New Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Public Education Campaign
On March 5, NIAAA and the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS) launched a campaign to raise awareness of the risks associated with drinking during pregnancy, the leading known preventable cause of birth defects and learning difficulties. The campaign launch, which was held at Union Station in Washington DC, featured National and D.C. government officials, alcohol researchers, health care practitioners, and media personalities who joined Dr. Kington and the NOFAS leadership. The campaign is entitled, "Play it safe. Alcohol and pregnancy don't mix." The March 5 launch begins as a 2-year pilot program that targets Washington, D.C., African-American women of childbearing age and their families, friends, and others through research-based mass media messages, special events, and community partnership activities. It will include a combination of print and broadcast materials, radio and television public service announcements, mass transit displays, and partnerships with community organizations. The "Play it safe. Alcohol and pregnancy don't mix" campaign is designed as a prototype for future replication in other cities across the country.
College Drinking Initiative
Task Force Report
On April 9, the College Task Force of the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism issued its landmark report, A Call To Action: Changing the Culture of Drinking at U.S. Colleges. The report, which was approved by Council on April 3, was released at a national news conference held at the National Press Club in Washington D. C. The Task Force was Co-chaired by Mark Goldman, Ph.D., Distinguished Research Professor of Psychology at the University of South Florida and Reverend Edward Malloy, President of the University of Notre Dame, each of whom has served as a member of the National Advisory Council. Institute coordination of this effort was provided by NIAAA Executive Officer Stephen Long with program development and support provided principally by the Office of Policy and Public Liaison, with participation by virtually every NIAAA Office and Division. Task Force members and participants are listed in the Task Force Report which Council has received. The report is also available online at the College Drinking Web site (see below).
In the weeks leading up to the April 9 release, NIAAA staff made extensive preparations to inform "stakeholders" of the pending report, including presentations of the report’s findings to senior officials in the U.S. Department of Education, representatives of the NIH Institutes and Centers, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the National Institute of Mental Health (NIHM) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse NIDA), the Office of National Drug Control Policy. In addition, NIAAA hosted a briefing for a large group of federal agencies and constituency groups. This Constituency/Federal Partners Briefing, which was attended by more than 50 individuals, garnered commitments from outside organizations to issue press releases and disseminate information to their networks in support of the College Drinking Prevention effort.
College Drinking Prevention Materials
In addition to the overall Task Force report, a package of materials was developed specifically for the College Drinking Initiative. These materials have been mailed to every college and university in the United States and include:
- Panel Reports and Journal Supplement -- A special journal supplement that included 18 of the Task Force’s commissioned papers. The papers appear in the March 2002 Supplement of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol. An additional paper prepared by Task Force member Ralph Hingson, Sc.D., Professor of Social Behavioral Sciences and Associate Dean for Research at Boston University School of Public Health, appears in the March edition of the journal itself
- Brochures - Three brochures, which highlight the findings of the subcommittee for specific audiences. Brochures have been developed for college presidents, parents, and student peer educators, with future versions slated for community leaders, high school guidance counselors, and student. Feedback on these brochures has been extremely positive from a variety of groups
- Planning and Evaluation Guide - A handbook for college programming staff provides action steps for campus administrators and alcohol prevention programming staff on creating effective, research-based programs.
College Drinking Web site
A Web site, http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/, was developed and launched in conjunction with the April 9 release of the Task Force Report on College Drinking. In the first three weeks, there have been over 1,200,000 hits to the site, with an average of 40,000 hits a day and a total of 29,265. The site has already won nine awards, including: the "Golden Web Award" from the Internet Association of Webmasters and Designers in recognition of creativity, integrity, and excellence on the Web, the "Excellent Medical Site Award" from the EMS Index and the "Neovision Bronze Award" for Web site design. (See page 44 for complete list of Web site awards and recognitions to date). The Task Force Report and all ancillary materials also can be found on the College Drinking Web site.
