NLAES).

A workshop to evaluate revising The Physicians' Guide to Helping Patients with Alcohol Problems will be held February 7, 2001, at the Holiday Inn Bethesda. A small group of experts in screening for alcohol abuse and dependence and in brief interventions in primary health care settings will attend. NIAAA staff involved in the planning of the meeting are Drs. Richard Fuller, Cherry Lowman, and Harold Perl, DCPR; Peggy Murray, OCR; and Diane Miller and Maureen Gardner, OSA.

NIAAA Treatment Handbook Series 4 B

Dr. John Allen and Ms. Veronica Wilson will reconvene the Subject Matter Expert Panel revising Assessing Alcohol Problems: A Guide for Clinicians and Researchers in May. Prior to that session draft chapters will be written by and circulated to all Panel members. The meeting will provide a forum for review/critique of content chapters as will as resolution of possible overlap issues. The new manual will thoroughly update the 1995 version of the volume by revising all content-oriented chapters based on the latest research. It will also contain instruments that now satisfy inclusion criteria and several entirely new chapters and sections dealing with adolescent assessment , measurement of co-occurring drug abuse and nicotine dependence, craving, and treatment process measures. A summary chapter suggesting how instruments can be applied to clinical practice is also planned. The manual will be available in hard copy and on the NIAAA Website.

September 23 - Dr. John Allen gave a presentation entitled "Using Biomarkers of Problem Drinking in Clinical Practice" at the 9th International Conference on Treatment of Addictive Behaviors in Cape Town, South Africa.

October 17 - Dr. John Allen gave a presentation entitled "Biological Markers of Alcoholism" at the Seminar on Alcoholism and Other Dependencies in Fojnica, Bosnia.

October 18 - Dr. John Allen gave a presentation entitled "Future Developments in Alcoholism Treatment in the United States" at the Seminar on Alcoholism and Other Dependencies, Fojnica, Bosnia.

November 30 - Dr. John Allen gave a presentation entitled "How Research Can Influence Alcoholism Treatment" at the Demand Treatment Regional Conference in Houston, Texas.

Publications

Allen, J.P. & Litten, R.Z. (2000). The Role of Laboratory Tests in Alcoholism Treatment. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 1-7.

Allen, J.P., Litten, R.Z., Fertig, J.B. & Babor, T. (2000). Alcohol use disorders identification test. In Malty, J., Lewis, C. A. & Hill, A. P. (Eds.), Commissioned Reviews on 300 Psychological Tests (pp. 5-7). Wales, UK: Edwin Ellen Press.

Oakes, K.E., Allen, J. P. & Ciarrocchi, J. W. (2000). Spirituality, religious problem solving, and sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 18(2), 37-50.

Treatment Research Branch

Recruitment for the COMBINE main trial began in January 2001. COMBINE is a multi-site clinical study that will evaluate the effectiveness of two medications for alcoholism given in combination with two behavioral therapies. The study will test the medications naltrexone and acamprosate, given singly or together, and evaluate their use versus a placebo in conjunction with behavioral interventions of either moderate or minimal intensity. The minimal intensity intervention is designed to encourage drinking cessation and compliance with medication. The more intensive intervention builds on the Project MATCH treatments and combines elements of motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, and involvement in 12-step groups.

In preparation for the main trial, two pilot studies were conducted. In the first pilot study, investigators evaluated the safety and toxicity of acamprosate, naltrexone, and the combination of the two in an inpatient study of 23 patients at three sites. The drugs were found to be safe and generally well tolerated. A second pilot study involving 108 patients assessed compliance and side effects in an outpatient population and evaluated the feasibility of all procedures and interventions that will be carried out in the main trial. The results indicate that the medications were safe and generally well tolerated and that outpatient compliance to the regime was acceptable.

In addition to finishing the pilot studies, the principal investigators and their teams completed a multitude of scientific and administrative tasks required for the start-up of the trial. The clinical sites, the Coordinating Center and NIAAA staff expended considerable effort on activities that included:

Two additional studies have been approved for the COMBINE protocol. The first is a pharmacogenetics study led by Dr. David Goldman of the NIAAA intramural research program. Patients who give informed consent for this study will have an additional blood sample drawn for DNA analysis. Investigators will analyze gene variants that may be associated with therapeutic response to and side effects from acamprosate and naltrexone. They will also analyze variants of genes potentially affecting relapse-associated behaviors such as anxiety and craving. Finally, investigators will characterize the relationship of gene variants to drinking outcome, reported side effects, and drug and drug metabolite levels.

The second project, led by Dr. Gary Zarkin at the Research Triangle Institute, is a study of the cost effectiveness and cost benefit of the COMBINE treatments. In this study, estimates of economic costs will be collected in four domains: health care, crime, labor market participation, and motor vehicle accidents. These data will be incorporated into the interviews to be conducted at the beginning of the study and at 2, 4, 8, 12 and 16 months in the main COMBINE protocol. Additional interviews will be collected at 20-, 24-, 28-, 32-, and 36-month follow up points. Nine of the 11 COMBINE sites are participating in this second project, which will yield data on approximately 1,125 patients.

Staff Activities

• Dr. Kendall Bryant participated in developing the trans-NIH RFA "Adolescent Medicine Trials Network" (ATN) for HIV/AIDS Interventions." The goal of the cooperative agreement is to create a network of researchers to study HIV-infected adolescents with special attention to the needs of high-risk youth. Research conducted by this network will fill an important gap in NIAAA's HIV/AIDS portfolio concerned with the treatment of HIV+ adolescents who are consuming alcohol. Applications were reviewed in November 2000 with anticipated funding in 2001.
• Dr. Bryant also assisted in writing a collaborative program announcement to be issued by NICHD "Examining Social and Sexual Networks As HIV Risk Reduction Methods". From NIAAA's perspective, the goal of this announcement is to expand prior work by systematically examining relationships among social environmental factors, alcohol use, sexual risk behaviors, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for groups at high risk of acquiring and transmitting STIs. The program announcement is to be issued in the first quarter of FY2001.

• October 12 and 13 - Dr. Jan Howard participated in a working group organized by the Prevention Research Branch (PRB) titled: "Beyond the Categories: Concepts and Methods in the Study of Alcohol-Related Health Disparities." The meeting was held in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Suzanne Heurtin-Roberts developed and managed the conference and is responsible for summarizing its conclusions. A broad group of extramural researchers, largely supported by the PRB, formed the nucleus of the working group because of their expertise in studies of racial/ethnic minorities.
• October 26 and 27 - Dr. Howard co-chaired a Working Group meeting on "Efficacious and Effective Interventions to Prevent Alcohol Abuse and Problems," in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Howard organized the working group in collaboration with Drs. Harold Holder and Robert Saltz from the Prevention Research Center in Berkeley, California. Fifteen extramural prevention researchers attended the meeting representing the full range of domains of alcohol-related prevention research. These domains included studies of interventions based in communities, schools, colleges, families, worksites, health-care systems, and the media, as well as tax/price and violence-focused interventions. In addition, the group identified and discussed crosscutting prevention principles. All participants also submitted a short summary of prevention strategies that have proven to be efficacious and/or effective in their areas of expertise.