Jean Somers Miller, Commissioner of the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services noted, "This agency will truly miss Dr. Blane and all he has personally brought to the Institute. Much of RIA's success derives from his leadership and dedication to this field."
One of the nation's foremost experts on alcohol and other addictions, Blane took the institute from a small research center with a staff of 50 to a nationally acclaimed institute with more than 200 employees working on 40 separate research projects. Under his leadership, the RIA matured into a leading research facility in the field of alcohol and other drug studies. His efforts brought to the institute investigators well trained in the addictions field, who successfully competed for numerous grants.
The author of four books and more than 100 scientific publications, Blane was instrumental in establishing many new projects at RIA, including a Clinical Research Center and the nation's first Center for the Clinical and Medical Epidemiology of Alcohol.
He implemented minority research development programs introducing minority high school students and undergraduates to research careers, as well as postdoctoral training programs, bringing new scientists to the field of addictions.
A new director has not yet been appointed. Brenda Miller, deputy director for the past eight years, will serve as acting director for RIA.
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