140th Meeting Minutes

Minutes – February 8, 2022

The National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse convened its 140th meeting at 11:00 a.m. on February 8, 2022. This meeting was conducted virtually. The closed portion of the meeting held on February 8th was for reviewing applications for Federal grant assistance and was open only to Council members and Federal employees. The open portion, which was open to the public, began at 12:45 p.m. and was also video cast. The Council adjourned on February 8, 2022 at 4:15 p.m.

Council Members Present
Charles Chavkin, Ph.D.
Anna Rose Childress, Ph.D.
Gail D'Onofrio, M.D.
Dennis Deer, Ph.D.
Lakshmi Devi, Ph.D.
Daniel Goonan
Paul Kenny, Ph.D.
Jessica Hulsey Nickel
Andrey Ostrovsky, M.D.
Travis Rieder, Ph.D.
Rajita Sinha, Ph.D.
Melissa Walls, Ph.D.
Shelly Greenfield, M.D., M.P.H.
Sharon Walsh, Ph.D.

Council Chair
Nora Volkow, M.D.

Executive Secretary
Susan Weiss, Ph.D.

Non-Federal Employees Present:
James Hildreth, Ph.D., M.D.– Meharry Medical college

During the Open Session of Council, 253 participants joined live via videocast.

Closed Portion of the Meeting

1. Call to Order

   This portion of the meeting was closed to the public in accordance with sections 552b(c) (4) and 552b(c) (6), Title 5, U.S. Code and section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2).

   Dr. Nora Volkow, Director, NIDA, called the meeting to order and welcomed the Council and staff. She reminded those present that the Federal Advisory Committee Act applies to Council meetings and that this portion of the meeting was closed to the public.

   Dr. Susan Weiss, Executive Secretary, summarized relevant NIH policies, provided detailed instructions on Council review procedures, and reminded those present about NIH confidentiality and conflict of interest policies.

2. Application Reviews

   Drs. Iván Montoya, Rita Valentino, Albert Avila, Carlos Blanco, and Elena Koustova, Directors of NIDA’s Division of Therapeutics and Medical Consequences, Division of Neuroscience and Behavior, Office of Research Training Diversity, and Disparities, Division of Epidemiology, Services and Prevention Research, and Office of Translational Initiatives and Program Innovations, presented their Division’s/Office’s assigned and peer reviewed applications for consideration by the Council. For each application, Council provided unanimous en bloc concurrence with the initial scientific review. Four administrative supplements, 3 MERIT awards, and 15 applications for Special Council Review were presented to Council, and Council concurred with program assessments. The initial review of all Trans-NIH Initiatives, including NIH Common Fund, Blueprint, and BRAIN applications as well as foreign applications and applications with a secondary assignment to NIDA also received Council concurrence. In total, Council concurred with the initial review of 1,866 applications totaling $37,217,488 in direct costs.

   Council and staff were recused from the Council meetings during discussion of, and voting on, individual applications from their own institutions or other applications for which there was a conflict of interest, real or apparent. Conflicts of interest statements were signed by each member of the Council. Members were not required to leave the room if an application in conflict with that member was acted upon en bloc.

Open Portion of the Meeting

1. Call to Order

   Dr. Nora Volkow, Director, NIDA, called the open portion of the meeting to order and welcomed all attendees. She reminded all in attendance that the meeting was open to the public in compliance with the Government in the Sunshine Act, was available and recorded via videocast, and indicated that any public comments can be submitted via email within 10 days of the meeting would be included in the minutes.

   She then called attention to future Council meeting dates: May 10, 2022 (NACDA), and May 11, 2022 (CRAN) and September 13, 2022.

2. Council Rotations
   
   Dr. Volkow welcomed Charles Chavkin, Ph.D. and Anna Rose Childress, Ph.D. as the newest NACDA members.

3. Consideration of the Minutes of Council

   The Minutes of the September 2021 NIDA Advisory Council were unanimously approved as written.

4. Operating Procedures

   Council unanimously approved the updated Operating Procedures which excluded the need for Council approval for administrative supplements promoting re-entry and re-integration in research careers.

5. NIDA Director’s Report (NIH Videocast @ 0:05:10) – Nora Volkow, M.D., Director, NIDA

   Dr. Nora Volkow began by reviewing NIDA’s final budget for FY2021 including HEAL and non-HEAL research and the projected budgets for FY2022. She then provided updates on NIH’s COVID-19 response and the BRAIN initiative. Next, she presented the results from the 2021 Monitoring the Future Survey and discussed trends in drug use in school-aged children and young adults. Dr. Volkow also discussed the status of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive DevelopmentSM Study (ABCD Study®) and the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (hBCD study). She then detailed current overdose statistics, novel therapeutics for opioid use disorder (OUD), and efforts to prevent OUD. She concluded her presentation by highlighting the accomplishments of the NIDA Racial Equity Initiative and NIDA’s communication efforts.

   Council thanked Dr. Volkow for her presentation and a discussion followed (NIH Videocast @ 0:55:10).

