SCHUMER ANNOUNCES OVER $300K IN FED FUNDS FOR BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY—HHS GRANT WILL HELP FUEL RESEARCH INTO ALCOHOL’S EFFECT ON THE HUMAN BRAIN AND PREVENTATIVE STRATEGIES FOR ADDICTION
HHS Grant Will Fund Research on Alcohol’s Effects on Adolescents as well as Innovative Addiction Prevention and Treatment Methods
Schumer: Grant Will Help Binghamton Lead The Way On A Pressing Public Health Issue
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced $324,826 in federal funding for public health research at Binghamton University. The grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA). It will fund research into alcohol’s neurological effects on population groups like adolescents as well as preventative treatments for alcohol abuse. This research aims to expand the medical community’s understanding of alcohol’s effects on the brain and the development of addictions to alcohol and other substances.
“Binghamton University is currently a hub for medical research, and this grant will only add to that reputation,” said Senator Schumer. “This federal funding will advance the university’s research into addiction prevention and treatment, and it will train this nation’s next generation of alcohol researchers and counselors. I’m committed to bringing home the resources we need to ensure that our nation’s top scientists continue flocking to the Southern Tier so that we can address public health concerns now and in the future.”
"The research done at Binghamton University is making great strides in understanding the functional and neural effects of alcohol exposure throughout brain development – including the key developmental transitions of adolescence," said Linda Spear, SUNY Distinguished Professor and Director of the Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center (DEARC) at Binghamton University. "The federal support our research has received so far, has significantly advanced our understanding of the effects of alcohol on brain development."
"With continued support like this we expect to learn even more about the negative impacts of alcohol on the human brain and how we can create more and better intervention and preventative strategies," said Harvey Stenger, Binghamton University President. "We thank Senator Schumer and all of our federal representatives as well as officials with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism for their acknowledgement of our work to date as well as their continued support."
This T32 training grant from the NIAAA will provide research and training support for both pre- and post-doctoral trainees in the area of developmental antecedents leading to alcohol and other addictions. The T32 behavioral neuroscience training faculty will also be joined by faculty with backgrounds in clinical psychology and public affairs.
Schumer said that this grant supports the training of a new generation of researchers who will acquire modern and state-of-the-art knowledge and skills that will be applied to understanding the developmental roots of alcoholism and addictions. He said that the award brings scientists-in-training into contact with Binghamton University’s unique portfolio of interdisciplinary faculty research, spanning from neurological studies to developmental research to clinical interventions.
Schumer added that alcohol and drug abuse research is critical given that some alcoholism and other substance use disorders are conditions may begin before the brain is fully developed. The program will have an emphasis on basic research with translational relevance to critical addiction problems faced by local communities.
This funding will extend ongoing research into alcohol and addiction at another NIAAA-funded research center at Binghamton University, the Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center (DEARC).
###