Ongoing Activities
The project has now moved into a new phase which will feature extensive activities to bring the results and recommendations of the report to as many constituencies as possible. Such activities include:
- Regional Workshops: Planning is underway for regional workshops for college presidents and administrators, including deans, vice presidents, and health staff. The workshops are designed to share results of the subcommittee in small group settings, motivate presidents to implement Task Force recommendations on their campuses, and encourage them to focus on research-based programs. NIAAA staff have been working with Dr. Susan Pierce President, University of Puget Sound to develop and manage the first regional workshop. It will be held in the Pacific Northwest in October 2002. The limited meeting size and the geographical similarities of the schools are designed to encourage candid discussion, leading to possible joint planning
- Policymakers information sessions: OPPL staff are continuing to explore opportunities to present Task Force information to groups of national and local policy makers. These stakeholders are particularly important partners for colleges and universities attempting to create campus/community partnerships as recommended in the Task Force report.
Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Hearing on College Drinking
On May 15, the U.S. Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs (Senator Joseph Lieberman [D-CT], Chairman) held a hearing entitled "Under the Influence: The Binge Drinking Epidemic on College Campuses." Testifying before the Committee were Acting NIAAA Director, Raynard S. Kington, M.D., Ph.D.; Mark S. Goldman, Ph.D., Director, Alcohol and Substance Abuse Research Institute, University of South Florida; Ralph Hingson, Sc.D., M.P.H, Professor and Associate Dean for Research, School of Public Health, Boston University.
The purpose of the hearing was to "draw attention to federal research on college drinking and to hear what the experts think are the primary causes and the most effective solutions." Senator Lieberman and Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) stated their concern about the seriousness and alarming size of the college drinking problem and its consequences, their interest in understanding the problem better, and their support for research as a crucial part of the solution. Senator Lieberman especially focused on research-based solutions, and the need (as outlined in the Task Force Report) for comprehensive, community-based efforts to implement effective interventions. Senator Lieberman stated for the record that he intends to hold at least one more hearing on this topic. The witness list and written testimony can be found at: http://www.senate.gov/~gov_affairs/051502witness.htm.
National Alcohol Screening Day
National Alcohol Screening Day, which took place on April 11, was a major success. Office of Collaborative Research (OCR) staff (MS. Peggy Murray and Dr. Anton Bizzell) were heavily involved with changing the focus of this annual event to increase public awareness about the health consequences of at-risk drinking. In 2002, there was a concerted effort to reach under-served populations including the elderly, Spanish-speaking individuals and urban minority populations. This year’s program was an improvement over the past three years, more than doubling the sites that participated. There were a total of 2,825 registered sites – 1,026 community sites (such as public hospitals, senior centers, community centers, addiction treatment programs), 1,176 primary care sites (clinics and private physician practices), 564 college sites, and 49 major corporations.
There also was a significant increase in co-sponsorship of the event by professional and advocacy organizations including the American College of Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Major publicity coverage included a piece by New York Times columnist Jane Brody that highlighted the importance of screening older adults for at-risk alcohol use and coverage by Parade Magazine and Ann Landers. NIAAA Acting Director Dr. Raynard Kington, Associate Director for Collaborative Research, Dr. Faye Calhoun, Peggy Murray, and Dr. Anton Bizzell made numerous appearances on national and local television and radio stations in major cities to promote the program.
A process evaluation and small outcome study are underway. The process evaluation looks closely at what went on at the site level and will systematically identify elements necessary for a successful event at that level. The outcome evaluation will look at the effect of the screening day on individual drinking behavior, knowledge about alcohol use risks and follow-up to treatment referrals.
Preliminary evaluation results will be presented at a project advisory group meeting to be held in mid June. Experts in alcohol screening and early intervention, state alcohol treatment directors, outreach specialists, site directors from select sites and representatives of important co-sponsoring organizations will come to Washington to help develop strategies for Alcohol Screening Day 2003 (April 10, 2003).
NIAAA Names 2002 Senator Harold Hughes Memorial Award Winner
Barbara Foley, R.N., Executive Director and Co-Founder of Emergency Nurses CARE (EN CARE) of Alexandria, Virginia, was named the fourth recipient of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism annual Senator Harold Hughes Memorial Award. The award is made annually to a nonresearcher who has used alcohol research findings to foster research, prevention, or treatment, thereby translating research into practice and building bridges among the research, prevention, treatment, and policymaking communities. NIAAA Acting Director, Raynard S. Kington, M.D., Ph.D., announced the award on February 25 in Washington, D.C., at the 2002 Public Policy Conference on Alcohol and Drug Treatment, sponsored by NAADAC, The Association for Addiction Professionals, and co-hosted by 23 national organizations. Ms. Foley was chosen from a field of prevention professionals, policymakers, and advocates nominated by national, state, and local alcohol field organizations. For more information on the award, please visit the award Web site at http://www.rowsciences.com/haroldhughes.
