ABOUT THE 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 will be held on November 5-6, via Zoom. The virtual format will include expert keynotes, panels, and research presentations on a wide variety of substance use topics (see agenda below).
SOSUR is free and open to the public. Register below to receive the Zoom links, which will be sent on November 4, 2025, and each morning of the symposium. The call for abstracts is now open, please click on the button below to learn more and submit an abstract.
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9:00am – 10:00am CT (10:00am - 11:00am ET)
Keynote 1: Policy & Implementation Issues Related to Cannabis Legalization
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Traci Toomey, PhD
Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health
10:30am - 11:30am CT (11:30am - 12:30pm ET)
Panel 1: Exploring the Comorbidities of PTSD, Depression, and Substance Use Disorder
[ Moderator: TBD ]
Peter Monti, PhD

Donald G. Millar Distinguished Professor, Brown University
Christy Capone, PhD

Clinical Psychologist, Brown University & Providence VA Medical Center
Alexandria Bauer, PhD

Assistant Professor, Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Coming Soon!

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.
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.

9:00am – 10:00am CT (10:00am - 11:00am ET)
Keynote 2: Neural Mechanisms Subserving “Dark- Side” Effects of Cannabinoids
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Sachin Patel, MD, PhD
Lizzie Gilman Professor and Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine
10:30am - 11:30am CT (11:30am - 12:30pm ET)
Panel 2: Novel Uses for GLP-1 Agonists and Neuropeptide-Directed Therapeutics to Treat Substance Use Disorder
[ Moderator: Daniel Morgan, PhD, Associate Professor & Vice Chair, Marshall University ]
Patricia Sue Grigson, PhD

Professor & Chair, Penn State
Stewart Clark, PhD

Associate Professor, University at Buffalo
Aya Osman, PhD

Assistant Professor, Mount Sinai
Rodrigo España, PhD

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