ADAI News

ADAI Launches New Website and News Blog!

We're delighted to announce the new and improved ADAI website! Launched in July 2019, the site presents our research, information resources, and community engagement activities in a more attractive and user-friendly format. It highlights some of our special projects like the NW Addiction Technology Transfer Center, Fetal Alcohol & Drug Unit, Pacific NW Node in NIDA's Clinical Trials Network, Center for Opioid Safety Education, and the ADAI Clearinghouse.

The new site also has its own News blog where we'll post events, publications, research opportunities, and other news. The new blog replaces the ADAI News that you're reading here, which will eventually close. Bookmark and explore the new site! https://adai.uw.edu

We invite you to view the new ADAI website and the ADAI News page, and let us know what you think!  We're interested to hear your suggestions how we can make the new website a helpful resource for our colleagues and community partners.

ADAI Welcomes New Director Susan Ferguson

Dr. Susan Ferguson was named as the new Director of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute in April, 2019, officially beginning her role at ADAI on July 1.

Dr. Ferguson’s research investigates the neural basis of opioid and psychostimulant addiction. Her research uses a multi-level approach, combining molecular biology, anatomy and behavioral neuroscience, to understand the development of behaviors associated with drug reward and addiction, as well as in the processes that underlie decision-making, motivation and impulsivity. In addition, she examines how environmental factors, such as extended exposure to sensory stimulation, modulate the development of these behaviors. She's published more than 130 articles in peer-reviewed journals and other publications.

In addition to her role at ADAI, Dr. Ferguson leads a research lab at Seattle Children’s Research Institute, where she also serves as the Faculty Liaison to the Office of Teaching, Education, and Research. She holds a faculty position in the School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

Dr. Ferguson received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and completed her PhD and a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Washington.