Leadership To Keep Children Alcohol Free
The Leadership initiative continues to make strides in increasing visibility for the early onset drinking issue, with Governors’ spouses taking the lead in a range of activities. Highlights include:
- Since the last Council Report, First Lady of Ohio, Hope Taft, has been involved in several activities in support of the Leadership Initiative. As a result of her invitation, invited the AMA Alliance, a standing committee of AMA member spouses, has taken on the underage drinking prevention issue as a major focus for its involvement during the coming year. This topic will be discussed at the upcoming AMA Alliance national meeting in October. Mrs. Taft also organized a state-wide Reach Out Now--Teach In aimed at 5th grade children and their parents during April and she invited all Governors’ spouses across the country to participate in similar efforts within their states to raise awareness and support prevention efforts. In Ohio, Mrs. Taft enlisted the Governor and several cabinet secretaries as 5th grade "teachers" to communicate the drinking prevention message and to demonstrate the impact of alcohol upon learning, memory and the brain. The "Reach Out Now – Teach In" represented a collaboration between SAMHSA, Scholastic Magazine, and the Leadership initiative.
- Oregon’s First Lady, Sharon Kitzhaber, joined the Oregon Partnership and the Oregon Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking to promote underage alcohol use awareness and announced a new action kit designed to tackle underage drinking – Wise Up: Straight Talk About Alcohol. In addition to these activities, Mrs. Kitzhaber has had articles appear about her activities in the Oregon Partnership Newsletter, Winter 2002 in which she summarized her experience at the Second National Conference held in January, and an editorial outlining her involvement with the Leadership initiative in The Oregonian, which subsequently appeared in additional newspapers.
- Judy O’Bannon, First Lady of Indiana, created a link to the Leadership initiative on her State Web site to promote underage drinking prevention efforts within her State.
- First Lady of Arkansas, Janet Huckabee, visited elementary schools in her State to speak with fifth graders about the dangers of underage drinking in conjunction with the Reach Out Now—Teach In program.
- First Lady of Colorado Frances Owens launched a new NIAAA/SAMHSA alcohol prevention poster targeted to "tweens" (11-13 years of age) and announced her support of the Reach Out Now--Teach In program in her State. She used the occasion to unveil a national prevention campaign entitled, Make a Difference: Talk to Your Child About Alcohol. She wrote a letter to over 800 middle school principals within the State asking for their support in preventing underage drinking and giving prominent space in the schools to the new poster and discussing its prevention message with middle school children. In early February, Mrs. Owens also received a tour of the laboratories and was provided briefings about the various alcohol-related research and treatment programs of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.
- Following the release of the Task Force Report on College Drinking, Leadership Co-Chairs Hope Taft (OH), Columba Bush (FL), Vicky Cayetano (HI), and Sharon Kitzhaber (OR), in a letter to the editor of the New York Times, noted that young people often come to college with already established drinking habits and stressed the importance of early alcohol use prevention programs.
- Alaska First Lady Susan Knowles initiated an Alaska Alcohol-Free Poster Contest for children ages 6-16 throughout the State. The contest paralleled a campaign of TV and radio announcements targeting 9–15 year-olds. Over 175 posters were received and were displayed in the State Capitol outside the Governor’s office.
- North Dakota’s First Lady Mikey L. Hoeven introduced a new television Public Service Announcement (PSA) to appear in her State during April and May as part of a focused underage drinking prevention marketing campaign. Mrs. Hoeven has identified underage drinking prevention as her first priority.
- In April, Minnesota’s First Lady, Terry Ventura, held a press conference to open Sobriety High School in St. Paul, Minnesota, a private school for students recovering from drug and alcohol abuse, and to announce the release of a series of PSAs to prevent underage drinking aimed at kids and parents. The PSAs were prompted by her participation in the Leadership initiative.
