WHAT:
The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio is making lives better for individuals and families trapped in addiction. Faculty of the School of Medicine will discuss a national addiction research conference to be held in San Antonio on March 15-16, the education of young scientists interested in addiction research, intriguing studies under way at the Health Science Center, and the need for treatment in Bexar County and the region. ***Individuals recovering from addictions will be available for one-on-one interviews.
WHEN:
10 a.m. Thursday, March 13
WHERE:
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Campus, Academic & Administration Building, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, Texas 78229
WHO:
Researchers Charles France, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology; Jennifer S. Potter, Ph.D., M.P.H., associate professor of psychiatry and anesthesiology; and Katie Serafine, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow, will speak. Dr. France is lead organizer of “Behavior, Biology and Chemistry: Translational Research in Addiction,” a conference that teaches scientists such as Dr. Serafine. Dr. Potter has several clinical research studies under way, including cannabis cessation and treatment of pain and opioid dependence.
WHY:
Research into ways to stop addiction is always needed. Bexar County had the third largest admission rate for alcohol and drug dependency in the state as recently as 2009. In Texas Department of State Health Services Region 8, which includes San Antonio, more than 8 percent of residents perceived needing but not receiving treatment for alcohol problems, and 3 percent of Region 8 residents reported needing but not receiving treatment for drugs.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, one of the country’s leading health sciences universities, ranks in the top 3 percent of all institutions worldwide receiving National Institutes of Health funding. The university’s schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions and graduate biomedical sciences have produced more than 29,000 graduates. The $765 million operating budget supports eight campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. For more information on the many ways “We make lives better®,” visit www.uthscsa.edu.