From the President's Desk

This is the time of year when many Division 28 members have conventions and travel on their minds. Psychopharmacologists always have several meetings to choose from, and of course August is when the annual American Psychological Association conference occurs. These conferences would not be successful without the committed work of the program chairs, the diligent individuals who compile submissions and organize them around compelling themes. So, with summer conference frenzy in mind, I begin this month's Presidential column by highlighting the enthusiastic and innovative efforts of two individuals who are making Division 28's August 2013's APA convention and February 2014's Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction (CPA) programs outstanding.

Upcoming Division 28 Meetings: A Tale of Two Katies

Kathryn Saulsgiver, of the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, began working on the Division 28 program for the August APA meeting over a year ago. With frequent wise advice from 2012 Program Chair Mark Smith, Katie has compiled a stellar program that leads off with presentations by 2013 Division award winners Marci Mitchell (Outstanding Dissertation Award), Carmela Reichel (Young Psychopharmacologist Award), and Richard Foltin (MED Associates Brady-Schuster Award), then features paper sessions and symposia on such timely topics as opiate addiction, treatment of stimulant and other substance abuse, analytic approaches to clinical trial data, and drug abuse vulnerability. Other symposia include presentations from several former presidents of Division 28, including Alan Budney ("Technology-Based Interventions for Substance Use Disorders and Related Conditions") and Warren Bickel and Stephen Higgins ("Behavioral Economics and Maternal-Infant Health Among Substance Abusers"). Add in a Neuroscience and Addiction Poster session—featuring over three dozen presenters from locations spanning six countries—and a New Fellow address from the recently elected 2015 Division President (more on him in a minute), and you've got four days of dazzling science that will make any Division 28 member proud to be part of this organization. I thank all of the presenters for their commitment to our Division, and I thank Katie for her initiative, organization, and energy in putting this great program together. Katie will continue to serve the Division as a newly elected Member-at-Large of the Executive Committee, beginning in January. She will also serve as Poster Chair for the 2014 Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction (CPA) meeting. You can read more about the about the 2013 Convention Program on pages 4-5 of this newsletter.

Although it is seven months away, Division 28's next meeting, the 2014 CPA conference, is already in development. This year's inaugural meeting, held in collaboration with Division 50, was a remarkable success. Meeting highlights include the enthusiastically received keynote addresses by Saul Shiffman and Edith Sullivan and several novel "in the round" poster sessions, as well as multiple symposia with translational emphases. This meeting would not have been a success without the efforts of APA's Chad Rummel, Division 50 President Sara Jo Nixon and President-Elect John Kelly, Division 50 Treasurer Jennifer Buckman, and new Division 28 member Katie Witkiewicz, of the University of New Mexico Department of Psychology. This group, combined with over 80 attendees, created a unique foundation that both divisions hope to build on for future generations of psychopharmacology, substance abuse, and addiction researchers.

A particularly exciting aspect of the 2014 CPA preparations is the continuity of organizational leadership. In conjunction with Division 50 Program Chair Jennifer Buckman, Katie Witkiewitz will serve as Division 28's Program Chair. Katie and Jen are in the early stages of preparation, but have already identified a theme—Changing Addictive Behavior: Bench to Bedside and Back Again—that is sure to encompass a variety of thought-provoking presentations across a wide range of preclinical and clinical approaches. Please save the dates of February 28-March 1, 2014 for CPA's return to the W Hotel Midtown in Atlanta, and check out the call for proposals.

Congratulations to 2015 Division President Bill Stoops

Finally, I am pleased to announce the election of William [Bill] W. Stoops of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine as Division 28's 2015 President. Bill is an exceptionally productive behavioral pharmacologist who has been honored by the Division three times in the past seven years. He was the recipient of the Outstanding Dissertation Award in 2006, the Wyeth Young Psychopharmacologist Award in 2008, and was elected to the ranks of Division Fellows in 2012. Just last month, he received the 2013 Joseph Cochin Young Investigator Award from the College on Problems of Drug Dependence. In addition to his research and accomplishments in the field of psychopharmacology, Bill has shown commitment to our division throughout his career, having served as newsletter editor and then as division secretary. Bill brings a fresh perspective to our division, and we are fortunate to have his leadership in 2015. Congratulations, Bill!