# Research Training in Drug Abuse Behavior

> **NIH NIH T32** · UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY · 2021 · $179,517

## Abstract

ABSTRACT/SUMMARY
This continuation application proposes to support 3 pre-doctoral and 3 post-doctoral trainees with a faculty of
20 drawn from six academic and research units of the University of Kentucky. The rich environment provides
opportunities for translational and multidisciplinary bio-behavioral research training in facilities such as the: 1)
Center on Drug and Alcohol Research/Straus Research Building; 2) Center for Drug and Alcohol Research
Translation; 3) Center for Clinical and Translational Science; 4) Laboratory of Human Behavioral
Pharmacology; and 5) Residential Research Facility.
During the most recent five-year funding period, we trained 10 pre-doctoral students and 8 post-doctoral
fellows. These trainees have authored 237 publications and presented 336 papers at local, national or
international conferences. Seventeen of these trainees remain involved in research or academics. Additional
pre-doctoral trainees (N=2) and post-doctoral fellows (N=3) will be added during the final year of the current
funding period to keep all 6 training slots filled. Individuals from under-represented racial and ethnic groups
filled 27 percent of the available training slots.
The program is designed to prepare trainees to assume translational and multidisciplinary research
responsibilities in academic and other scientific organizations concerned with substance-use disorders (SUDs).
Pre-doctoral trainees concentrate in translational and interdisciplinary aspects of SUDs as part of a doctoral
program in a behavioral science discipline (e.g., psychology, sociology). Post-doctoral fellows have a
doctorate in a behavioral science discipline and are preparing for a research role in SUDs, or they are health
professionals seeking translational and interdisciplinary training in a behavioral orientation in SUDs research.
Basic elements of the program include: (1) training in the basic building blocks of research (e.g., experimental
design, data analysis) and independent research competence; (2) a translational and interdisciplinary
orientation taking students beyond their basic discipline and providing exposure to key theoretical concepts
and methodological issues of the related behavioral sciences along with a bio-behavioral conceptualization; (3)
professional development to support a career in SUDs research; (4) exploration of SUDs topics from a
medical-behavioral perspective through courses offered by training faculty; and (5) opportunities for research
around relevant questions in SUDs constituting a dissertation project for pre-doctoral trainees. The post-
doctoral program is individually tailored to the objectives of the fellows and builds on their previous knowledge
and experience, while drawing on these core elements. The need for a translational and interdisciplinary
program such as the one proposed is greater today than ever before and fills a unique niche in substance
abuse research.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10173731
- **Project number:** 5T32DA035200-24
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
- **Principal Investigator:** CRAIG R RUSH
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $179,517
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1998-08-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10173731

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10173731, Research Training in Drug Abuse Behavior (5T32DA035200-24). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10173731. Licensed CC0.

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