NIAAA Mourns the Loss of Brenda G. Hewitt
On May 7, NIAAA staff learned of the death of Ms. Brenda G. Hewitt, a long-time colleague at the Institute. Ms. Hewitt, special assistant to the Director, had been a staff member at NIAAA almost continually since 1972. NIAAA staff gathered on May 11 for an in-house memorial. The Institute will organize a larger, more formal memorial at a later date to celebrate the life and career of Ms. Hewitt, who considered NIAAA to be her “second family.” We will provide more information as details become available.
NIAAA Celebrates 40 Years of Research, Outreach
NIAAA celebrates the 40th anniversary of its founding this year with a fresh, new look and new publications that will examine the Institute’s pivotal role in alcohol-related research and outreach. The Institute also plans to host a special symposium on October 4, 2010, recognizing the anniversary.
Popularity of NIAAA Seasonal Outreach Series Soars
For the 2009 holiday season, NIAAA continued its seasonal outreach with the release of its New Year’s Eve fact sheet, Rethinking Holiday Drinking: Alcohol-related Traffic Deaths Jump on New Year’s Eve. Seasonal fact sheets contain relevant statistics presented in an easy-to-understand “infograph” style, practical science-based commentary, and NIAAA Web site information.
APIS Announces New Web Site Design: Easier Access to High-Quality State-by-State Alcohol Policies Data
The Alcohol Policy Information System (APIS), a database assembled and run by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), has improved users’ access to its cache of data with a new, streamlined Web site design.
SUAA Work Group of the SMRB Reports on Optimizing Addictions Research
The Substance Use, Abuse, and Addiction (SUAA) Work Group of the Scientific Management Review Board (SMRB) is continuing to develop its recommendations for optimizing substance abuse and addiction research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Two significant meetings took place recently.
Alcohol Researcher Marisa Roberto Receives PECASE Award
Dr. Marisa Roberto (shown here with NIAAA Acting Director Dr. Ken Warren) was one of 100 recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) honored by the President on January 12, 2010.
Kovacs and Szabo complete ELAM Program
Two NIAAA-funded researchers have completed a prestigious program that trains senior women faculty for leadership positions at academic medical centers. Elizabeth J. Kovacs, Ph.D., of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine in Maywood, IL, and Gyongyi Szabo, M.D., Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester MA, were enrolled in the year-long Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA.