Academic Career Award in Adolescent Alcohol Abuse

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application is re-submitted to NIAAA in response to PA-00-070, Academic Career Award. The candidate is John R. Knight MD, the Director of the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research at Children's Hospital Boston, and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School (HMS). He is an emerging expert on primary care office management of adolescent substance abuse, and has published original scientific articles, educational curricula, clinical reviews, and book chapters on this topic. Dr. Knight has achieved considerable success in the field of medical education, but is newer to the field of alcohol treatment research. He has served as PI of several studies on medical office management of adolescent alcohol use; including one NIAAA funded project aimed at validation of a new brief screening test for use in medical office settings. Dr. Knight has also conducted pilot testing of a brief intervention for adolescents. During the K07 award period, Dr. Knight will develop new knowledge, skills, and experience in alcohol treatment research. He will conduct a randomized controlled trial of a new brief intervention approach, previously proven effective in the emergency department setting. His long-term career goal is to develop, test, and disseminate a complete set of medical practice guidelines for management of adolescent substance abuse. With support from the K07 award, he will also complete courses in research study design and biostatistical analysis at the Harvard School of Public Health, which will ensure his future success as a researcher and mentor. Dr. Knight has joint appointments in the Divisions of General Pediatrics and Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry at Children's Hospital Boston, placing him in an ideal position to train and mentor new investigators. One junior faculty member he mentors recently received her first grant award for a study of adolescent drug testing. Another former fellow he mentors recently completed a pilot study of alcohol screening of parents, through an award Dr. Knight obtained from NIAAA under Research Supplement for Underrepresented Minorities (PA-99-104). Dr. Knight was also selected as a mentor for Project Mainstream, a national faculty development project in substance abuse education funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration. Children's Hospital Boston presents an ideal research and training environment. It is the largest pediatric medical center in the U.S. Children's recently established a Clinical Research Program, whose mission is to train and assist new clinical investigators. Dr. Knight's background in teaching and training, and established relationships with national organizations, will help ensure the widest possible dissemination of his research findings.