The Department of Epidemiology at the University of Florida (UF) announces a NIDA Substance Abuse Training Center in Public Health. The T32 training program, directed by Linda B. Cottler, will support five pre-docs and three post-docs each year.
The justification for the T32 is:
- Increased health disparities related to the harmful consequences of drug use
- A significant shortage of scientists in the drug abuse field
- Our strong academic and research environment at UF, which is ripe for producing public health oriented scientists and clinicians
- The underrepresentation of NIDA and other NIH T32 training programs in the southeast region of the US
- A strong and enthusiastic group of mentors who have an excellent track record to train nationally and internationally prominent substance abuse researchers
- The commitment of the state and UF’s President to be a top public university, which brings additional resources for research
The core innovative aspect of this new public health oriented T32 is the focus on the epidemiology and prevention of substance use and its consequences and co-morbidities, with a focus on social determinants of health and health inequalities, and the development of behavioral interventions to reduce substance use and its harmful consequences. The training program is crafted with a clear application to practice and public health both domestically and internationally.
The program will:
- Train talented individuals to independently work from the individual level (behavioral interventions) to the population level (exposure and consequences of addiction) to eliminate health inequalities related to substance use and its consequences
- Provide trainees with an apprenticeship style education to master skills to critically evaluate data, conduct multiple aspects of addiction research and become successful, and independent investigators who contribute to the field
- Train individuals to understand, apply and maintain the highest ethical standards in their science and scholarship as socially responsible investigators
The program is co-directed by Sara Jo Nixon, Professor and Co-Vice Chair of Psychiatry.
Program Directors
Linda B Cottler PhD, MPH, FACE
Sara J Nixon Ph.D.
Program Mentors
Program Administrative Assistant:
Tamara Millay, Administrative Specialist II, (352) 294-5963, tmillay@ufl.edu
Meet Our Trainees
| Trainee | Status | Mentor(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Maeve Boylan | Postdoctoral | Scott |
 |
Christian Conger | Predoctoral | Cottler, Chichetto |
 |
Liva LaMontagne | Postdoctoral | Lopez-Quintero |
 |
Andrew McCabe | Predoctoral | Cottler |
 |
Kayla McNeely | Predoctoral | Cottler, Chichetto |
 |
Andrew Rizzo | Postdoctoral | Cottler |
 |
Vijaya Seegulam | Predoctoral | Cottler |
 |
Nae Won | Predoctoral | Cottler |
Application Instructions
Send all of the following documents to Tamara Millay. Documents should be addressed to Dr. Linda B. Cottler, Director, and Dr. Sara Jo Nixon, Co-Director.
- Writing sample
- Two letters of recommendation from mentors or professors
- Your letters of recommendation may be sent from your Ph.D. application to your T32 application, if desired.
- A one-page statement of specific aims and research training goals
- Curriculum vitae (CV)
- Application criteria include the following:
- US citizen or permanent resident
- Concurrently applying to a Ph.D. program at the University of Florida
- Primary research interest in substance abuse
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.