BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Fall Seminar Series at the University atBuffalo Research Institute on Addictions will feature nationalexperts on heavy drinking in young adults, dating violence,financing addiction treatment and tobacco use.

The four-part seminar series is free and open to the public. Allseminars take place on Fridays at 10 a.m. on the first floor of RIAat 1021 Main St. on UBs Downtown Campus.

The Fall Seminar Series kicks off Sept. 8 with a talk by PeterW. Kalivas, PhD, on Using Tetra Partite Synaptic Plasticityto Treat Addiction. Kalivas is professor and chair of theDepartment of Neurosciences at the Medical University of SouthCarolina. His research explores the brain molecules and circuitsthat underlie addiction, with his research lab conducting studieson the neuroplasticity underlying the development of addiction todrugs of abuse, as well as the learning and memory deficitsassociated with poor rearing environments.

On Sept. 22, Meghan McDevitt-Murphy, PhD, will discussBeyond Self-Medication: Exploring Comorbidity between PTSDand Substance Misuse. McDevitt-Murphy is an associateprofessor of psychology at the University of Memphis. Her researchfocuses on the co-occurrence of PTSD and substance misuse. She hasconducted studies to develop interventions for hazardous drinkingamong veterans and has explored PTSD and substance misuse in bothveteran and non-veteran samples. She is a Fellow in the Associationfor Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.

The series continues on Oct. 6 with a talk by Richard Saitz, MD,MPH, on Integrating Unhealthy Alcohol and Other Drug Use andGeneral Health Care: When Best Laid Plans Go Awry. Saitz ischair and professor of community health sciences at the BostonUniversity School of Public Health and professor of medicine at BUSchool of Medicine. His primary areas of expertise include chroniccare management and integrated care for unhealthy substance use andother mental health conditions, and integrating substance-relatedand general health care. He is a Fellow in the American College ofPhysicians and a Distinguished Fellow in the American Society ofAddiction Medicine.

The Fall Seminar Series concludes on Nov. 3 with a discussion byKaren Farchaus Stein, PhD, RN, on Who Am I: Current andFuture-Oriented Identities as Determinants of Adolescent and YoungAdult Alcohol Use. Farchaus Stein is the Brody EndowedProfessor at the University of Rochester School of Nursing.Steins research addresses health risk behaviors inadolescent and young adult females and focuses on individualdifferences in identity development as a determinant of thesebehaviors. She is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing.

For more information about RIAs Fall Seminar Series,contact Kathleen Parks, PhD, at 716-887-3301 or visit http://www.buffalo.edu/ria/news_events/seminars.html.

RIA is a research center of the University at Buffalo and anational leader in the study of alcohol and substance abuse issues.RIAs research programs, most of which have multiple-yearfunding, are supported by federal, state and private foundationgrants. Located on UBs Downtown Campus, RIA is a member ofthe Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and a key contributor toUBs reputation for research excellence. To learn more, visitbuffalo.edu/ria.

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RIA fall seminars explore neuroscience of addiction, PTSD, addiction treatment and adolescent alcohol use - UB News Center