Next month, the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) will embark on its fifth annual Road Tour. Each year, the NCRG Road Tour travels to a new city to share information about the latest research on gambling disorders and make key stakeholders aware of the science-based programs and resources the NCRG has to offer. This year, the NCRG Road Tour will be visiting Boston, Mass., from July 26 – 27, and is excited to be partnering with the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling for several of the events.
The Road Tour will kick off on Tuesday, July 26, with a workshop for treatment providers entitled, “Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Problem Gambling,” led by Lisa Najavits, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine. Dr. Najavits will present information on her program "Seeking Safety," an evidence-based treatment for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders, and her research on problem gambling in PTSD populations. This treatment provider workshop is a great opportunity for clinicians to earn continuing education hours and listen to a top-notch researcher’s results to help inform their own practice. The free workshop is co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling.
Also on Tuesday, the NCRG and the Massachusetts Council will host a meeting with the Council’s College Outreach Program. Alan Feldman, member of the NCRG board of directors and senior vice president of public affairs for MGM Resorts International; Christine Reilly, senior research director for the NCRG; and Jim Wuelfing, CPP-R, NRPP, prevention director for the Council, will discuss the latest research on gambling among college students. We are very excited to learn more about the Council’s efforts to reach the college population and explain more about our new resource www.CollegeGambling.org.
On Wednesday, July 27, the NCRG is bringing researchers, legislators, government officials, industry members, responsible gaming partners and problem gambling coalitions together at a breakfast to learn more about the NCRG’s role in funding groundbreaking research and advancing public education about gambling disorders and responsible gaming. Alan Feldman and Christine Reilly will be leading this discussion.
The final event of the NCRG Road Tour will be a luncheon workshop during which research investigators in the Boston, Mass. area can learn more about the NCRG’s research funding opportunities. Christine Reilly will be joined by Dr. Najavits, and they will discuss the NCRG’s grant-review process, the key ingredients of a proposal competitive for funding by the NCRG and examples of previous NCRG-funded research.
While all of the NCRG Road Tour events are by invitation only, you can stay informed by visiting Gambling Disorders 360° or by following the NCRG on Facebook and Twitter. For additional information about the Road Tour, please contact Amy Martin, communications and outreach manager for the NCRG, at amartin@ncrg.org or 202.552.2689.
As always, we welcome your thoughts and questions, including suggestions for where the NCRG should visit in 2012, in the comments section below.
