Dr. Graham Discusses Opioid Dependence vs Addiction at the NPSC Congressional Briefing

On November 19, 2019 the NPSC and the Congressional Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus (ATR) convened a congressional briefing with internationally recognized experts to discuss the dual challenges of addiction and dependence in developing policy responses to the opioid epidemic. Although many people conflate addiction and dependence, they are not the same, and the distinction has important implications for the millions of people who rely on opioid medications for pain management. Dr. Phillip Graham, from RTI International, served as the prevention scientist on the briefing panel. He directs the Center on Social Determinants, Risk Behaviors, and Prevention Science at RTI International. Dr. Graham has more than 25 years of experience conducting community-based research and evaluation. His research focuses on evaluating preventive interventions developed to reduce and prevent adolescent interpersonal violence and substance use. He has directed several national cross-site evaluations assessing community efforts to reduce underage drinking, prescription drug misuse and abuse, marijuana use, and opioid deaths. Dr. Graham has also investigated the effects of witnessing community violence on perpetration, the development of ethnic identity among African American male adolescents as a protective factor, and the impact of comprehensive school-based interventions and services to promote healthy child development. He currently serves as the Principal Investigator for NIDA’s HEAL Prevention Initiative Coordinating Center which collaborates with ten (10) research sites awarded to develop interventions to reduce opioid misuse among older adolescents and young adults age 16-30.