Are more parents letting their teens drink during the pandemic?
COVID-19 stay-at-home orders during spring 2020 dramatically changed daily life and created significant challenges for families. A new study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that 1 in 6 parents first allowed their adolescent children to have an alcoholic drink with their families…
Addressing stigma and discrimination one story at a time
The Story Powered Initiative is a newly relaunched nationally focused initiative that addresses stigma and discrimination through sharing individual stories. Founded and led by Glenn Sterner, assistant professor of criminal justice at Penn State Abington and…
Penn State researchers combat problems of substance misuse
The misuse of alcohol, opioids, and other substances poses many serious, well-known risks to people’s health and communities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, economic stress, social isolation, and anxiety about the future may have deepened the public health emergency posed by substance misuse and…
Annual substance use and addiction conference to be held virtually on May 3
Penn State’s Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse (CCSA) will hold its second annual conference to bring together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, foundation representatives and the public to discuss significant and emerging problems in combating substance use and…
Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse seeks applications for seed grant program
The Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse (CCSA), part of the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) at Penn State, has announced an invitation for Level 2 pilot research projects aimed at addressing issues related to substance use and…
Two Penn State researchers contribute to fight against human trafficking
Two Penn State researchers are contributing to the fight against human trafficking, acting as leaders and speakers at the First Annual Regional Human Trafficking Summit For Advocates Against Human Trafficking, taking place on Feb. 9-10, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Glenn Sterner, assistant professor of…
Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse seeks co-funded faculty position candidates
The Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) has announced an invitation for applications from departments across the Penn State system for a co-funded faculty position as part of the Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse (CCSA).
Addressing one of the University’s aims in its…
Impacts of the pandemic on opioid-related drug overdose
Opioid-related drug overdose is a leading cause of death and injury in the United States. When we consider individuals who use opioids, social factors including poor access to healthcare, unstable housing and employment, and social isolation may double as risk factors for infectious disease…
Preventing risky drinking by college students the focus of new Penn State study
Is there a simple way for parents to reduce the chance of their college-age children having problems resulting from drinking alcohol? Professor of Biobehavioral Health Robert Turrisi was recently awarded a 5-year, $3.6 million grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to…
Building bridges to improve drug misuse prevention
Many agencies at the national, state and local levels are working to address the nation’s drug and alcohol misuse crisis. While this provides numerous opportunities for individuals to receive support, efforts across these agencies are often not closely coordinated.
A new million-dollar award from…
Join CCSA for Giving Tuesday on December 1
The Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse (CCSA) needs your help to support research focused on helping individuals and families through the opioid crisis and greater substance use issues.
Our work draws on the expertise of researchers, educators, and practitioners from Penn State campuses to…
Engineering professor named as new Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse director
Paul Griffin, professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering and recently returning Penn State faculty member, will become the next interim director of the Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse (CCSA) beginning in summer 2021. Griffin, an expert in health systems engineering, is…
Impacts of the coronavirus on student athlete substance abuse
College is a well-known risk environment for problematic alcohol use and substance abuse. In this post, Katherine McLean, associate professor of criminal justice at Penn State Greater Allegheny, outlines why student athletes may be at particular risk for higher levels of alcohol consumption and…
Abstracts wanted for Sixth Annual Penn State Addiction Symposium
Penn State Addiction Center for Translation is accepting abstracts for virtual oral poster and “data blitz” presentations at the center's Sixth Annual Penn State Addiction Symposium. Submit a 250-word abstract, complete with title, author(s), affiliations, and presenter's email address to…
New study will examine women with opioid-use disorder in criminal justice system
A new five-year, $842,000 grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) will allow Penn State researchers to examine opioid-use disorder among criminal justice-involved (CJI) women.
Abenaa Jones, assistant professor of human development and…
Four researchers join the Social Science Research Institute
Four Penn State researchers have joined the Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse, part of the Social Science Research Institute, including faculty members from the colleges of Engineering, Earth and Mineral Sciences, and Health and Human Development.
The Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse (CCSA)…
EIC Podcast on the opioid crisis is now available
The fifth episode of the new Evidence-to-Impact Podcast features a discussion with Glenn Sterner, PhD, assistant professor of criminal justice at Penn State Abington, and Stephen Forzato, deputy chief for tStatewide Drug Initiatives at the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General about reducing the…
Turrisi advises parents in a new video series about teen alcohol use
Parents with questions about how to protect their teens from the dangers of alcohol and other drugs can now receive research-based advice from videos featuring Robert Turrisi, a Penn State professor of biobehavioral health with more than 35 years of experience in researching underage drinking.…
Impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on substance abuse
Penn State researchers provide informed commentary on the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on those affected by substance abuse disorder. They point out it is essential that treatment and intervention, recovery services, and prevention mechanisms remain accessible, operational, and optimized.…
Prenatal substance exposure may impact adolescent attitudes toward gun violence
The wave of mass shootings across the United States in the last two decades has reignited the discussion of gun violence and the role it plays on childhood development. New research has found that prenatal substance exposure may contribute to positive attitudes toward guns and violence among…
PROSPER featured in White House "Rural Community Action Guide: Building Stronger, Healthy Drug-Free Rural Communities"
PROSPER is featured on page 43 of this new tool released by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), to assist rural community leaders in building an effective local response to the crisis of addiction.The Rural Community Action Guide includes background information, recommended action…
Sexual minorities continue to face discrimination, despite increasing support
Despite increasing support for the rights of people in the LGBTQ+ community, discrimination remains a critical and ongoing issue for this population, according to researchers.
In a recent study, researchers found that adults who identified as gay, lesbian or bisexual — as well as people who…
Registration open for fifth annual Penn State Addiction Symposium on Dec. 10
Registration is open for Penn State Addiction Center for Translation’s fifth annual Penn State Addiction Symposium. This symposium will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 10 at Junker Auditorium, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
This symposium will feature…
Krug joins SSRI
Please welcome Public Relations Specialist Melissa Krug to SSRI. Melissa is responsible for the communications efforts of the Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse (CCSA) and is coordinating the Evidence to Impact Collaborative (EIC) podcast series.
Melissa previously worked as a poverty analyst at…
Penn State, PA team up to promote treatments for substance abuse disorders
The opioid epidemic and larger problems of substance misuse continue to deeply impact communities across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the nation. In 2017, more than 70,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States, with Pennsylvania ranking third with the highest rates of death due…