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National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Dr. Kenneth J. Sher to deliver 22nd Annual Mark Keller Honorary Lecture at the National Institutes of Health

News Release

What:   
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health, announces that Kenneth J. Sher, Ph.D., will deliver the 22nd Annual Mark Keller Honorary Lecture. Dr. Sher is a nationally renowned scholar, researcher, and mentor whose work has greatly advanced our understanding of the etiology and course of alcohol use disorder (AUD), particularly as it relates to personality traits and their evolution. Dr. Sher has been at the forefront of research on the development of alcohol misuse, focusing on factors that affect drinking behavior throughout the lifespan, particularly in college students.
 
Who:    
Dr. Sher is the Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri, where he directs predoctoral and postdoctoral training on alcohol studies and he is also the Associate Chair of Research Enhancement.
Dr. Kenneth Sher
 
Over the course of his career, Dr. Sher has studied a wide range of topics contributing substantially to our understanding of the development of alcohol and other substance misuse. He has examined risk mechanisms that influence AUD onset and progression, premorbid predictors of future AUD, and the involvement of family history of AUD in multiple etiological pathways to problem drinking. His research interests include: personality, as well as developmental changes in personality, as predictors of alcohol misuse and AUD; gene-environment interactions in the development of AUD; and predictors and consequences of binge drinking among college students (including 21st birthday drinking and other extreme drinking occasions). Dr. Sher has also investigated the phenomenon of “maturing out” of harmful drinking, demonstrating that maturing out is associated with differences in age-related personality changes that are accompanied by decreased impulsivity and neuroticism, and not merely a consequence of the transition to adult roles. Dr. Sher led two major ongoing longitudinal cohort studies that have followed individuals beginning in their freshman year of college and into mid-life. In addition to the development of AUD, this research tracks drug use and comorbid psychiatric disorders.
 
A major focus of his current work is the critical evaluation of existing diagnostic approaches for AUD and the development of empirically-based criteria and algorithms for AUD diagnosis. This research holds promise for improving AUD diagnosis in clinical practice, and advancing research on the causes and correlates of AUD.
 
When:  
Thursday, November 30, 1:30 p.m. EST
 
Where:
Masur Auditorium, NIH Building 10, Bethesda, Md.
 

Background: NIAAA established the Mark Keller Honorary Lecture Series as a tribute to Mr.  Keller’s pioneering contributions to the field of alcohol research. Each fall, the series features a lecture by an outstanding alcohol researcher whose work makes significant and long-term contributions to our understanding of how alcohol affects the body and mind, how we can prevent, diagnose and treat alcohol misuse and alcohol use disorder, and how today's scientific advancements can provide hope for tomorrow. NIAAA is pleased to present this series of scientific lectures to acknowledge the advances researchers are making in a wide range of alcohol-related research, and to honor the memory of an individual whose pioneering research remains relevant today.

For additional information about the lecture see: https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/about-niaaa/our-work/research-portfolio/projects-initiatives/keller-and-mendelson-honorary-lecture.

The Keller Honorary Lecture is free and open to the public. Sign language interpreters will be provided. For other reasonable accommodations or further information call Joanna Mayo, 301-443-3860, or visit www.niaaa.nih.gov. For TTY callers, please call the above number through the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339. 

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About the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA):
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health, is the primary U.S. agency for conducting and supporting research on the causes, consequences, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of alcohol use disorder. NIAAA also disseminates research findings to general, professional, and academic audiences. Additional alcohol research information and publications are available at www.niaaa.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):
NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

Contact info:
NIAAA Press Office
301-443-2857
NIAAAPressOffice@mail.nih.gov

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