comorbidity

The following is an excerpt from the story “Cottler Leads Scientific Advisory Board into New Era,” which originally was published in the spring 2010 edition of Responsible Gaming Quarterly.

When Dr. Linda B. Cottler was first asked to serve as chair of the Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders’ Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), she made one point exceedingly clear – “I didn’t want to do this job unless there was something I could really contribute,” she said. Cottler, a professor of epidemiology in psychiatry at the Washington University School of Medicine, is one of the country’s foremost epidemiological scientists and is widely respected throughout the addictions research community for her contributions to the field.

Less than a year since the Institute’s inception, Cottler and her fellow SAB members already have made a significant impact on the field of research on gambling disorders. In February, guided by the SAB, the Institute announced the restructuring of its Project Grants program, which will include doubling the number of grants available through that program (see cover story).

As the body of research on gambling disorders continues to grow, scientific evidence is beginning to show that some vulnerable and special needs populations appear to be at a higher risk for developing gambling disorders than the general population. The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) and the Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders have made research on these groups a priority, supporting investigations of gambling problems among young people, women, homeless individuals and African-American adolescents.