Contents

New Awards at RIA

Director's Report

New Postdoc at RIA

RIA: A Microcosm for Buffalo, The City of Good Neighbors

Lights, Camera, Action!

Red Ribbon Prevention

Longtime RIA Supporter to Head Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Committee

RIA Scientist Presents a Research to Practice Seminar

RIA in New Orleans

Scientist Spotlight

Research Results

RIA’s Seminar Series

RIA Employees Recognized

Applause, Applause

Select Conference Presentations

RIA’s Seminar Series

The Fall Seminar Series 2000 entitled “Genetic Perspectives on Addiction” included three internationally known speakers. The Series began on September 15 with Matthew K. McGue, Ph.D. and his presentation on “Adolescent Substance Use and Abuse: A Behavioral Genetic Perspective.” Dr. McGue based his discussion on work with the analysis of twin and family data in the Minnesota Twin Family Study and the Sibling Interaction and Behavior Study. Dr. McGue is currently a professor and chair of the Department of Psychology at the University of Minnesota.

On November 10, Andrew C. Heath, D. Phil., spoke about the complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors in the development of alcoholism in “The Genetic Epidemiology of Alcoholism.” His presentation covered the impact of parental alcoholism, the risks of childhood conduct disorder, depression, and suicide attempts as well as genetic differences in the metabolism of alcohol. Dr. Heath is a professor of psychology in psychiatry and associate professor of genetics in the Department of Psychiatry at the Washington University School of Medicine.

On December 1, Ting-Kai Li, M.D. presented the “Influences of Genetic Factors and Drinking History on Alcohol-seeking Behavior.” He discussed reasons why people drink or do not drink including the reinforcing effects, aversive effects, and peer or cultural influences as well as why some people drink more than others including metabolism, their level of response to alcohol, and the tolerance or sensitization that develops with chronic drinking. Dr. Li is the director of the Indiana Alcohol Research Center in Indianapolis and a distinguished professor in the Departments of Medicine, Biochemistry, and Molecular Biology at the Indiana University School of Medicine.

The Spring Seminar Series 2001 entitled “Substance Use in the Workplace” will feature Roland S. Moore, Ph.D. of the Prevention Research Center in Berkeley, Calif. He will discuss alcohol prevention in the workplace. Paul M. Roman, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Research on Behavioral Health and Human Service Delivery, Institute for Behavioral Research at the University of Georgia at Athens, will present information about employee assistance programs and alcohol intervention. The third seminar will be a joint presentation by RIA Senior Scientist Michael R. Frone, Ph.D. and Kristin Voelkl Finn, Ph.D., a postdoctoral associate. They will present information about adolescent substance use in work and school settings.

RIA’s Seminar Series is held each fall and spring to provide information about the study of alcohol, other drugs, and related issues to the greater Buffalo community. Presentations are free and open to the public. The schedule is posted on our web page.

RIA Employees Recognized

RIA held its Second Annual Employee Recognition Gathering on October 25, 2000. The event recognized the contributions and commitment of the following employees.

Applause, Applause

The Clinical Research Center (CRC) has been awarded a three-year recertification from the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services. The CRC was reviewed in August 2000, and received superior scores in all review domains (including several perfect scores). This is the second, consecutive three-year recertification received by the CRC. Congratulations to the entire staff of the CRC!

Select Conference Presentations

July, 2000

XIV World Meeting of the International Society for Research on Aggression, Valencia, Spain

Collins, R. L., Quigley, B. M., & Leonard, K. E. Prediction of bar violence among young adults.

Parks, K. A. Dangerous body language: Alcohol’s effect on women’s perception of men during social interactions in bars.

Parks, K. A., & Quigley, B. M. Associations among riskier lifestyle, aggression, and public drinking: Findings from a general population of adults in the U.S.A.

Twenty-seventh International Congress of Psychology, Stockholm, Sweden

Madi, N., Quigley, B. M., & Tedeschi, J. T. Motivations in the essay evaluation aggression paradigm.

August, 2000

105th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association

Bentley, S. R., Fals-Stewart, W., Clarke, E. G., & Winters, J. J. Use of verbal contracts to increase compliance with naltrexone therapy.

Cooke, C. G., Fals-Stewart, W., Kelley, M. L., Clarke, E. G., & O’Neill, S. Children of drug-abusing parents.

Fals-Stewart, W., Kelley, M. L., O’Neill, S., Winters, J. J., & Cooke, C. G. Use of abbreviated behavioral couples treatment for married drug abusers.

Fals-Stewart, W., Storer, R. M., Winters, J. J., O’Neill, S., & Bentley, S. R. Use of couples therapy in substance abuse treatment: A survey.

Kelley, M. L., Fals-Stewart, W., Clarke, E. G., Cooke, C. G., & Winters, J. J. Couples treatment for drug abusers: Effects on children.

McFarlin, S. K., Fals-Stewart, W., Strobel, K. R., Storer, R. M., & O’Neill, S. An examination of violence in the workplace and alcohol use.

McFarlin, S. K., Strobel, K. R., Fals-Stewart, W., & Storer, R. M. Alcohol use and absenteeism: A day-to-day examination.

Storer, R., & Fals-Stewart, W. Failure of addiction treatment referrals from a military psychiatric hospital.

Strobel, K. R., Fals-Stewart, W., Potter, P. T., Lanyon, R. I., & Almer, E. R. Comparison of disability claimants on the MMPI-2 and psychosocial data.

Winters, J. J., & Fals-Stewart, W. Effectiveness of behavioral couples therapy for substance-abusing women.

September, 2000

Canisius College Biology Department, Buffalo, NY

Shen, R. The effects of chronic alcohol exposure on the brain dopamine system.

University at Buffalo Department of Psychiatry Resident Training Program, Buffalo, NY

Stasiewicz, P. R. The American Psychiatric Association Clinical Practice Guidelines for the treatment of substance abuse.

SAMSHA and National Council on Problem Gambling Symposium: Problem and pathological gambling: A look at the issues of mental health, Washington, DC

Rychtarik, R. G. Measures and interventions for individuals with pathological-gambling partners.

October, 2000

Fourteenth National Conference on Problem Gambling, Philadelphia, PA

Rychtarik, R. G., & McGillicuddy, N. B. Translating clinical knowledge into systematic methods of assessment and treatment: Developing a treatment program for individuals with pathological-gambling partners.

Welte, J. W. Frequent and pathological gambling: Demographic patterns and co-morbidity in the U.S.

University at Buffalo School of Nursing, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY

Chan, A. W. K. Lecture on antiepileptic agents.

Smithers Institute Symposium on Alcohol in the Workplace, New York, NY

Frone, M. R. Substance use among employed adolescents: Prevalence and predictors.

Twenty-ninth International Medical Advisory Group Conference, San Francisco, CA

Leonard, K. E. Behavioral perspectives on craving and relapse.

November, 2000

American Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA

Haj-Dahmane, S. Dopamine D2-like receptor activation deploarizes rat dorsal raphe seroton in neurons.

Society for Study of Alcohol and Other Drugs Annual Meeting, Leeds, England

Connors, G. J., Walitzer, K. S., & Dermen, K. H. Preparation for alcoholism treatment: Effects on treatment attendance and posttreatment drinking.

December, 2000

Clinical Psychology Area, University of Texas at Austin, TX

Testa, M. Women’s alcohol consumption and sexual aggression experiences.