- Patricia Kempthorne, First Lady of Idaho, was the keynote speaker at the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) Summit luncheon in Phoenix, Arizona. She discussed the effects of alcohol on children, using incidents from her own childhood as examples and introduced the Drinking It In video that premiered at the Leadership national conference.
- Pennsylvania’s First Lady Kathy Schweiker is featured on cards distributed in cooperation with Pennsylvanians against Underage Drinking, now being displayed in State Liquor stores, schools, and other locations. The cards bear the message, "You can help prevent alcohol use by children," and a phone number to report underage drinking.
Office of the Director
Acting Director’s Activities
Dr. Kington’s activities since the February Council meeting have included the following:
- Presented remarks at the March 5 Press Conference launching the joint NIAAA-NOFAS Public Education Campaign on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
- Presented the Luncheon Address at the 2002 Lonnie Mitchell Substance Abuse Conference, Baltimore, MD. This annual conference provides a forum for exchange of cutting-edge knowledge of substance abuse treatment, prevention, research and education as it relates to African-Americans. Conference goals include increasing awareness among Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) of disparities in treatment, services, and research for African Americans in substance abuse; promoting majors in fields related to mental health and substance abuse treatment, prevention, and research among minority student; establishing an open dialogue and information exchange network among HBCUs around current and promising practices in substance abuse research, treatment, prevention, education/training and policy development; and increasing the cadre of African Americans and other minorities who specialize in the fields of psychology, social welfare and substance abuse treatment, prevention and research, by establishing educational sequences within regular curricula at HBCUs.
- Presented a talk entitled, "Science and Public Policy Related to Alcohol: Two Case Studies" at a United States-European Union Demand Reduction Seminar: Developing Evidence-Based Demand Reduction Policies. The Seminar, which was held May 13-14 in Washington, DC, was sponsored by the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
- Participated in a variety of activities associated with the release of the Task Force Report on College Drinking including the pre-briefings, April 9 Press Conference, and both television and radio interviews subsequent to the Press Conference. (See pages 5 for details on the College Drinking Task Force Report)
- Testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs on The Binge Drinking Epidemic on College Campuses. (See page 6 for further details).
- Participated in the Second Annual Spirtuality and Alcohol Meeting. The meeting, which was co-sponsored by NIAAA and the Fetzer Institute, was held May 30-31in Kalamazoo, Michigan. (See page 12 for further details).
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Constituency Group Meetings |
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February 26 – President and Vice President of External Affairs, Hazelden Foundation. |
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February 21 - Participated in the Join Together National Advisory Committee Dinner on, to discuss how Join Together can help communities around the country be more effective in their efforts against substance abuse and gun violence. |
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May 13 - Dr. Louis Gallant, Executive Director National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD). |
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May 15 - Doyle Randol, Executive Director, American College Health Association |
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Deputy Director’s Activities
Dr. Dufour gave a presentation entitled, "Chronic Alcohol-Related Conditions" at the Alcohol-Related Disease Impact (ARDI) Scientific Work Group Meeting May 22-23, Atlanta Georgia.
Collaborative and Special Projects Branch
Interagency Coordinating Committee on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome – An Update
On May 23, 2002, NIAAA sponsored the 17th meeting of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (ICCFAS). Committee members reviewed sections of the 2001-2005 Strategic Plan and agreed on a number of priority areas for possible collaborative projects that could be initiated within the next two years. The Committee also bid farewell to Dr. Jan Harlow, Committee representative from the Department of Education and Chair of the Work Group on FAS/ARND. Dr. Harlow will be retiring at the end of May, but leaves behind a legacy of devoted service to children and families with special education needs, including those affected by FAS/ARND.
In March 2002, OCR participated in one of four planned regional FAS Town Meetings in Tumwater, Washington to hear concerns and recommendations from local citizens that could be used to guide the activities of the SAMHSA-funded Center for Excellence on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. A panel comprising key staff from the Center and representatives from a broad cross-section of Federal agencies and national organizations heard testimony from more than 30 FAS-affected families and service providers highlighting some of the most urgent needs of citizens in that region. NIAAA/OCR intends to participate in future regional town meetings and in the formulation of Center priorities based on the input received from local communities. Dr. Calhoun continues to chair the steering committee for the Center.
