IDEAS in Psychiatry, an innovative public education initiative from the UNM Department of Psychiatry, hosts Dr. Wilson Compton, deputy director, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) on Monday, April 28 at 6 p.m. in the UNM HSC Domenici Auditorium. Compton will present a free and timely public lecture about the latest research on marijuana and its neurological impacts.
Compton is a nationally known expert on the causes and prevention of drug abuse. Prior to being named deputy director of NIDA, he oversaw the Institute's Division of Epidemiology, Services and Prevention Research. In that role, Compton directed an international research program that addressed the scope and spread of drug abuse, how to prevent drug abuse, and how to effectively implement prevention and treatment services.
Compton gained extensive experience in the clinical practice of addiction psychiatry as medical director of the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Chemical Dependency Services program in St. Louis before his recruitment to NIDA. In October 2013, Dr. Compton received the prestigious Health and Human Services Secretary's Award for Meritorious Service.
Based in the National Institutes of Health, NIDA supports most of the world’s research on the health aspects of drug abuse and addiction. Registration is recommended. For more information, visit IDEASinPsychiatry or call (505) 272-3592.