RIA to Present Spring Seminar Series on Addiction

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions (RIA) will present a spring seminar series on addictions-related topics featuring national experts beginning March 20.

The four-part series is free, open to the public and held on Fridays at 10 a.m. on the first floor of the RIA building at 1021 Main St. on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

The opening seminar will be presented March 20 by Charles W. Mathias, Ph.D., who will discuss "When Everyday is Friday: Behavioral and Cognitive Performance in Adolescent Marijuana Use." Mathias is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He conducts research about development psychopathology among adolescents.

On April 17, Andrea Hussong, Ph.D., will present "Evidence For and Against an Internalizing Pathway to Substance Use Disorders." Hussong a professor of clinical psychology at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, investigates the internalizing pathway to substance-use disorders in children of alcoholic parents.

The seminars continue on May 8 with a presentation titled "Drug Discovery for Nicotine Addiction" by Linda Dwoskin, Ph.D., an endowed professor in pharmaceutical education at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy. Her major research focus is the development of novel therapeutic candidates for the treatment of psychostimulant abuse, specifically for nicotine and methamphetamine abuse.

The series will close on May 15 with a discussion of "Drinking in Bars: The Risks of Girls Just Wanting to Have Fun" by Kathleen A. Parks, Ph.D., a senior research scientist at RIA whose expertise focuses on women's substance use and related negative consequences.

For more information about the seminars contact RIA at 716-887-2566.

The Research Institute on Addictions has been a leader in the study of addictions since 1970 and a research center of the University at Buffalo since 1999.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.