About the 2024 Symposium

The annual Symposium on Substance Use Research (SOSUR) focuses on leveraging research, knowledge, and insight on substance use from across the country. This year it was held on November 6-7, via Zoom. The virtual format included expert keynotes, panels, and research presentations on a wide variety of substance use topics (see below for the agenda.) There was no cost to attend and it is open to the public.

2024 SOSUR was co-hosted by:

 

The Symposium Agenda

Day One: Wednesday, November 6, 2024

9:00am – 10:00am CT (10:00am – 11:00am ET)
Keynote 1

George Koob, NIAAA | "Changing the Conversation on Alcohol in the U.S."

In this keynote, Dr. Koob will explore the extent of the pathophysiology associated with alcohol misuse and alcohol use disorder, the challenges in addressing alcohol misuse and closing the treatment gap, and the resources available from NIAAA with particular emphasis on the Health Care Professional’s Core Resource on alcohol.

George F. Koob, PhD, is an internationally-recognized expert on alcohol and stress, and the neurobiology of alcohol and drug addiction. He is the Director of NIAAA and also a Senior Investigator at the National Institute on Drug Abuse where his laboratory is studying the neurobiology of drug and alcohol addiction.

Click here to watch the Keynote

10:30am – 11:30am CT (11:30am – 12:30pm ET)

Panel Discussions
Panel 1A: Use & Misuse of Plant-Based Drugs

Moderator: 

Christopher McCurdy, PhD 
Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Florida

Panelists: 

Jenny Wilkerson, PhD 
Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Texas Tech University

Sandeep Nayak, MD 
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University

Shanna Babalonis, PhD 
Associate Professor of Behavioral Science at the University of Kentucky

 

1B: Women's Health

Moderators:  
Tierney Lorenz, PhD
Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Katherine Bogen 
Graduate Researcher at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Panelists:  

Qiana Brown, PhD 
Assistant Professor of Social Work at Rutgers University

Lauren Micalizzi, PhD 
Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Brown University

Danielle Davidov, PhD
Associate Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences at West Virginia University

1:00pm – 2:00pm CT (2:00pm – 3:00pm ET)
Short Research Presentations 1
This session will feature research presentations, 10-15 minutes each, on various topics relating to substance use.

View Poster Titles and Presenters

2:30pm – 3:30pm CT (3:30pm – 4:30pm ET)
Short Research Presentations 2
This session will feature research presentations, 10-15 minutes each, on various topics relating to substance use.

View Short Research Presentation Titles and Presenters

Day Two: Thursday, November 07, 2023

9:00am – 10:00am CT (10:00am – 11:00pm ET)
Keynote 2

Diana Martinez, MD, Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University | "The Neurocircuitry of Habit and Change in Substance Use Disorders"
A key part of substance use disorder (SUD) is the difficulty people face in modifying their habitual drug use – even as circumstances change and their use leads to harm or worsening health. Symptoms that elicit habitual use and impede recovery include craving, withdrawal, and stress. In this keynote, Dr. Martinez will review the impact of pharmacotherapy on these factors and the ability to interrupt the cycle of SUD.

Diana Martinez is a psychiatrist and neuroscientist who focuses on substance use disorders. Much of her work has used imaging to better understand the brain regions involved in recovery and relapse.


Click here to watch the Keynote

10:30am – 11:30am CT (11:30am – 12:30pm ET)
Panel Discussions 
2A: Alcohol and Inflammation 

Moderator:  
Joyce Besheer, PhD
Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Panelists:  
Mollie Monnig, PhD 
Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Brown University

Leon Coleman, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pharmacology at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Tamara Phillips, PhD 
Professor and Chair of Behavioral Neuroscience at Oregon Health & Science University

2B: Rural Health 

Moderator:  
Mary Emery, PhD 
Director of Rural Prosperity Nebraska at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Panelists:  
Raj Masih, MD 
Lead Coordinator at the West Virginia Office of Drug Control Policy

Alexandria Macmadu, PhD
Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at Brown University

Gordon Smith, MD 
Stuart M. and Joyce N. Robbins Distinguished Professor of Epidemiology at West Virginia University

1:00pm – 2:30pm CT (2:00pm – 3:30pm ET)
Rapid-Fire Poster Session
This will be an energetic, fast-paced session showcasing a multitude of projects in substance use research.

View Poster Titles and Presenters

 

 

 

This event is supported by the Rural Drug Addiction Research COBRE at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln [P20GM130461], the COBRE on Opioids and Overdose at Rhode Island Hospital [P20GM125507], the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute [5U54GM104942], the WV-INBRE at Marshall University [P20GM103434], and the COBRE Center for Addiction and Disease Risk Exacerbation at Brown University [P20GM130414]. All are funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health. 

This content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.