Volume 1, Issue 1July 2007
El Faro Staff
Liliane Cambraia Windsor, Ph.D., M.S.W., Editor
Sheila Kaupert,
Newsletter Coordinator
National Office
Jane Brooks, M.Sc., C.M.P.
Website Coordinator
This Month's Contributors
Melissa Alvarado, M.A.
Jason Burrow-Sánchez, Ph.D.
José Cañive, M.D.
Antonio Cepeda-Benito, Ph.D.
Evelio Escamilla
J. Bryan Page, Ph.D.
Juan Peña, Ph.D.
Ulises M. Ricoy, M.A.
Avelardo Valdez, Ph.D.
Liliane C. Windsor, M.S.W.
María Luisa Zúñiga, Ph.D.
National Steering Committee
José Szapocznik, Ph.D., NHSN Chair
Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, M.D., Ph.D.
Hortensia Amaro, Ph.D.
Ana Mari Cauce, Ph.D.
Joe Martínez, Ph.D.
Patricia Molina, M.D., Ph.D.
Humberto Nicolini-Sanchez, M.D., Ph.D.
Bryan Page, Ph.D.
Rafaela Robles, Ed.D.
Avelardo Valdez, Ph.D.
Bill Vega, Ph.D.
Volume 1, Issue 1
2007 International Scientific Conference
“Drug Use and Adaptation to Rapidly Changing Environments”
September 26-28, 2007
Miami Beach Resort & Spa, Miami Beach, Florida
Conference Overview:
The Latino population is the largest, most rapidly growing ethnic subgroup in the U.S. While the U.S. population grew 13% from 1990 to 2000, the Latino population grew 58%. In some parts of the country, Latino growth rates have been staggering. There is no question that adaptation to such rapidly changing environmental contexts creates a host of adaptation challenges and has the potential to result in negative behavioral health outcomes including drug use.
The 2007 conference will focus on how individuals, families, and communities adapt to change at behavioral, social, and neurobiological levels, and on the consequences of such adaptation. The conference will provide an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to understanding drug abuse, drawing on research models from the basic and behavioral sciences, including neurobiology, pharmacology, epidemiology, prevention, and treatment. The conference program will feature distinguished scientists who will discuss the state of scientific knowledge in three major panels addressing key areas related to adaptation to rapidly changing environments and risk for drug use and addiction. International presenters and perspectives will be integrated across each panel.
Conference Chair and Co-Chairs:
CHAIR: Charles Martínez, Ph.D.
Vice Provost for Institutional Equity & Diversity & Associate Professor
University of Oregon
CO-CHAIR: Antonio Cepeda-Benito, Ph.D.
Professor & Associate Dean of Faculties
Texas A&M University
CO-CHAIR: Humberto Nicolini Sánchez, M.D. Ph.D.
Carracci Medical Group, México City, México
Professor, Universidad Autónoma de la Ciudad de México
Conference Program Highlights
Keynote Speaker:
Tim Condon, Ph.D., Deputy Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Featured Speakers:
Sandro Galea, M.D., Dr.P.H., M.P.H., Associate Professor, University of Michigan
Westley Clark, M.D., J.D., M.P.H., Director, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT)
Scientific Panels:
How Are Rapidly Changing Environments Linked to Health Outcomes?
Chair: José Szapocznik, Ph.D., University of Miami
Co-Chair: David Shurtleff, Ph.D., National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Rapidly Changing Environments: What Changes Matter?
Chair: Yonette Thomas, Ph.D., National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Co-Chair: Margarita Alegría, Ph.D., Cambridge Health Alliance
Promoting Positive Adaptation to Rapidly Changing Environments: Prevention and Treatment Interventions
Chair: Humberto Nicolini Sánchez, M.D., Ph.D., Centro Médico Carracci, México and
Universidad Autónoma de la Ciudad de México
Co-Chair: TBA
Mentoring and Training Opportunities
The 2007 conference will continue to offer mentoring and training activities to promote career development at multiple stages of the scientific career trajectory.
• The Mentoring and Networking Luncheon will feature breakouts focusing on professional and career development issues. Past topics have included: strategies for publishing in peer-reviewed journals, negotiating career transitions, surviving graduate school, women’s leadership issues, and the benefits and challenges of being a Hispanic scientist. Specific topics for the 2007 conference will be announced soon.
• The Poster Session will bring together both national and international posters in one dynamic session, showcasing the work of NHSN members with the goal of creating linkages for both national and international collaboration. A Call for Poster Abstracts will be released in June.
• Six outstanding abstracts submitted by graduate students and early career scientists will be selected for oral presentation in the “New Investigators in Hispanic Drug Abuse Research” panel.
• “Meet the NIDA Deputy Director,” will offer graduate students and early career scientists an opportunity to interact with Dr. Tim Condon in a town hall format.
• “Forum on Drug Abuse Treatment” will offer conference participants an opportunity to interact with CSAT’s Dr. Jack Stein in a town hall format.
• The conference will conclude with a Grant-Writing Workshop for early career scientists and graduate students. The organizing committee includes J. Bryan Page, Ph.D., University of Miami, Michael Sesma, Ph.D., National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and Avelardo Valdez, Ph.D., University of Houston.