Research Development and Health Disparities Branch
Coordination of NIAAA Health Disparities Strategic Plan
The latest Health Disparities Strategic Plan for FY 2002-FY 2006 has been developed. This document, which was presented and discussed at the February meeting of the NIAAA Council, includes the Institute’s specific action plans for each of the five fiscal years, with accompanying time tables, proposed budgets for each emphasis area and proposed metrics for progress measures and outcome measures. The action plans cover three broad areas: research, capacity and infrastructure development and outreach and information dissemination.
Malt Liquor Developmental Research
As the result of a Request for Application (RFA) one-year ago, NIAAA now funds eight exploratory/developmental grants (R21) for research on high alcohol content malt beverages and related products. These grants cover a variety of topics ranging from pharmacokinetics to advertising. Many also include issues related to alcohol and health disparities. The first annual meeting on research regarding malt liquor, malternatives, alcopops, and related beverages was held on March 11 and 12 here in Washington. This has become a research area of considerable interest as more brands and types of these beverages are marketed. The projects underway represent a significant opportunity for advancement.
Health Disparities Research
An RFA for Alcohol Health Disparities (RFA AA02-002) was developed as an Institute-wide effort to encourage new research and draw attention to alcohol-related topics involving Minority Health and Health Disparities. Thirty-one applications were received in response to this RFA. Twenty-one are R01s, eight are exploratory/developmental projects (R21), and two are educational programs (R25). The applications cover topics of interest to all NIAAA Divisions.
An RFA targeted for Minority Serving Institutions (RFA AA02-013) titled "Cooperative Agreement for Exploratory/Development Grants for Minority Institutions Alcohol Research Planning" seeks applications for cooperative agreement grants (U01 mechanisms) to support research planning and research development at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). The purpose of this program is to promote alcohol research expertise and infrastructure development at MSIs, and thereby ultimately to identify, characterize, and reduce alcohol-related health disparities in American ethnic and cultural populations and their subpopulations. Collaboration with established alcohol research programs is required. The application receipt date is July 30, 2002. We expect to fund up to six applications with maximum direct costs of $250,000. Information is available on-line at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HG-02-005.html.
Spirituality and Alcohol Initiative
While the importance of spirituality in the maintenance of sobriety and prevention of alcohol abuse is widely assumed, it has not been a major area of biomedical research. To stimulate research in this area, the Fetzer Institute and NIAAA cooperated to support 15 exploratory/developmental projects (R21) designed to gather the preliminary data to support larger and more comprehensive studies in the future. Consistent with the mission of both Institutes, this initiative is dedicated to the application of scientific principles to describe the role of spirituality in the prevention of and recovery from alcohol dependence. On May 30-31, the second meeting of grantees was held. While the specifics varied greatly for each of the projects, a common theme in many is the assessment of spirituality-related intermediate mechanisms and intervening variables that may contribute to alcohol prevention and treatment. In addition, over half the projects focus on specific age groups (adolescents, or college students) or on minority populations (Filipinos, American Indians or African Americans).
Hispanic Alcohol Research and Career Development Planning Meeting
In response to issues raised at the NIAAA Advisory Council meeting (February 2002) NIAAA has formed a "working group" of experts to guide the development of research approaches targeted to Hispanics and Latinos. It is hoped that the working group (composed of research experts and other professionals in the alcohol field) will assist in understanding alcohol-related health issues affecting Hispanics. The working group, which will meet on June 24, currently includes Drs. Marilyn and Carlos Molina, Dr. Jeannette Noltinus, Dr. Bill Vega, and Dr. Andreas Gill.
International and Health Education Programs Branch
Health Professions Education
As reported at the last meeting, NIAAA is continuing to develop a Social Work Education Model for the Prevention and Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorders. Isabel Ellis of the International and Health Education Programs Branch developed and led a pilot test of the current draft of the curriculum in Austin, Texas, March 28-29, 2002. Dr. Tina Vanderveen, OCR Deputy Director, also participated. This faculty training event was well attended by the University of Texas School of Social Work faculty and doctoral students from the University’s Austin and Houston campuses, as well as other institutions. The teaching team included social work faculty from the University of Wisconsin/Milwaukee, University of Texas/Houston, Brown University, University of Connecticut, University of Buffalo, and Florida International University. The event was co-sponsored by The Gulf Coast Addiction Technology Transfer Center, which brought participants from the University of Southern Mississippi, Louisiana State University, and Northwestern State University.
