# UF Substance Abuse Training Center in Public Health

> **NIH NIH T32** · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · 2021 · $472,826

## Abstract

Abstract
The mentors of the University of Florida (UF) NIDA T32 Substance Abuse Training Center in Public Health are
eager to submit the renewal for five additional years of funding to train diverse pre and postdocs for careers in
drug use, addiction, and consequences of addiction with a population science and public health lens. Situated
in the Department of Epidemiology in two Colleges of the six in the UF Health Science Center, its 19 faculty
mentors/preceptors (from 10 departments in 6 colleges) base their model on five premises: reduce health
disparities, fill a significant need for training, develop authentic partnerships, utilize a mentoring mosaic
approach and value social justice and high ethical standards. Their collaborations with each other have been
significant (7 per faculty). Directed by Linda Cottler and Co-Directed by Sara Jo Nixon, this T32 renewal is
justified by: a) increased drug use in Florida, especially opioids and cocaine; b) a significant shortage of public
health scientists in the drug abuse field; c) UF’s strong academic and research environment as a top 10
University in the third most populous state; d) the underrepresentation of NIDA and other NIH T32 training
programs in the Southeast US region; e) a strong and enthusiastic group of mentors who have an excellent
track record to train substance abuse researchers; and f) the commitment of UF. Since 2014, with 4 predoc
and 2 postdoc slots awarded, our T32 has trained 9 predocs (4 minority/disability) and 5 postdocs (3 minority);
this year both postdocs are minority scholars and 3 of 4 predocs are diverse for an overall diversity rate of
83%. The predoc publication record is 5.9 per person with 2 years of training; the postdoc publication rate in
the same timeframe is 5.3 per person. No slots have gone unfilled. Going forward, the UF T32 is requesting
5 pre and 3 postdoc slots. A number of valuable approaches are encouraged for career growth of both the
mentor and mentees; robust centers and institutes contribute to this growth. While this T32 has made
excellent progress since 2014, there are additional goals to achieve. More than ever, public health
researchers, especially epidemiologists, need to work together with scientists from other disciplines to develop
best practices for addiction research through all translational stages. Thus, the T32 renewal will: i. provide
trainees with an apprenticeship style education to master skills to critically evaluate data, conduct multiple
aspects of addiction research and become successful investigators who contribute to the field; ii. be a beacon,
model program, with a high return on investment as evaluated through outcomes that matter, and iii. train
individuals to understand, apply and maintain the highest ethical standards in their science and scholarship
and be socially responsible investigators. We at UF are ready to train the next cohort and facilitate trainees’
contributions to the science of addiction medicine using all ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10148741
- **Project number:** 5T32DA035167-08
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
- **Principal Investigator:** Linda B. Cottler
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $472,826
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2014-07-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10148741

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10148741, UF Substance Abuse Training Center in Public Health (5T32DA035167-08). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10148741. Licensed CC0.

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