Experts share research and best practices at Tenth Annual Addiction Conference
Penn State College of Medicine is marking a milestone of a decade of sharing expertise and best practices at the upcoming Tenth Annual Penn State Addiction Conference. The conference, scheduled for Nov. 11 and 12, is run by the Penn State Addiction Center for Translation with additional…
Students who feel more university connection may be more likely to binge drink
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Students who feel a sense of belonging at their university are more likely to binge drink than those who do not feel the same connection, according to a new study by researchers at Penn State, the University of California, Santa Cruz and University of Oregon.
In the study,…
Expert in promoting well-being of diverse communities to speak at Penn State
The Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center at Penn State will honor Phillip W. Graham, a principal scientist at the nonprofit research institute RTI International, with the title of 2024 Bennett Lecturer in Prevention Science. Graham, a leading expert in conducting community-level research…
Recovery community centers linked to support factors for substance use recovery
More than 46 million people in the U.S. suffered from substance use disorders and more than 100,000 died by overdose in 2001, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. To address this crisis, recovery community centers (RCCs) have emerged in cities across the U.S.…
Harm reduction education, tools access may help women prevent opioid overdose
Woman with opioid use disorder and who are also involved with the criminal legal system face unique challenges and stigmas that may keep them from seeking substance use treatment and harm reduction tools that could prevent overdose deaths, according to new research led by a team from Penn State.…
Bringing health care back to a rural Pennsylvania community
Snow Shoe Township is a small, rural community of around 1,700 people in central Pennsylvania that lies approximately 30 miles north of State College. A former coal mining town, Snow Shoe has seen an economic decline over the years.
Then, in the span of one year starting in 2020, Snow Shoe lost its…
Teens and drinking: What parents need to know and how they can influence behavior
Parents of teens and young adults can help keep their kids safer from the dangers of drinking, says Rob Turrisi, Penn State professor of biobehavioral health and SSRI cofund. Learn more in this new episode of the Raising Good Humans podcast with Dr. Aliza.
Faculty success and equity workshop registration now open
Registration is now open for the “Initiative for Faculty Success and Equity Workshop (IFSE)” to be held from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 19, at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center.
The workshop — sponsored by the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI), the Office of the…
Annual substance use conference examines cannabis use, future of tobacco
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Social Science Research Institute’s (SSRI) Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction (CSUA) recently hosted its fifth annual conference in the Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub at the University Park campus.
Drawing over 140 attendees throughout the day including…
Women may face unique obstacles while seeking treatment for opioid use
Women experiencing opioid-use disorders may face unique challenges accessing treatment, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers. The study — published in the journal Women’s Health — provides new insight into how pregnancy and parenting can make getting medications for…
President Bendapudi visits SSRI
Recently, Penn State President Dr. Neeli Bendapudi visited SSRI to learn about our institute and the important research being conducted in the social sciences at Penn State. After a welcome from SSRI Director Deborah Ehrenthal, President Bendapudi heard highlights from SSRI core research resources…
Fentanyl and COVID-19 pandemic reshaped racial profile of overdose deaths in US
For as long as statistics about opioid overdose deaths have been collected in the United States, white individuals have been much more likely to die than Black individuals of the same age. With the rapidly increasing rate of fentanyl overdoses in the late 2010s, that trend began to…
Penn State-led report reveals gambling participation increases in Pennsylvania
Online and offline gambling is increasing rapidly in Pennsylvania since its legalization in 2017, according to the latest Pennsylvania Interactive Gaming Assessment: Online Gambling Report 2023. The report was developed by Penn State’s Criminal Justice Research Center under contract with the…
Annual Substance Use and Addiction Conference to be held on April 29
The Social Science Research Institute’s Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction will host its fifth annual conference, in-person and via Zoom on Monday, April 29, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Barron Innovation Hub.
The all-day event is free, but all in-person and virtual…
Suicidality among individuals with substance use disorders increased in 2020
Individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) were significantly more likely to consider, plan and attempt suicide than those without SUDs in 2020, according to a new study by researchers at Penn State. Adolescents and women with SUDs were also more likely to experience suicidality — the term for…
CSUA 5th Annual Conference call for posters and research talks presentations
We invite you to present your work on substance use and addiction during our Research Talks and Poster Session for the CSUA 5th Annual Conference on Monday, April 29.
We strongly encourage researchers, students, clinicians, community members and partner organizations to attend and participate in…
PSU researcher shares preliminary findings on how counties are spending opioid settlement funds
A Penn State professor is sharing preliminary findings from the Elevate Pennsylvania Initiative. It’s meant to maximize the impact of opioid settlement funds in the state.
Pennsylvania is getting about $2 billion as part of nationwide settlements involving the opioid epidemic.…
SSRI names new unit directors
Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute recently announced new directors for two of their units, the Social, Life, and Engineering Sciences Imaging Center (SLEIC) and the Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction (CSUA), effective July 1.
Xiaoxiao Bai and Emma Jane Rose will succeed Michele…
Penn State program to prevent substance use the focus of $2.5 million NIH grant
Penn State researchers have embarked on a five-year, $2.5 million project funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study outcomes for adults who participated in the substance misuse prevention system known as PROSPER while they attended middle school. The system, PROmoting…
Researchers to develop early warning system for emerging substance use threats
A newly awarded $1 million U.S. National Science Foundation grant will allow a group of multidisciplinary researchers at Penn State, in collaboration with Georgia Tech, to develop an early warning system (EWS) for identifying and responding to emerging substance use threats such as the rise of…
Americans will spend half their lives taking prescription drugs, study finds
An American born in 2019 will spend a larger share of their lifetime taking prescription drugs than being married or receiving an education, according to new research by Jessica Ho, associate professor of sociology and demography at Penn State. She found that American males will spend approximately…
Storytelling saves lives: Reducing stigma is personal for Abington professor
Their personal and professional lives have placed Glenn Sterner and Erin Gallagher at the forefront of battling the stigma surrounding mental illness, substance use, addiction and vulnerable populations. The duo is the driving force behind the Oct. 12 performance of This Is My…
Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction Seeking Director Position Applications
The Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) is searching for a faculty member to lead the interdisciplinary Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction (CSUA). Applications for the position are open until October 1, 2023. For more information about the position, please visit CSUA’s website. …
Long-term study of early brain and child development launches enrollment
Penn State researchers are launching enrollment for the largest long-term study of early brain and child development in the U.S.
Penn State researchers aim to enroll 300 people, about 4% of the total cohort. The researchers will follow participants and their children from before birth through…
Next-day effects of heavy drinking on young adults the focus of NIH grant
Nausea, headaches and difficulty concentrating are just a few of the hangover symptoms that can besiege young adults who drink alcohol to excess. To gain a greater understanding of how heavy drinking impacts young adults, Ashley Linden-Carmichael, Penn State associate research professor of health…