The model consists of a curriculum and faculty development training course which provides research-based information on alcohol abuse and addiction to MSW and BSW students and graduate social workers in a variety of practice settings. Social work researchers and faculty from 24 schools of social work located throughout the U.S. have been involved in the development and pilot testing of the material to-date. The curriculum consists of 11 user-friendly teaching modules which include PowerPoint presentations tied to the learning concepts of the text materials. The teaching core begins with the epidemiology of alcoholism and builds from that knowledge base to include modules on etiology, diagnosis and treatment, screening and intervention, and prevention and treatment in the wide variety of special populations served by social workers in many different practice settings.
International Research and Training
In April, the NIAAA International Program sponsored a three-day training session for Russian infectious disease specialists in St. Petersburg, Russia.. The course focused on identifying and managing alcohol problems in patients with infectious diseases. Russia has an extremely high rate of tuberculosis, and alcohol is a major factor in the spread of this disease as well as drug resistant forms of TB in that country. In addition, the number of Russian HIV cases is growing exponentially, with alcohol again an important factor. Sixty physicians from TB dispensaries in seven Russian cities took part in the course which was co-sponsored by the Pavlov State Medical Academy. Michael Fleming, M.D., M.P.H., University of Wisconsin Department of Family Medicine, developed the curriculum. Richard Blondell, M.D., University of Louisville School of Medicine, served as course director. Other faculty included Betsy McCaul, Ph.D. and Thomas O’Toole, M.D., Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Karen Krieger, M.D., University of Louisville; and Davis Burgess, Pharm.D., University of Texas San Antonio.
Science Education
Branch Chief Peggy Murray attended the field testing of a new NIAAA-supported curriculum for middle- and high-school life science and health classes called, Better Safe Than Sorry: The Biological Basis of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Other Alcohol-Related Birth Defects. Kathy Sulik, Ph.D., and colleagues at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, developed this curriculum. It will be ready to be disseminated to schools across the country by this summer.
Constituency Activities
Public Liaison Organizations
OPPL is responsible for liaison activities as they relate to Council meetings (and associated "liaison group meetings"). Currently, we share information on a regular basis with over 500 outside groups and individuals that comprise our contact list. Liaison representatives meet informally with the NIAAA Director and senior staff following the adjournment of Council meetings. In addition to general liaison activities, NIAAA also maintains a program of specific, formal collaborations with outside groups. Collaborative activities are described below.
Alcohol Research To Practice Network (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:
April 2002
PRIDE (Parents' Resource Institute for Drug Education): NIAAA cosponsored the PRIDE 2002 "Celebrate YOUth" Conference in support of the organization’s 25th anniversary. The Conference was co-hosted by Leadership Initiative Co-chair, Hope Taft. This conference represents the first time that NIAAA has partnered with a completely youth-focused organization. PRIDE is a provider of prevention services in the area of alcohol and other drugs; and its alcohol, drugs, and violence questionnaires have been used by over 6,400 school systems nationwide. Amy Matush will continue to share research-based information with this group which is known for providing exciting and fun program activities that are attractive to young people.
June 2002
National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD): NIAAA has been collaborating with NASADAD to communicate alcohol research findings and implications to State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (AOD) under a contract managed by NIAAA’s Public Liaison Officer, Kelly Green Kahn. NASADAD members, the Single State Agencies for alcohol and drug abuse, are responsible for certifying professionals, accrediting treatment programs, contracting with community-based providers, collecting and analyzing data, assuring quality services, and establishing performance and outcome measures. Four Issue Briefs will be used to present the most up to date research available on alcohol and drug prevention and treatment services. The first Issue Brief, focused on the use of medications as a component of alcohol treatment and its implications for state alcohol treatment systems. We understand that this issue was extremely well received. The second Brief, which should be completed this month, will address screening and brief intervention and their cost effectiveness.
