The National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse introduced five new members at its May 2008 meeting at NIDA headquarters in Rockville, Maryland:
New Members Welcomed by NIDA: (left to right) NIDA Deputy Director Dr. Tim Condon, new National Advisory Council members Drs. Hazel Szeto, Steven Childers, and Xavier Castellanos, NIDA Director Dr. Nora D. Volkow, additional new Council members Drs. Anita Everett and Thomas Crowley, and NIDA Office of Extramural Affairs Director Dr. Teresa Levitin.F. Xavier Castellanos, M.D., is director of research at the New York University (NYU) Child Study Center and director of the Phyllis Green and Randolph Cowen Institute for Pediatric Neuroscience. He is also a professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine. Dr. Castellanos' research focuses on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and related conditions.
Steven R. Childers, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at Wake Forest University. His research characterizes how drugs affect neuronal receptors and signaling within cells. Dr. Childers and colleagues study opioids, cannabinoids, and cocaine.
Thomas J. Crowley, M.D., is a member of the Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver, where he is a professor and director of the Division of Substance Dependence. His research addresses co-occurring substance dependence and conduct disorder in adolescents and includes genetic and functional imaging techniques.
Anita S. Everett, M.D., is section chief of community and general psychiatry at The Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and a faculty member at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Everett's current research concentrates on the health behavior of individuals with long-term mental illnesses. She is engaged in several international projects, including consultation with the ministries of health in Iraq and Afghanistan on the implementation of mental health services in these countries.
Hazel H. Szeto, M.D., Ph.D., is a professor of pharmacology at Weill Cornell Medical College. Dr. Szeto's team designs and develops peptides that interact with specific opioid, vasopressin, and oxytocin receptors. The research goal is to develop well-tolerated medications for pain, blood pressure, neurodegenerative diseases, and other conditions.
The Council advises NIDA in its efforts to identify, review, and fund scientific research that supports the Institute's mission. The Council is made up of 12 experts in scientific fields, 6 members of the public knowledgeable about research on drug abuse, and ex officio members from other Government entities.