Research training in alcohol abuse has been ongoing since 1987 when an Institutional Training grant from the NIAAA was awarded. A second training grant funded by NIDA was awarded in 1991. The Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs and the Department of Neurosciences offer comprehensive federally funded basic and clinical science training in alcohol and substance abuse research. Institutional training grants from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) supply stipends and research funds for both pre-doctoral (through the Neuroscience graduate program) and post-doctoral fellows. The training faculty hold appointments in the Department Neurosciences and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

The purpose of training is to produce scientists capable of conducting independent basic and/or clinical alcohol and substance abuse research. Emphasis is placed on the development of research skills, including grant writing and subsequent communication of research results at national meetings and in professional journals.

Upon entry into the program, trainees are integrated into their mentor’s research program. All faculty mentors have active, NIH-funded research so that trainees are exposed to state-of-the-art research techniques and ideas. While working with the mentor, each trainee is expected to generate an abstract for presentation at a national meeting and to submit one manuscript a year for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

To Apply

 Faculty Mentors and Their Research Interests
(to contact an individual faculty member, click on their name)

Raymond F. Anton, M.D. 
Alcohol Medications/Diagnostic Predictors

Gary Aston-Jones, Ph.D. 
Neurobiology of Attention, Affect, Motivation, and Reward

Howard C. Becker, Ph.D. 
Mechanisms of Chronic Alcohol Neuroadaptation

Kathleen T. Brady, M.D., Ph.D. 
Pharmacotherapy/Comorbidity

L. Judson Chandler, Ph.D. 
Effects of Ethanol on Glutamatergic Systems

Deborah V. Deas, M.D., M.P.H. 
Adolescent Alcohol and Substance Abuse

Peter W. Kalivas, Ph.D.  
Cellular Basis of Stimulant-Induced Neuroplasticity

Antonieta Lavin, Ph.D. 
Role of Cortico-thalamic Pathway in Drug Addiction

Robert J. Malcolm, M.D. 
Pharmacotherapy of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Disorders

Jacqueline F. McGinty, Ph.D. 
Stimulant Effects on Neurotransmitter Release/Gene Expression

Lawrence D. Middaugh, Ph.D.
Role of Dopamine in Alcohol Self-Administration & Relapes

M. Foster Olive, Ph.D. 
Neuropharmacology/Neurocircuitry of Addiction

D. LaHugh (Hugh) Myrick, M.D.
Medications in Alcohol and Substance Abuse Treatment; Imagining

Carrie L. Randall, Ph.D. 
Comorbid Disorders, Social Phobia and Alcoholism

Sammanda Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
Monoamine Transporter Structure and Function

Ronald E. See, Ph.D. 
Cue-Reinstatement of Drug Relapse

John J. Woodward, Ph.D. 
Role of Ion Channels in Alcohol and Drug Abuse

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The program uses a multidisciplinary faculty within a medical school base to provide clinical and basic science trainees with research experiences in various facets of substance abuse research. The program is unique in that it stresses the sharing of information of basic and clinical research findings. This process is achieved in part because the majority of clinical and basic faculty and fellows are housed in close proximity to one another, thus facilitating daily interactions of scientists.

As a measure of success, every trainee to-date has annually submitted an abstract, prepared either a poster or oral presentation, and presented at the Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA) meeting, the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD), or some other alcohol and/or drug-related meeting.

In addition, trainees have also participated in at least one other national meeting related to their specific discipline. All trainees have submitted at least one (often more) manuscript resulting from their training experience for each year of training. Of the fellows trained, 75% now have academic positions at universities that allow them to utilize their postdoctoral training experience either through teaching or research.

Facilities
Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs (CDAP)
CDAP is a research and treatment center which opened in March of 1995 as part of the Institute of Psychiatry. This facility provides state-of-the-art clinical research units and basic science laboratories. This allows the integration of clinical care with clinical and basic research in an effort to determine the mechanisms underlying addiction and to develop the best treatment for the addicted patient.

Charleston Alcohol Research Center (ARC)
Initially funded in December 1995 and renewed in 2000 and 2005, the ARC has greatly enhanced CDAP with a grant from NIAAA establishing a National Alcohol Research Center. This is one of only fourteen national alcohol research centers in the country. The ARC provides support for five major basic science and clinical research initiatives designed to develop and improve new treatments for alcohol abuse and dependence. In addition, the ARC supports pilot research initiatives, an Administrative Core, and a Shared Resources Core. These cores provide pharmacy, intake, statistical and computer support to the ARC. >>Back to Top

Clinical Sites
There are presently four clinical training sites available for clinical research and training. These include the CDAP inpatient facility at the Institute of Psychiatry, the nearby Charleston Center (County) Department of Alcohol and other Drug Abuse Services, the Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and the CDAP community-based outpatient facility.

