conference 2010

Addiction researchers have found associations between numerous addictive behaviors, with individuals often being involved with many addictive substances and behaviors at the same time. Though this relationship is common, it is not well understood. The intermingling relationships of less thoroughly studied addictive behaviors, such as gambling and prescription drug misuse (PDM), are particularly unclear. A recent study led by Cheryl Currie, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Alberta, Canada, was published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry and explores the relationship between prescription drug misuse, demographics and addictive behaviors including gambling (Currie, Schopflocher, & Wild, 2011). Currie won the Outstanding Poster Award at the 2010 NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction, and discussed early findings from this study with us in an audio interview conducted at the conference.       

Sunday's third general session at the 11th annual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction focused on an innovative approach to connecting health care providers and researchers with people in under-served communities.

Linda Cottler, Ph.D., professor of of epidemiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, presented “HealthStreet: An Innovative Strategy for Involving Under-served Populations in Research on Gambling and Other Disorders.” The HealthStreet program, which began in the 1990s as an HIV treatment program housed in a rundown movie theater, has expanded to collect data on dozens of health measures, while connecting people to health resources and research studies in every corner of St. Louis.

The 11^th annual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction moved to the Las Vegas Convention Center yesterday where Global Gaming Expo (G2E), the premier trade show and conference event for the international gaming entertainment industry, is currently taking place. During a session yesterday morning, a panel made up of industry operators and manufactures and a state association representative discussed ways to make the most of responsible gaming awareness weeks. 

Click below for the NCRG Blog Team interview with Sarah Nelson, Ph.D., an associate director for research at the Division on Addictions at Cambridge Health Alliance, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, and an instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Nelson discusses internet gambling and self-exclusion.

Click here for the NCRG Blog Team interview with Cheryl Currie, a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta, Canada, and winner of the NCRG’s 2010 Outstanding Poster award.  Cheryl discusses her research and her experience at the NCRG conference.

The NCRG has named David C. Hodgins, Ph.D., professor of psychology and adjunct professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Calgary, the recipient of the 2010 Scientific Achievement Award in recognition of his significant contributions to the field of disordered gambling research. The award was presented at a luncheon on Nov. 15 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino during the 11^th annual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction.

A Sunday-evening breakout session at the 11^th annual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction focused on the effectiveness of behavioral strategies and pharmacological (drug) treatments for disordered gambling.

The 11^th annual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction held a plenary session today that looked at problem gambling among diverse populations, as problem and pathological gambling prevalence rates vary between racial/ethnic groups. One of the presenters, Renee Cunningham-Williams, Ph.D., M.P.E, LCSW, associate professor at the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, applauded the NCRG and the Institute for holding a session on problem gambling and diverse populations, as it isn’t a topic that is frequently presented at conferences.  

Prior to the start of the 11^th annual Conference on Gambling and Addiction, Linda B. Cottler, Ph.D., M.P.H., professor of epidemiology in the department of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and Catherine Striley, Ph.D., M.P.E., M.S.W., ACSW, LCSW, assistant director of the master in psychiatric epidemiology program at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, held a workshop to provide young investigators with advice for career development.

The 11th annual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction begins this Sunday, November 14 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino and the Las Vegas Convention Center in Nevada. 

Can’t make it to the event?  Keep up with all the breaking news from the conference by visiting Gambling Disorders 360°.  Here you will find daily updates, on-site reporting about the sessions and audio interviews from leading researchers and industry representatives.