National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Martha (Sonsy) Fermin, MSW, LICSW Senior Public Health Analyst Division of Healthy Start and Perinatal Services Maternal and Child Health Bureau Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) 5600 Fishers Lane Rockville, MD 20857 Office: (301) 443-1504 Email:mfermin@hrsa.gov Biographical Summary CAPT Martha (Sonsy) Fermín, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, currently serves as a Senior Public Health Analyst in the Maternal and...

Christy Kavulic, Ed.D. Associate Division Director Office of Special Education Programs Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services 400 Maryland Ave, SW Washington, DC 20202 Phone: 202-245-7359 Email: Christy.Kavulic@ed.gov Biographical Summary Christy Kavulic is the Associate Division Director of the Early Childhood and Family Team in the Office of Special Education Programs in the US Department of Education. In this...

ICCFASD Annual Public Meetings May 9, 2024: ICCFASD 2024 Public Meeting Event Information Agenda Speakers Invited Ad Hoc Members Watch the Videocast April 17, 2023: ICCFASD Spring 2023 Public Meeting Event Information Agenda Speakers Watch the Videocast Meeting Summary April 1, 2022: ICCFASD Spring 2022 Public Meeting Event Information Agenda Speakers Watch the Videocast Meeting Summary April 23, 2021: ICCFASD...

Capitalizing on the range of talent in the nation and understanding and addressing the issues that face underserved and underrepresented populations

CDR Kristi R. Anderson, MD, MPH, FACOG Medical Officer Maternal Child Health Bureau Health Resources Services Administration 61 Forsyth St NE Atlanta, GA 30303 Kanderson1@hrsa.gov Biographical Summary CDR Kristi Anderson, MD, MPH, FACOG, is a Medical Officer in the Division of Healthy Start and Perinatal Services (DHSPS), Maternal Child Health Bureau (MCHB), Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA). In this role...

The ICCFASD and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), sponsor and chair of ICCFASD, invited input on the draft outline of the ICCFASD new strategic plan from diverse stakeholders, including scientific experts, health care providers, patients and family members, advocacy groups, other federal agencies, and non-governmental scientific, professional, and healthcare organizations. Organizations were encouraged to submit a...

May 3, 2024

NIAAA shares the sad news that Dale Hereld, M.D., Ph.D., passed away on Friday, April 26, 2024. Dr. Hereld's areas of expertise included signal transduction and chemotaxis. He joined to NIAAA in 2008 to oversee the basic research portfolio on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) within the Division of Metabolism and Health Effects (DMHE). Dr. Hereld contributed to FASD-related research...

Martha Sibley, Ph.D. Social Science Research Analyst Research and Rapid-cycle Evaluation Group Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) 7500 Security Blvd. Baltimore, MD 21244 Phone: 667-414-0745 Email: martha.sibley@cms.hhs.gov Biographical Summary Martha Sibley, Ph.D., is a Social Science Research Analyst at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), evaluating models related to...

Tammy White, PhD Social Science Research Analyst Data Analytics and Reporting Team Administration for Children and Families (ACF)—Region III 801 Market St., Suite 8300 Philadelphia, PA 19107-3134 Phone: (215) 861.4004 Email: tammy.white@acf.hhs.gov Biographical Summary Tammy White, PhD, is a Social Science Research Analyst on the Data Analytics and Reporting Team in the Children’s Bureau (CB). She is primarily responsible for...

Cross-cutting research programs are NIAAA-managed research portfolios that include topics spanning multiple research goals outlined in this strategic plan. These programs complement the Cross-Cutting Research Themes and Supporting the Mission sections of this strategic plan. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) represent the broad range of neurodevelopmental impairments and other physical effects that result from prenatal exposure...

Alcohol-related problems exact an immense toll on individuals, families, and communities. In the United States, more than 178,000 people die per year from alcohol misuse , making alcohol a leading preventable cause of death. 1 From the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 through 2021, alcohol-related deaths increased approximately 38%, far outpacing previous increases of around 2% per...

Understanding how alcohol use and misuse impact women and developing interventions tailored to the unique needs of women

Enhancing the understanding of whole person health and facilitating integrated care to improve health outcomes and reduce health care costs

Encouraging data science and multi-omic approaches to predict vulnerability to alcohol misuse, individualize AUD treatment, and guide recovery

Addressing critical knowledge gaps about the impact of alcohol misuse unique to each life stage

NIAAA has identified cross-cutting research themes, which provide a lens for examining high-priority topics that span two or more of the research goals outlined in this strategic plan. The following themes complement the Cross-Cutting Research Programs and Supporting the Mission sections of this strategic plan.

NIAAA aims to advance research on the brain cells and circuits that underlie and are altered by alcohol misuse, and the complex relationships between alcohol misuse and physiological effects throughout the body.

NIAAA encourages the development, evaluation, and implementation of culturally appropriate individual, family, school, community, and policy-based strategies to prevent alcohol misuse, alcohol use disorder, and related consequences.

NIAAA will continue to support epidemiological research to identify and track patterns of alcohol use and misuse, drinking-related outcomes and disparities, and individual and environmental variables that confer risk or resilience.

NIAAA encourages research to refine diagnosis, enhance treatment, sustain recovery, and ultimately, to reduce the treatment gap for alcohol use disorder and other alcohol-related health conditions.