The CTN Youth SIG is pleased to invite you to an upcoming presentation/webinar: Neural Substrates of Risk-Reduction Interventions for Adolescents Presenter: Uma Rao, MD (University of CA, Irvine; Children's Hospital of Orange County) Adolescence is characterized by increased experimentation, which is helpful in the progression towards autonomy but also increases vulnerability to psychopathology. A temporal disassociation in the maturation of “socio-emotional” (reward) and “cognitive-control” (self-regulation) neural systems creates a period of poor decision-making and heightened vulnerability to risk-taking (reward-seeking) behavior with the onset of puberty. This presentation describes whether neural circuitry changes governing adolescent decision-making can be used to improve intervention programs seeking to deter risky behaviors, especially among African Americans who are disproportionately impacted by their negative consequences. Register here!  Dr. Uma Rao is Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at UC Irvine. Her research is focused on adolescent mood and substance use disorders, including neurobiological and psychosocial predictors of first onset and longitudinal clinical course of these disorders among at-risk youth (especially early-life adversity). In addition, she is involved in translational intervention research, examining biopsychosocial predictors of response to pharmacological and psychosocial interventions for these conditions.

CTN Primary Care SIG The Primary Care SIG aims to engage primary care in research, develop substance use treatment interventions relevant to community-based practice, and promote the transfer of evidence-based results from substance use research into community-based practices. Join the SIG for their next meeting: Loneliness and SUD in primary care Sebastian Tong, MD, MPH Associate Professor Department of Family Medicine University of Washington Zoom link here! Meeting ID: 958 7249 4214 Passcode: 314203

Join the Greater Intermountain Node On the Rocks on Wednesday, July 30, 2025 from 12-1 PM MST for the next installment of their "On the Rocks" monthly Research Discussion Series, “Chronic Pain and Productive Activity in Post-9/11 Veterans: The Role of Separation Status, Military Occupation, and Sex Differences,” presented by Kelsee M. Stromberg, PhD, MPH. Kelsee M. Stromberg, PhD MPH is a postdoctoral researcher in the University of Utah Program to Provide Pain Research Knowledge (UP3RK). She holds a PhD in Clinical and Translational Epidemiology from the University of Utah and an MPH from the University of New England. Her research focuses on the intersection of chronic pain and productive activity among post-9/11 U.S. military veterans, with an emphasis on understanding the role of social and sex differences in long-term functional outcomes. In this talk, Dr. Stromberg will discuss two ongoing projects that examine the implications of chronic pain, military separation context, and military occupational factors on productive activity outcomes among post-9/11 veterans. Her research explores how these service-related experiences influence reintegration into civilian roles. She will also address the co-occurring effects of mental health conditions, traumatic brain injury, posttraumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorder—factors that compound the challenges veterans face in achieving and sustaining engagement in work, education, and volunteering, and caregiving. To find out how to join, please visit the OTR website here. CME/CE credit available for free to all those who attend live!