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…
New project to track post-prison trajectories of men living with addiction
Despite widespread national attention, the opioid epidemic and larger problems of substance use and misuse continue to deeply affect communities across Pennsylvania and throughout the nation. The impact of the opioid crisis and other substance abuse problems hits even harder for people grappling…
College of Medicine researchers receive NIH funding for addiction research
The National Institutes of Health have awarded more than $2 million to Patricia “Sue” Grigson, professor and chair in the Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, and Scott Bunce, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral health and clinical psychologist, as part of the…
Collaborative Community Service Conference offers opiate addiction resources
Penn State Schuylkill and Lehigh Valley Hospital – Schuylkill collaborated to present “Opioids: The Crisis Next Door,” a free conference held on campus Sept. 19 that detailed the facts and signs of addiction, as well as the resources available to help community members affected by the epidemic. The…
Why Social Science? - Because It Provides Empirical Answers to Critical Public Health Questions
By Jeni L. Burnette, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology & Sarah L. Desmarais, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, North Carolina State University
What do the opioid and obesity epidemics have in common? For starters, they are both public health crises in which the disease model is used to…
Professor to moderate congressional briefing on opioid dependence, addiction
Diana Fishbein, professor of human development and family studies and director of the Program of Translational Research on Adversity Neurodevelopment in the Prevention Research Center at Penn State, is co-organizing and moderating the congressional briefing, “The Real Dangers of Equating…
2019 Bennett Lecture to focus on mindfulness-based Interventions for addiction
On Oct. 15, at 4 p.m., Katie Witkiewitz, psychology professor at the University of New Mexico, will present the 2019 Bennett Lecture in Prevention Science, "Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Addiction: Making a Better Band-Aid," in 110 Henderson Building. The event is free and open to the public…
Lecture series continues with "Mindful Living to Overcome Opioid Addiction"
The Penn State Shenango 2019-20 Lecture Series will continue with a presentation by Tammy Divens, assistant teaching professor in occupational therapy at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 17 in Lecture Hall 223. Divens’ lecture, “Mindful Living to Overcome Opioid Addiction,” will share on mindsets that influence…
Law Review Symposium to highlight effects of federalism on opioid use policy
The Dickinson Law Review will present "Crisis of Authority: The Effects of Federalism on Opioid Policy" from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8, in the Apfelbaum Family Courtroom and Auditorium, located in Lewis Katz Hall at Dickinson Law. Registration is available online.
The annual…
Abstracts can be submitted for fifth annual Penn State Addiction Symposium
The Penn State Addiction Center for Translation is accepting abstracts for consideration as poster and oral presentations at the center's fifth annual Penn State Addiction Symposium. Send a 250-word abstract, complete with title, author(s), affiliations and the presenter's email address, to PSACT@…
Schuylkill nursing professor researches impact of opioid addiction on families
Marianne Adam, associate teaching professor in the College of Nursing at Penn State Schuylkill, has been an asset to the Penn State nursing community, educating future nurses while researching substantial health issues ranging from palliative care, diabetes, and her current focus — the opioid…
Training program available to recovering addicts
If you have a history of addiction recovery and want to help others, Penn State Shenango will host a Beaver campus Continuing Education course on “Certified Recovery Specialist Training” from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Saturdays, beginning Oct. 5 and ending Dec. 14, in Sharon Hall room 108 in downtown…
Examining state policies governing opioid use and pregnancy
Opioid use disorders during pregnancy have risen at alarming rates in the U.S. in recent years, increasing the risks of preterm labor and delivery, poor fetal growth, prolonged hospital stays, maternal death and stillborn infants. Maternal opioid use can also result in neonatal abstinence syndrome…
Resources to combat opioid epidemic available through new WPSU project
Trisha Stouch lost her daughter Pamela to a drug overdose almost 10 years ago, but Stouch remembers like yesterday the moment she realized her daughter’s need for opioids had taken over her life.
A stay-at-home mom, frequent chaperone on school trips and softball coach, Stouch was an involved…
Penn State helps tackle opioid epidemic through consortium, public media project
The strategies being employed by Penn State to help combat the opioid epidemic were discussed today, Sept. 12, during an update to the Board of Trustees Committee on Outreach, Development and Community Relations at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center.
Presentations were given about…
Douglas W. Pollock Center for Addiction Outreach and Research dedicated
Substance abuse has been among the most serious health care challenges facing communities across Pennsylvania and the nation. As a strategic priority, Penn State is committed to combating substance abuse and as a result has established the Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse. As part of the…
Marijuana may boost risky effects of drinking alcohol
As the legalization of medical marijuana and marijuana use are both on the rise in the United States, people are not necessarily using alcohol less and may be unaware of the risks of combining alcohol and marijuana, according to researchers.
A new study from Penn State found that compared to people…
Researchers estimate societal costs of the opioid epidemic
The devastating consequences of the opioid crisis are far-reaching in the United States, impacting public health as well as social and economic welfare. Penn State researchers recently collaborated to address the issue in a supplement of The American Journal of Managed Care, titled “Deaths, Dollars…
Marijuana policies are changing, but they are not always based on scientific knowledge
By Diana H. Fishbein, Elizabeth Long and Sharon Kingston, opinion contributor for The Hill
Misconceptions regarding marijuana distort perceptions about its hazards and benefits. While marijuana remains on schedule 1 of the federal Controlled Substances Act, a number of state-level laws are changing…
Penn State-led national coalition bringing prevention science to life
Over the past four decades, prevention science has grown steadily, producing evidence-based practices and policies that prevent negative medical, social and emotional impacts before they occur. Increasingly, the Penn State-led National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives(NPSC) is being…