Addiction Interest GroupUNT Health Newsroom: UNT Health creates Addiction Interest Group

UNT Health Aig Meeting Aug 2023 Web Banner

In August 2023, faculty, students, and research assistants came together to initiate the Addiction Interest Group at UNT Health Fort Worth to create a forum to exchange ideas surrounding the addiction research and education, and to support the training of the next generations of scientists at the forefront of addiction research and education in North Texas and nationally.

Our mission

AIG at UNT Health Fort Worth seeks to promote research, and education, in the areas of addiction. The AIG is composed of faculty from several departments of UNT Health and cover diverse areas of research in addiction from public health to basic neuroscience of substance use disorders.

Research

AIG researchers study:

  1. Current trends of substance use
  2. Behavioral interventions to reduce harm in people with substance user disorders
  3. Social and environmental factors of substance use
  4. Neurobiology of substance use disorders in animal models
  5. Develop novel small molecules interventions to improve pharmacotherapies aimed at reducing misuse and abuse of addictive drugs

Organizers

  • Luis Colon-Perez, PhD, Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience
  • Dana Litt, PhD, Department of Population and Community Health

Faculty

  • Michael Forster, PhD, Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience
  • Michael Gatch, PhD, Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience
  • Melissa Lewis, PhD, Department of Population and Community Health
  • Eun-young Mun, PhD, Department of Population and Community Health
  • Matthew Rossheim, PhD, Department of Health Administration and Health Policy
  • David Siderovski, PhD, Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience
  • Ritu Shetty, PhD, Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience
  • Nathalie Sumien, PhD, Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience
  • Scott Walters, PhD, Department of Population and Community Health
  • R. Andrew Yockey, PhD, Department of Population and Community Health

Trainees

  • Kaylee Brunetti
  • Allison Cross
  • Haleigh Hicks
  • Dallin Judd
  • Nana Kofi Kusi-Boadum
  • Kayla Tillett
  • Katherine Vrotsos

Dr. Colon-Perez lab research overview

Wednesday, Oct. 25
MET 320K

Important seminars

  1. Opioid and Fentanyl Awareness Seminar – Virtual
    Thomas R. Kosten M.D., Baylor College of Medicine. “Anti-addiction vaccines against Fentanyl and Cocaine”  Tuesday, October 17, 2023; 11:00 am – Noon Link: https://unthsc.zoom.us/j/81380300212
  2. P&N Seminar Series: Antonieta Lavin, PhD., Medical University of South Carolina
    “Chronic methamphetamine administration produces cognitive deficits through augmentation of GABAergic synaptic transmission in the prefrontal cortex”
    Tuesday, October 24, 2023; 11:00 am – Noon. Location: EAD-524
  3. AIG seminar
    Luis Colon-Perez, PhD UNT Health
    October 25, 2023, 3 – 4 p.m.
    Location: MET-320K
  4. AIG seminar
    Dana Litt, PhD UNT Health
    November 29, 2023, 3 – 4 p.m.
    Location: MET-320K