RIA fall seminars address smoking, drinking, violence and addiction treatment

BUFFALO, N.Y. – National experts on heavy drinking in young adults, dating violence, financing addiction treatment and tobacco use will visit the University at Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions during its Fall Seminar Series beginning Sept. 16.

The four-part seminar series is free and open to the public. All seminars take place on Fridays at 10 a.m. on the first floor of RIA at 1021 Main St. on UB’s Downtown Campus.

The Fall Seminar Series kicks off Sept. 16 with a talk by Clayton Neighbors, PhD, on “New Directions in Brief Interventions for Heavy Drinking Young Adults.” Neighbors is a professor and director of social psychology at the University of Houston and director of its Social Influences and Health Behaviors Lab. His work focuses on social and motivational influences in the etiology, prevention and treatment of health and risk behaviors.

On Oct. 7, Jeff Temple, PhD, will discuss “Dating it Safe: Longitudinal Study of the Risk and Protective Factors of Dating Violence (and the Necessary Evil of Conducting School-Based Research).” Temple is an associate professor, licensed psychologist and director of Behavioral Health and Research in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Texas Medical Branch. His research focuses on interpersonal relationships, with a particular focus on teen dating violence. He was recently appointed to serve as vice chair of a State of Texas task force on domestic violence.

The series continues on Oct. 21 with a talk by Constance Horgan, ScD, on “Improving the Quality of Addiction Treatment through Payment Strategies.” Horgan is a professor at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University and is the founding director of its Institute for Behavioral Health. Her research is focused on how alcohol, drug and mental health services are financed, organized and delivered in the public and private sectors and what approaches can be used to improve the quality and effectiveness of the delivery system.

The Fall Seminar Series will close on Nov. 18 with a discussion by Andrew Hyland, PhD, on “Highlighted Findings from Wave 1 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study.” Hyland is chair of the Department of Health Behavior in the Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. The PATH Study is a national longitudinal study with more than 40,000 U.S. participants, analyzing tobacco use and its effect on health, with the aim of assessing and informing FDA tobacco policy regulations. It is the first large research effort undertaken by the NIH and FDA since Congress gave FDA authority to regulate tobacco products in 2009.

For more information about RIA’s Spring Seminar Series, contact Kathleen Parks, PhD, at 716-887-3301 or visit http://www.buffalo.edu/ria/news_events/seminars.html.

RIA is a research center of the University at Buffalo and a national leader in the study of alcohol and substance abuse issues. RIA’s research programs, most of which have multiple-year funding, are supported by federal, state and private foundation grants. Located on UB’s Downtown Campus, RIA is a member of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and a key contributor to UB’s reputation for research excellence. To learn more, visit buffalo.edu/ria.