NIDA IRP

National Institute on Drug Abuse - Intramural Research Program

  National Institute on Drug Abuse | NIH IRP | Treatment Information

Translational Addiction Research Rotation (TARR)

A Clinical Elective Program (CEP) in translational addiction medicine research for 3rd and 4th year medical students.

Four week sessions offered monthly except June and December.  This rotation is offered in Baltimore, MD.

Prerequisite

Completion of third-year medical school clerkships

Rotation Coordinator

Christi A. Blake, MHS, PA-C, MLS (ASCP)CM

Medical Director

Stephanie Weiss, M.D., Ph.D.

Rotation Description

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Intramural Research Program (IRP) offers qualified students a four week translational clinical research elective in addiction medicine/psychiatry at its Bayview campus in Baltimore, MD.  This elective includes clinical research exposure opportunities such as involvement in screening histories and physicals, translational experimental medicine procedures and studies, magnetic resonance imaging and brain neuromodulation activities, behavioral evaluations and psychosocial testing, clinical monitoring and biological specimen testing, and other translational and clinical research activities.  Medical students will engage in addiction translational and clinical research protocols by working with participants in study sessions involving biological sampling, pharmacological and/or behavioral experiments, and psychosocial tasks.  Opportunities also exist for selected and highly motivated students to engage in a small research project involving a secondary data analysis of existing addiction research data mentored by clinicians and researchers at the NIDA IRP.

This rotation will introduce medical students to the principles of human research and provide them with the opportunity to interact with our diverse multidisciplinary team.  The student is expected to be an integral part of the NIDA IRP, including participation in multidisciplinary clinical rounds (“Multi-D rounds”), addiction grand rounds, and other educational, teaching, clinical, and research activities.  Students will also have access to the outstanding electronic library resources available at NIH, allowing them to review existing literature related to scientific and medical issues pertinent to their elective.  All students will be expected to give a presentation on a relevant clinical topic during their elective rotation.  At the end of the elective, students will evaluate the elective and receive constructive feedback on their performance.

Rotation Objectives

  1. Gain experience in providing clinical support within a translational addiction human trials research setting
  2. Practice using an effective, non-judgmental approach to risk assessment and risk reduction counseling in the addiction population
  3. Effectively communicate medical information to patients and the medical and research teams
  4. Develop a basic understanding of the neuroscience of addiction and the biopsychosocial approach to its treatment

Selection of Applicants

This elective rotation can accommodate one student per month (up to 10 students per year).

Attending Staff

More Information About The Clinical Electives Program

https://www.cc.nih.gov/training/students/electives/programs/addictionmed.html
Clinical Electives Program: Addiction Medicine page on NIH Clinical Center website

https://www.cc.nih.gov/training/students/clinical_electives.html
NIH Clinical Electives Program information

https://www.cc.nih.gov/training/students/electives/faqs.html
NIH Clinical Electives FAQ

https://ocrtmeapps.cc.nih.gov/CEP/#!/personal
NIH Clinical Electives Program application

Helpful websites

https://www.drugabuse.gov/
Educational materials available in the NIDAMed link

https://pcssnow.org/
This is the Physicians’ Clinical Support System – lots of webinars and modules related to substance use disorders and medication-assisted treatment

https://www.nih.gov/research-training/medical-research-initiatives/heal-initiative
this is the NIH HEAL Initiative – links to information about opioids and NIH research initiatives

https://www.scopeofpain.org/
This is from Boston University, a hub of clinical research and scholarship related to substance use disorders.

Selected Investigator Publications
Select articles written by our staff and related NIDA publications.

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