Drug Abuse Treatment Development and Research Mentoring

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this K24 Mid-Career Clinician-Scientist proposal is to allow the Candidate, Dr. Edward Nunes, to continue to expand his program of research and research mentorship in the field of drug abuse treatment development. The Candidate's research program focuses on two related themes, the treatment of co-occurring psychopathology in substance dependent patients, and the development of combinations of behavioral and pharmacological treatments for drug dependence. Major activities and accomplishments have included a series of studies examining the efficacy of antidepressant medications for treatment of opioid, cocaine, and alcohol dependent patients with depression, projects applying advances in behavioral therapies to naltrexone maintenance for opioid dependence and to treatment of depression among methadone maintained patients, applications of behavioral therapy to enhance the design of cocaine medications development trials, and multi-site effectiveness trials in the NIDA Clinical Trials Network. Through collaborations and the work of colleagues Dr. Nunes has, and continues to mentor, his agenda has expanded to examine structured psychiatric diagnostic methods, HIV risk reduction, and other co-occurring psychopathology including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, impulsive aggression, post-traumatic stress disorder, pathological gambling, neuropsychological functioning, and childhood psychopathology and risk for drug dependence. Over the course of the proposed K24 Dr. Nunes will serve as Principle Investigator on a Center Project, two R01s, and the Long Island Node of the Clinical Trials Network, and as Co-l, Sponsor, or Co-Sponsor on funded projects of junior colleagues and mentored K awards. In particular the K24 will free Dr. Nunes' time and provide resources to pursue the development of new initiatives and collaborations in treatment research and to create opportunities in patient-oriented research for junior colleagues. The mentoring plan will serve young investigators at three main levels, 1) junior faculty with early or emerging independent research programs many of whom Dr. Nunes has mentored since fellowship or during K awards, 2) three current K23 awardees for whom Dr. Nunes serves as Sponsor, and three current (or anticipated) K23 or K01 awardees for whom he serves as Co-Sponsor or Consultant, and 3) Post doctoral fellows in clinical research in the Department's NIDA funded T32 research fellowship program. In addition Dr. Nunes will seek to foster independent research initiatives and collaborations involving the clinical leadership of community-based treatment programs participating in the Clinical Trials Network. The ultimate goals are to improve the treatment of drug dependent patients through clinical research and to help foster the next generation of clinician-researchers.