ADAI News

Two UW Scientists Win NIH Funding for K-12 Neuroscience Education Programs

Two UW scientists are among eight investigators across the U.S. awarded  NIH funding for the next five years to develop innovative neuroscience education programs for K-12 students and their teachers. These programs aim to increase science literacy and understanding as well as interest in science -- a particularly important goal, since the most recent trends published by the U.S. Department of Education indicate that U.S. eighth graders score lower than students from nine other countries in science knowledge and skills. The projects seeks to close this gap as well as fulfill the NIH mission to ensure that adequate numbers of students are entering science education tracks and eventually pursuing careers in biomedical science.

The UW awardees are:

Susanna Cunningham, PhD, Professor, Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Systems, for "How Do I Learn: Neurosciences Advances Inform Learning." This project will engage middle school science teachers, students and parents/community groups in an innovative program of neuroscience education focused on answering the questions, "How do I learn?" and "How do I teach students about how they learn?"

Eric Chudler, PhD, Executive Director, Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering and Research Associate Professor, Department of Bioengineering, for "Sowing the Seeds of Neuroscience." This project will give middle school students an opportunity to study how chemicals in plants and herbs, such as Gingko biloba or the caffeine in tea leaves, affect health and behavior. These investigations aim to improve student understanding about neuroscience and encourage them to pursue careers in biomedical sciences.

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SAMA's Knowledge is Power Luncheon, March 2, 2012

The SAMA Foundation has announced its 2012 "Knowledge is Power Luncheon," to be held March 2, 2012 at the Sheraton Seattle. This educational and inspirational event supports SAMA's efforts to help young people with substance addictions and their families.

Guest speaker will be Dr. Susan Tapert, Professor of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, who studies brain functioning in adolescents with (or at risk for) substance use disorders, and children with family histories of substance use disorders and with conduct disorder.

The event will include a special tribute honoring SAMA Co-Founder, CJ Taylor, who passed away in August, 2011.

For details and registration, please visit the SAMA Knowledge is Power web page.

Media Coverage of Impact of 911 Good Samaritan Law

National news media and other organizations are taking note of a new report evaluating Washington state's "911 Good Samaritan Law."  Researchers from the University of Washington are studying the impact of the law during its first year of implementation in Seattle. The study is funded by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to look at the law's legal intent, implementation, and outcomes.

This study is the first in the U.S. to measure the legal intent and implementation of  law designed to encourage bystanders to call 911 during a drug overdose, and is likely to be of great interest to other states that have implemented or are considering a similar law.  States with 911 Good Sam laws on the books include New Mexico, New York, Connecticut, and Illinois. It is being considered in California, Massachusetts, and Florida among other states.  

JoinTogether Online: What are the Impacts of Good Samaritan Laws?  (Nov 18)

ACLU of Washington State: 911 Good Samaritan Law is Working  (Nov 18)

Public Health Law Research:  Banta-Green & Kuszler Release Preliminary Findings of Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Law  (Nov 21)

Washington's 911 Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Law Shows Early Benefits

Drug users and bystanders who witness a drug overdose are often reluctant to call 911 out of fear that they might be arrested for drug possession. Initial results from an evaluation of Washington State's 911 Good Samaritan Law show that 88% of opiate users are now likely to call 911 to get emergency help for drug overdose victims, knowing that they are protected by the state’s Good Samaritan laws.

Caleb Banta-Green and Patricia C. Kuszler at the University of Washington are conducting the evaluaton -- the first study in the U.S. to measure the legal intent and implementation of  law designed to encourage bystanders to call 911 during a drug overdose.  A similar law has been on the books in New Mexico, and has recently been passed in New York, Connecticut, and Illinois. It is being considered in California, Massachusetts, and Florida among other states.

The study's early findings also indicated that 62% of police surveyed said the law would not change their behavior during a future overdose because they would not have made an arrest for possession anyway,  20% were unsure what they would do, and 14% said they would be less likely to make such an arrest.

More findings from this evaluation study can be found on the StopOverdose.org website.

New Journals in the ADAI Library

These journals were recently received by the ADAI Library.  Click on links to connect to tables of contents.

Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly 29(4)
Nicotine & Tobacco Research 13(11)
Substance Abuse 32(4)
Tobacco Control 20(6)

David Dickinson is Named SAMHSA Administrator for Region X.

David Dickinson is moving from Washington State's Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery to become the new SAMHSA Regional Administrator to U.S. Health & Human Services Region X, serving Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.  His last day in the office at DBHR will be November 23.

Mary Ann Lindeblad, Assistant Secretary for DSHS/ADSA made the announcement in a November 9 letter to community partners and stakeholders in Washington.  She wrote that since he became Director of DBHR in 2009, David "worked tirelessly to advance behavioral health care in Washington state...[and he] has helped position Washington for the future by promoting integration of behavioral health and primary health care through person centered health home clinical models."  An interim director will be appointed.

New Journals in the ADAI Library

These journals were recently received by the ADAI Library.  Click on links to connect to tables of contents.

Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research 35(11)
American Journal of Public Health 101(11)
Journal of Addictions & Offender Counseling 32(1-2)
NIDA Report Series: Prescription Drugs November 2011
Substance Use & Misuse 46(11)

'Healing of the Canoe' Project Featured by CDC and NIH

The Healing of the Canoe, a collaborative project between the UW Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute and the Suquamish and Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribes, is one of 12 successful community engagement projects featured in “Principles of Community Engagement,” a new publication from NIH, CDC, and other federal health agencies.  The manual provides public health professionals, health care providers, researchers, and community-based leaders and organizations with both a science base and practical guidance for engaging partners in projects that may affect them. 

Healing of the Canoe grew out of a culturally grounded curriculum for youth called “Holding Up Our Youth” that incorporated traditional values, practices, teachings, and stories to promote a sense of tribal identity and of belonging in the Suquamish community.  The result was an intervention that uses the canoe journey as a metaphor, providing youth with the skills needed to navigate through life without being pulled off course by alcohol or drugs, with culture and tradition serving as both anchor and compass.

New Journals in the ADAI Library

These journals were recently received by the ADAI Library.  Click on links to connect to tables of contents.

Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research 35(10)
American Journal of Public Health 101(10)
Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse 20(5)
Nicotine & Tobacco Research 13(10)
Substance Use & Misuse 46(10)
Substance Use & Misuse: Volatile Substance Misuse 46 (Suppl 1)