Basic Science Sites
Fully equipped basic science laboratories are located within CDAP, the Strom Thurmond Biomedical Research Building, and the Department of Neurosciences. The latter two are located across the street from CDAP.

Didactics
The Training program offers strong didactic programs which stress both clinical and basis science aspects of substance abuse. It also provides training in the following
Grant writing
Research design
Statistics
Data presentation
Responsible Conduct of Research
Software utilization is also emphasized (e.g. SPSS, SAS, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and End Note). There are ongoing Research Seminars, Journal Clubs and a variety of other conferences and workshops offered to the trainees.  >>Back to Top

Current Trainees
Postdoctoral Fellows (NIAAA Training Grant):

Kimberly A. Badanich, Ph.D. (Behavioral Neuroscience), University of South    Florida. Dr. Badanich is a first year postdoctoral fellow working with Dr. John Woodward and Dr. Howard Becker.  She is currently working on a project investigating the effects of alcohol on the functioning of NMDA receptor subunits via patch clamping in HEK cells.  In addition, Dr. Badanich plans to investigate changes in neuronal excitability and synaptic plasticity in a mouse model of alcohol dependency.

Tamara L. Fitzwater, PhD (Behavioral Neuroscience), Binghamton University.
Dr. Fitzwater is in the first year of her postdoctoral fellowship working with Dr. Howard Becker. Using a model of chronic intermittent ethanol exposure developed in Dr. Becker’s lab, she is investigating the effects of stressor exposure in ethanol dependent mice, including stressor-induced changes in ethanol consumption and brain reward/stress systems. In particular, a focus on the forced swim test as a stressor is providing the opportunity to examine both behavioral adaptation to a stressor, as well as neuroendocrine alterations, in these ethanol-dependent mice.



Justin T. Gass, Ph.D. (Behavioral Neuroscience), University of South Carolina. Dr. Gass is a third year postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Foster Olive. He is currently investigating the glutamatergic mechanisms involved in both the reinforcing effects of alcohol and the reinstatement of alcohol-seeking behavior using a novel electrochemical detection method to measure glutamate. Additionally, Dr. Gass is examining the role of the metabotropic glutamate receptor (type 5) in drug-seeking behavior and the extinction of drug-associated memories.

Derick E. Vergne, M.D., University of Puerto Rico.
Dr. Vergne is in his first year as a postdoctoral fellow working with Dr. Raymond F. Anton. His two areas of interest include better understanding the relationship between allelic variations in genes coding for neuropeptide systems and anxious alcoholics, and searching for better pharmacologic treatment modalities for alcoholics using a pharmacogenetic approach.

Predoctoral Fellows (NIAAA Training Grant):
Kenny Abernathy, M.S.
Matthew Pava

Help make a difference - donate to CDAP. For easy online giving, please click here and choose "Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs" in the designation drop down box.

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Application
To apply, an applicant should send a cover letter including short and long term goals, a current curriculum vitae, three letters of recommendation, and copies of relevant and recent publications to

John J. Woodward, Ph.D.
Director, NIAAA Training Grant
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Medical University of South Carolina
67 President Street
MSC 861
Charleston, SC 29425
phone: 843-792-5225
email: woodward@musc.edu

Jacqueline F. McGinty, Ph.D.
Director, NIDA Training Grant
Department of Neurosciences
Medical University of South Carolina
173 Ashley Avenue
Suite 403
MSC 510
Charleston, SC 29425
phone: 843-792-9036
email: mcginty@musc.edu

Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship Program
The Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship Program is an ACGME accredited one-year clinical fellowship program.  This fellowship includes a variety of clinical experiences, didactic series, and supervision involving management of addicted and dually-diagnosed patients.  A number of research opportunities are available.

For more information or to apply, contact:
Tara M. Wright, M.D.
Director
Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship Program
Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center
109 Bee Street
Charleston, SC 29425
Email: wright@musc.edu

 More information on Postdoctoral Research Fellowships*

* PDF format . Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader®.