Updates From Former Humphrey Fellows: ASEAN Meeting and U.S. Recognition

Former NIDA Hubert H. Humphrey Drug Abuse Research Fellows have reported on their recent activities:

  • Valeriy Ryabukha presenting his research at a recent NIDA International Forum.
    Valeriy Ryabukha presenting his research at a recent NIDA International Forum.
    Mohd Muzafar Shah Bin Mohd Razali, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychology and Counseling at Sultan Idris Education University, Malaysia, participated in the 1st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Convention on Drug Abuse Prevention Education, held December 5–7, 2018, in the Philippines. Dr. Razali and two student leaders from his university were among campus leaders from colleges and universities in the ASEAN region who discussed ways to reduce the demand for drugs among students and promote drug abuse prevention and human rights in the region.
  • The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Office of Alumni Affairs named 2009 NIDA Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow Valeriy Ryabukha, Ukraine, as the November 2018 Alumni Exchange Member of the Month. The citation called Mr. Ryabukha "a dedicated leader and developer of future leaders" who is "creating a brighter future for thousands of at-risk young people." During his Humphrey Fellowship, Mr. Ryabukha designed a nonprofit, Prevention Center Choice, to provide evidence-based prevention programming in the schools of Chernihiv, Ukraine. The center has successfully implemented several projects that educate youth about preventing drug use, HIV/AIDS, and crime, and is expanding throughout Ukraine. In 2018, the U.S. Embassy in Kiev supported a Prevention Center Choice program to help youth ages 13–14 develop decision-making, self-esteem, and healthy relationship skills to create small community development projects