Addiction Studies Program for Journalists
June 19-20, 2009 Workshop
Reno, Nevada

The June 2009 workshop of the Addiction Studies Program for Journalists was sponsored by Wake Forest University School of Medicine and National Families in Action and held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence.

Welcome and Introductions
• I enjoyed seeing how the program came about.

A History of Drug Abuse and Addiction in the U.S., Sue Rusche
• Good way to start thinking with historical background.

Fundamentals of Drug Actions--Shelly Schwartz-Bloom
• Good presenter, clearly explained.
• Loved her!

The Neurobiology of Addiction—David Friedman
• Very helpful to learn the science.
• I really liked hearing about biochemistry. An MP3 would be helpful to retain the details.

Addiction as a Disease of Compulsion-- Shelly Schwartz-Bloom
• Wanted to see entire animation—looked GREAT.
• I liked the disease model comparisons.

Does Prevention Work? What Science Tells Us-–Harold Holder
• Most helpful presentation of the day.
• Good examples, interesting. He suggested story ideas.

A Personal View of Addiction—Susan Rook
• Simply outstanding. A very powerful talk that was deeply moving.
• Helped put a face on the problem.

Targeting Dispositions by Risks and Needs —Doug Marlowe
• I really liked this –hadn’t known much about law enforcement areas. Lots of information here was new to me, especially the categories of treatment strategies for groups determined by risk. Fantastic.
• This was the most helpful presentation so far.

Scientifically Reliable Internet Resources-– Sue Rusche
• I was THRILLED with these resources. It will take some serious study of the sites, but this is a terrific value for long-term personal education and some story ideas.
• Very nuts and bolts, but very helpful and effective.

Pharmacologic Treatment for Substance Use Disorders-–Tom Kosten
• Wow! What a wealth of information! Give him more time next year! This was the best presentation.

Does Addiction Treatment Work?—Deni Carise
• She uses very helpful real-life case studies. I’d like her to make it.
• Excellent and engaging speaker who covered all the material and had benign control of the audience.

College on Problems of Drug Dependence-– Mike Kuhar
• Fun and useful information—clearly welcoming to those who are staying for the CPDD conference.

A Word from the Deputy Director of NIDA— Tim Condon
• Good, skilled presenter who offered a good overview.
• Sounds good to me. Very helpful and open.

Overall Comments
• The program touched on the issues I was most interested in. I feel this program was/is a great resource for journalists who deal/report on any aspect of addiction, from court reporting to features.
• Great resources, great up-to-date info. It can be hard to find the most up-to-date info on certain topics.
• One major advantage is the contacts with professionals in the field for future questions.
• Will give me credibility with colleagues and editors – for some reason everyone thinks they understand this subject but few people do.
• Changed the discourse around the subject. Took it from moral to medical.
• The program provided a strong basic foundation for my stories. Greatly improved my understanding of the subject. I understand it will also make it easier for me to contact reputable sources.
• I’m already considering three or four stories tapping into sources presented here.
• I no doubt will use this info to challenge my paper’s editorial position on under-21-year-olds being allowed in bars and on a story about elderly people and alcohol.
• The Addiction Studies Program website looks like a very rich site for journalists. Great sources, statistics, studies.
• The workshop gave me an understanding of the “illness” and “disease” nature of substance abuse. • It sharpened and deepened my previous understanding of the disease of addiction.
• I thought the content and speakers were very high quality—I’ve attended a number of conferences related to health issues; this info was very well presented for my use.
• Thorough, credible, convincing.
• Brain effects of substance abuse—much clearer description than I’ve heard before – great education.
• Law enforcement component was excellent. Resources to take home – super!

Sponsoring Faculty

Wake Forest University School of Medicine
David Friedman, PhD
Director, Addiction Studies Program
Associate Dean and Professor
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology Winston-Salem, North Carolina

National Families in Action
Sue Rusche
Co-Director, Addiction Studies Program
President and CEO
National Families in Action
Atlanta, Georgia

Deni Carise, PhD
Director, Treatment Systems Research
Treatment Research Institute
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Timothy Condon, PhD
Deputy Director
National Institute on Drug Abuse
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, Maryland

Harold Holder
Senior Research Scientist and Former Director
Prevention Research Center
Berkeley, California

Tom Kosten, MD
JH Waggoner Chair and Professor
Psychiatry and Neuroscience Director
Division of Alcohol and Addiction Psychiatry
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas

Michael J. Kuhar, PhD
Charles Howard Candler Professor
Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar
Emory University
Yerkes Regional Primate Center
Atlanta, Georgia

Douglas B. Marlowe, JD, PhD
Health Matrix, Inc.
McLean, Virginia

Susan Rook
Director, Criminal Justice Research
Treatment Research Institute
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Rochelle “Shelly” Schwartz-Bloom, PhD
Professor of Pharmacology
Duke University Medical Center
Dept. of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology
Durham, North Carolina

Harry K. Wexler, PhD
Scientist
National Development and Research
Institutes, Inc.
New York, New York

Teika M. Holloway
Secretary III
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology
Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Diane Joyner
Administrative Assistant
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology
Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Friday, June 19, 2009

8:30 a.m.
Continental Breakfast

9:00 a.m.
Welcome and Introductions
David Friedman and Sue Rusche

9:15 a.m.
A History of Drug Abuse and Addiction in the
Sue Rusche

10:15 a.m.
Fundamentals of Drug Action
Shelly Schwartz-Bloom

11:15 a.m.
Break

11:30 a.m.
The Neurobiology of Addiction
David Friedman

1:00 p.m.
Lunch

2:00 p.m.
Addiction as a Disease of Compulsion, Drive, and Learning
Shelly Schwartz-Bloom

3:30 p.m.
Break

3:45 p.m.
Does Prevention Work? What Science Tells Us
Harold Holder

4:15 p.m.
Evaluations

4:30 p.m.
Adjourn

6:00 p.m.
Reception

6:30 p.m.
Dinner
A Personal View of Addiction
Susan Rook

Saturday, June 20, 2009

8:30 a.m.
Continental Breakfast

9:00 a.m.
Targeting Dispositions by Risks and Needs
Doug Marlowe

10:30 a.m.
Break

10:45 a.m.
Scientifically Reliable Internet Sources
Sue Rusche

11:30 a.m.
Pharmacologic Treatment for Substance Use Disorders
Tom Kosten

1:00 p.m.
Lunch

2:00 p.m.
Does Addiction Treatment Work?
Deni Carise

3:30 p.m.
College on Problems of Drug Dependence
Mike Kuhar

4:00 p.m.
A Word from the Deputy Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse
Tim Condon

5:00 p.m.
Evaluations

5:15 p.m.
Adjourn