Ongoing Activities
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)
Kelly Green Kahn is working with the AAMFT and two alcohol researchers to develop a guide to help therapists incorporate brief interventions into the couples and family context. AAMFT plans to utilize this guide as part of a knowledge transfer project under a Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) grant to evaluate how well their membership incorporates relevant information into their clinical practices and decisions. This guide will complement the Institute’s update of its manual on screening and brief intervention for physicians and other health professionals.
Researcher in Residence Programs
New York Collaboration, Phase II
NIAAA and CSAT are continuing to work with New York on research to practice projects. NIAAA will supplement CSAT’s Practice Improvement Collaboratives Program to further assist researchers and practitioners in their joint efforts.
North Carolina Collaboration, Phase II
Phase II of this project is nearing completion. NIAAA, CSAT and North Carolina partners will meet in mid-June to discuss a draft final project report, lessons learned and possible future collaborations. The report on the North Carolina experience will be ready later this year and will be posted on the NIAAA Web site.
NIAAA Press Office Activities
Task Force on College Drinking
An estimated one-half of all Americans (155 million individuals) saw or heard coverage of the April 9, 2002, NIAAA news release and news conference that reported the findings of the Task Force on College Drinking.
Coverage swept all network and major public (PBS’ The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, National Public Radio’s Morning Edition) and cable (CNN national and international, MSNBC) news broadcast outlets; Drs. Raynard Kington, Ralph Hingson, and Mark Goldman gave studio or NIAAA-based interviews to PBS, CNN, CBS, ABC, and others. ABC’s World News Tonight with Peter Jennings traveled to the University of Rhode Island to interview URI President Robert Carothers, Ph.D. and others. In addition, an NIAAA-developed video news release with sound bites from the news conference was picked up by local outlets across the country and viewed by approximately 10 million viewers.
Major print coverage included The Washington Post (A-section on April 9, Health section cover story on April 16), the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Times, USA Today, and the Associated Press, among many others, as well as all national news magazines and more than 75 college newspapers. Electronic news coverage also was far-ranging.
More than one-month following the news release, daily feature coverage continues and stories are in progress at several monthly magazines. As recently as May 15, ABC’s "Good Morning, America" mentioned the April 9 NIAAA news in relation to a college drinking story.
Other Press Activities
Interviews
The CNN medical unit (April 10-15) and Health Magazine (January-February 2002) featured interviews with NIAAA Deputy Director Mary Dufour, M.D., M.P.H. on alcohol and women.
Press Releases/Announcements
Since the last National Advisory Council meeting, NIAAA has also issued the following news releases and news advisories:
- NIAAA Names 2002 Senator Harold Hughes Memorial Award Winner (February 25-covered by alcohol, mental health and professional publications);
- NIAAA and NOFAS Launch Awareness Campaign in District of Columbia: Play It Safe. Alcohol and Pregnancy Don’t Mix (March 5-covered by local television and regional print outlets);
- NIAAA Steps Up Search for Brain Mechanisms of Alcohol Abuse, Alcoholism (March 8-covered by alcohol, mental health, and professional outlets and The Blue Sheet);
- Alcohol Researchers Identify Genetic Locus of Human Brain Wave (Beta EEG Frequency) (March 12-pickup by a record 1000 American Association for the Advancement of Science EurekAlert users); and
NIAAA News Releases and Advisories are available at: http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/press/press.htm
Extramural Project Review Branch
For this review round, Extramural Project Review Branch Staff completed 20 review meetings to evaluate a total of 153 grant applications, and one review meeting to evaluate a total of 5 contract proposals. Reviews completed include the following:
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RFA/RFP |
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No. Reviewed |
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RFA AA02-001 |
Alcohol-related problems among college students: epidemiology and prevention |
33 |
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RFA AA02-002 |
Research on alcohol health disparities |
31 |
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RFA AA02-003 |
Developing alcohol-related HIV preventive interventions |
10 |
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RFA AA02-008 |
Effects of alcohol on HIV invasion across the blood-brain barrier or placental barrier |
15 |
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RFP PHS 002-1 |
SBIR Phase I contract solicitation |
5 |
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