Ana Hilde, M.P.H., received a tuition waiver from the NIDA International Program to attend the Summer Institute on Alcohol, Drugs and Addiction in the Netherlands earlier this year.
The Summer Institute, a joint initiative of ZonMw and the University of Amsterdam Graduate School of Social Sciences, is a 2-week, intensive multidisciplinary program offering graduate-level and continuing professional development training in addiction, while promoting opportunities for international networking.
During the program, Ms. Hilde attended lectures, seminars, and discussions on new developments in research, policy, and practice in the field of drug addiction in the Netherlands. She heard presentations on such topics as drug policy, genetics and the neurobiology of addiction, the social context of drug use, health services research, and novel approaches to decreasing impulsivity and craving, including deep-brain stimulation with chronic heroin users. A highlight of the program for Ms. Hilde was a visit to a methadone program where she had the opportunity to talk with patients and staff about the heroin replacement program. The Summer Institute experience has led to several new opportunities for Ms. Hilde—she has been invited to give two talks on the topic of Dutch drug programs and recently submitted an application for a NIDA research grant on adolescent initiation into prescription drug abuse.