6. 2022 Triennial Advisory Council Report on Inclusion of Women and Minorities in Clinical Research Inclusion Guidelines (NIH Videocast @ 1:18:40) – Wilson Compton, M.D., M.P.E., Deputy Director, NIDA

   Dr. Wilson Compton presented the 2022 Triennial Report on Inclusion of Women and Minorities in the Clinical Research. This report is mandated every three years to ensure NIH research is inclusive of women and minorities. Council approved the 2022 Triennial Advisory Report certifying compliance with the NIH policy on inclusion guidelines to the NIH.

   Following the presentation, a discussion with Council and Workgroup members occurred (NIH Videocast @ 1:27:15).

7. Six Degrees of Separation - Closing Health Gaps in U.S. Population (NIH Videocast @ 1:30:30) – James E.K. Hildreth Sr., Ph.D., M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, Professor, Internal Medicine, Meharry Medical College

   Dr. Hildreth provided a historical timeline of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and how it remains an issue today, particularly for people of color. He then compared the HIV/AIDS response to the current COVID-19 pandemic and discussed health disparities within the context of COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS. Dr. Hildreth presented a framework for the social determinants of health and recommendations to close the health gap in the United States.

   Following the presentation, a discussion with Council occurred (NIH Videocast @ 1:57:40).

8. NIDA ODHD: Building and Sustaining Diversity Programs Across the Scientific Career Continuum (NIH Videocast @ 2:12:00) – Albert Avila, Ph.D., Director, Office of Diversity and Health Disparities

   Dr. Avila presented data on trends in race/ethnicity of NIH and NIDA grantees and current efforts to enhance diversity in the addiction research workforce. He highlighted the mission of the Office of Diversity and Health Disparities and current and future initiatives at different career timepoints aimed at increasing the diversity of NIDA grantees.

   Following the presentation, a discussion with Council occurred (NIH Videocast @ 2:42:45).

9. Concept Clearances (NIH Videocast @ 2:53:00)

   NIDA Racial Equity Initiative
   — Addressing Racial Equity in Substance Use and Addiction Outcomes Through Community-Engaged Research – Kathy Etz, Ph.D., Director of Native American Programs, DESPR
   — Avenir Award Program for Research on Racial Equity – Aria Crump, Sc.D., Deputy Branch Chief, Prevention Research Branch, DESPR
   — Neurocognitive Mechanisms Underlying the Impact of Structural Racism on the Substance Use Trajectory – Vani Pariyadath, Ph.D., Branch Chief, Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, DNB
   — Coordinating Center to Support Research on Racial Equity and Health Disparities – Aria Crump, Sc.D., Deputy Branch Chief, Prevention Research Branch, DESPR
   Training and Diversifying the Data Science Workforce for Addiction Research – Susan Wright, Ph.D., Health Scientist Administrator, DNB
   
   Division of Neuroscience and Behavior (DNB)
   — Transformative Research on the Basic Mechanisms of Polysubstance Use in Addiction – Sunila Nair, Ph.D., Health Scientist Administrator
   — Chemical Countermeasures Research Program Initiative: Research On Counteracting The Deleterious Effects of Acute Opioid Exposure – Kiran Vemuri, Ph.D., Health Scientist Administrator
   — NIH BRAIN Initiative: Brain & Behavioral Quantification and Synchronization – Holly Moore, Ph.D., Health Scientist Administrator
   — Large Scale Integrated Functional Mapping and Molecular Profiling of Cell Ensembles Mediating Opioid Action in the Rodent Brain – Olivier Berton, Ph.D., Acting Branch Chief, Integrative Neuroscience Branch
   — Leveraging Cutting-Edge (Lineage and Connectivity) Tracing Approaches to Chart the Effects of Addictive Substances on Brain Developmental Trajectories – Olivier Berton, Ph.D., Acting Branch Chief, Integrative Neuroscience Branch

   Office of Translational Initiatives and Program Innovations (OTIPI)
   — Novel Drug (DDT) and Medical Device Development Tools (MDDT) to Help Expedite Creation and Regulatory Approvals of New Therapies for Substance Use Disorders (SUD) – Stacie Gutowski, Ph.D., Health Scientist Administrator
   — Therapeutic Development of Psychoplastogenic Compounds for Substance Use Disorders – Christopher Conrad, Ph.D., Health Scientist Administrator
   — Enabling SUD Digital Therapeutics Research to Improve Payor Adoption – Stacie Gutowski, Ph.D., Health Scientist Administrator

   Office of Research Training, Diversity, and Disparities (ORTDD)
   — Leading Addiction, Diversity, and Discovery in Education and Research (LADDER) – Albert Avila, Ph.D., Director, Office of Diversity and Health Disparities
   — Research Opportunities for New and At-Risk Investigators to Promote Scientific Workforce Diversity – Albert Avila, Ph.D., Director, Office of Diversity and Health Disparities

10. Public Comments (NIH Videocast @ 3:11:00)
    No public comments were submitted.
11. Adjourn (NIH Videocast @ 3:12:42)
    The 140th meeting of the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse was adjourned at 4:15 p.m.

Certification

I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are accurate and complete.

• Nora D. Volkow, M.D.
  Director, NIDA
  Chair
  National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse
• Susan Weiss, Ph.D.
  Executive Secretary
  National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse

Council Roster

Note: Informational materials provided to the public at the open session of the meeting may be obtained from the Executive Secretary.