The University of Nebraska Board of Regents Friday approved the establishment of a Nebraska Center for Substance Abuse Research at UNMC to promote and facilitate research in understanding consequences and prevention of drug abuse and neurodegenerative diseases.
What others are saying
“Substance abuse disorders are rampant in society and produce devastating consequences and I’m enthusiastic about the center and its promise to help us understand these disorders better.”
– Steve Wengel, M.D., chair, department of psychiatry, UNMC College of Medicine
“Substance abuse, including binge drinking, is a serious public health issue in Nebraska and throughout the United States. It affects young and old and people of all walks of life. This center will stimulate interdisciplinary collaborations to discover effective ways to prevent and treat substance abuse. We are very excited about the establishment of the Nebraska Center for Substance Abuse Research.”
– Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway, Ph.D., associate professor, department of epidemiology, UNMC College of Public Health
“I enthusiastically support this new center on substance abuse as it will further enhance collaborations between UNMC and UNL to address an important societal problem.”
– Prem Paul, D.V.M., Ph.D., vice chancellor for research and economic development at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
“I am enthusiastic that the new center will help the state address binge drinking and drug deaths, two behaviors that count towards becoming the healthiest state in the union by 2020.”
– Ali S. Khan, M.D., M.P.H., dean, UNMC College of Public Health
“Substance abuse leading to addiction is often accompanied with mental illness and continues to be one of the most devastating problems facing communities throughout the world,” said Shilpa Buch, Ph.D., center director. “The mission of the center is to bring the power of science and research to bear on drug abuse and addiction, thereby improving the quality of life of the affected individuals, while reducing the health care costs in the state of Nebraska through innovative collaborative basic and clinical research, premier education programs, and outreach to those suffering from addiction.”
The Nebraska Center for Substance Abuse Research will be part of the UNMC Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience in the College of Medicine. Dr. Buch is a professor in the department.
“As a department we are more than thrilled to support and partner in this effort in the strongest manner possible,” said Howard Gendelman, M.D., chairman of the Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience. “Dr. Shilpa Buch is the right person to bring this important problem to center stage for our state and nation.”
“The mechanisms, the treatment and prevention of substance abuse is an extension of all the outstanding work currently being done by the Buch laboratory. This center is a natural next step in its evolution. The impact to our university and its mission is boundless,” he said.
“The interdisciplinary capabilities and approaches that will come together in the center will make UNMC a leader in combatting the plague of substance abuse that brings pain and suffering to so many,” said Bradley Britigan, M.D., dean of the UNMC College of Medicine.
UNMC leaders say discoveries generated by center investigators will pave the way for future diagnoses, prevention and treatment of substance abuse-related disorders.
“Substance abuse continues to be a problem both in the region, nationally and around the world,” said Jennifer Larsen, M.D., vice chancellor for research. “We hope this center will bring together a broad array of expertise needed to understand and better address the consequences of drug abuse as we work together toward better treatments and prevention.”
Congratulations!
Congratulations & our very best to Dr. Shilpa Buch on this huge undertaking.
Congratulations Prof Buch.
I am confident that the Center will fulfill its mandates under your leadership.
Pankaj Seth, Ph.D.
NeuroAIDS lab
National Brain Research Centre, Manesar, India