# AACAP Physician Scientist Program in Substance Use

> **NIH NIH K12** · AMERICAN ACADEMY-CHILD/ADOLESCENT PSYCH · 2021 · $386,320

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
This supplement request will support the enrollment of additional scholars in the American Academy of Child
and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Physician Scientist Program in Substance Use. This additional support will
increase the diversity of the cohort thereby promoting underrepresented physicians engaging in substance use
research. Most mental and substance use disorders emerge during childhood and adolescence, but they are
rarely recognized or addressed until adulthood. With specialized training in developmental psychopathology,
child and adolescent psychiatrists are ideally suited to address these disorders before adulthood to reduce
associated morbidity and mortality. While it is clearly recognized that substance use complicates the course of
mental disorders, few child and adolescent psychiatrists receive specialized training to address substance use
disorders, and exceedingly few pursue careers in research to advance substance use disorder prevention and
treatment. Established in 1998, the AACAP Physician Scientist Program in Substance Use addresses this critical
shortage by delivering a highly structured clinical research training and career development program for
outstanding child and adolescent psychiatrists with the potential to make significant impacts on adolescent
substance use disorder prevention and treatment. Since its inception, the program has successfully cultivated
the careers of 24 child and adolescent psychiatrist physician-scientists. Twenty-three of the 24 scholars have
established or are well on their way to establishing careers in substance use-related research. AACAP remains
an ideal institutional home for the K12 given its strong institutional commitment, ample resources, and
membership that includes more than 95% of child and adolescent psychiatrists in the country, including all current
and former K12 scholars. AACAP has pledged its continued commitment and support of scholars’ career
development. Additionally, K12 scholars’ research presentations at the AACAP Annual Meetings facilitate and
accelerate the pace of translation from research to practice, clearly impacting the field. The program is making
important progress, but more work is needed, as fewer than 2% of child and adolescent psychiatrists are
significantly involved in research, and even fewer have established careers in substance use-related research.
This administrative supplement will serve to enhance the success of the program’s overarching aims. Aim 1: To
increase the number of independently funded child and adolescent psychiatrist addiction researchers. Aim 2: To
expand the network of senior mentors, academic centers, and addiction research training opportunities for K12
scholars and other early career investigators. An unprecedentedly large, highly qualified, and diverse group of
child and adolescent psychiatrist candidates have applied for scholar positions in the upcoming cohort. Engaging
an expanded cohort of promising...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10366880
- **Project number:** 3K12DA000357-22S1
- **Recipient organization:** AMERICAN ACADEMY-CHILD/ADOLESCENT PSYCH
- **Principal Investigator:** Kevin M. Gray
- **Activity code:** K12 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $386,320
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 1998-01-01 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10366880

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10366880, AACAP Physician Scientist Program in Substance Use (3K12DA000357-22S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10366880. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*