Produced by the Office of Communications // February 9, 2012

New MOTIVATE clinic uses comprehensive approach to treat addictions

The new MOTIVATE clinic is located in the Behavioral and Biomedical Sciences Building.

An outpatient clinic founded on evidence-based treatments has opened at the Medical School’s Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addictions (CRNA).

The clinic’s program, Multidisciplinary Outpatient Intensive Addiction Treatment (MOTIVATE), will treat those with addictive disorders, including smoking, alcoholism, the use of illegal substances, and the abuse of prescription medications.

“Our treatment for addictions combines pharmacological interventions with behavioral therapy. Studies have shown that when you do the two together, the results are superior,” said the center’s co-director, Dr. Joy Schmitz, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences.

Schmitz said treatments will draw on the research carried out at Centers of Excellence such as the CNRA, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

“This allows us to transfer our technology and research to the next step, such as the use of medication for cocaine addiction,” said Dr. Gerald Moeller, the Louis A. Faillace Professor of Psychiatry and director of the clinic. “For example, we have published results showing that a medication prescribed for depression reduces cocaine use in some people with cocaine addiction, even if they don’t have depression.”

The clinic’s team approach includes licensed professional counselors and physicians. Moeller, Schmitz, and Dr. Joel Steinberg, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, will be among the staff treating patients. The clinic is part of UT Physicians, the medical practice of the Medical School.

“The treatment plan at MOTIVATE is individually tailored, based on results of an initial and comprehensive medical, psychiatric, and behavioral evaluation,” Schmitz said. “We know that addiction is not just about taking a drug. It affects so many areas of functioning.”

After the medical and psychiatric screening, patients will be seen at the clinic twice a week over a 12-week period. Post-treatment recommendations will follow, including options for extending the MOTIVATE program. For more information, call 713.486.2790 or visit the website.

— Deborah Mann Lake, Office of Advancement, Media Relations

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Medical Student Summer Research Program job fair set for Feb. 17

The 2012 Summer Research Program’s Job Fair for first-year medical students will be held noon–1 p.m., Friday, Feb. 17 in the Fifth Floor Gallery.

This year, the Summer Research Program will run for 10 weeks, May 29–Aug. 3. The purpose of the Job Fair is to provide faculty (or department representatives) and interested first-year medical students a forum in which to meet and identify prospective summer research projects. Participants will have the opportunity to provide medical students with information regarding their research program.

Working with the MS-1 student, the responsibilities of a faculty mentor include organizing a 10-week research project, assisting with writing the application proposal, guiding the research, and helping write an abstract of the research performed (for electronic publication), and preparing a poster for the October Medical Student Research Forum/Webber Prize Competition.

A committee will meet in early April to review the application and abstract proposals.

Students participating in the Summer Research Program may receive $5,200 for the 10-week program through the National Institutes of Health (NIDDK and NINDS) “Short-term Research Training” grants that also provide the faculty mentor with $550 to cover supplies. The allocation of this support will be through a competitive review process conducted locally.

For those students who do not receive NIH support, the faculty mentors/departments may consider providing a negotiable stipend of up to, but no more than, $5,200.

Applying for the NIH support does not automatically require the faculty mentor to financially support a student who does not receive the stipend.

Deadline for students to apply for the NIH grant support is Friday, March 30. The Selection Committee will meet early April.

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Houston Emergency Medicine Conference to be held here Feb. 15

The Medical School is co-hosting the inaugural All-Houston Emergency Medicine Conference Feb. 15, which will be held at the Medical School.

Set for 7 a.m.–noon in MSB 3.001, the conference is also hosted by Baylor College of Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Texas Children’s Hospital.

The goal of this conference is to explore practice variation and open lines of communication to promote attending, fellow, and resident education.

The continuing medical education conference will include panel discussions on health care reform and emergency medicine, medical error/disclosure, pediatric fever, and neutropenic fever. One of the panel discussions is titled “Questions for the Chairs,” which is an opportunity for participants to anonymously and collectively ask the chairs of all of the co-hosting institutions any questions. Anonymous questions may be emailed to Harold Sloas.

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Three-day CCTS course focuses on clinical research education

The Center for Clinical and Translational Science presents a three-day course on basic clinical research education open to UT and Memorial Hermann participants.

With the topic of “Facilitating Excellence in Clinical Trial Management,” the course takes place April 25–27 at the The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases and the Memorial Hermann Conference Center.

Schedule

• April 25, 8 a.m.–4 p.m., IMM Building, 1825 Pressler St.
  Financial management presentations on basic financial principles, research contracting, budget development, and billing process
• April 26, 8 a.m.–4 p.m., MHH Conference Center, 6411 Fannin
  Discussions about human subjects’ protections, GCP principles, and institutional compliance and consent process
• April 27, 8 a.m.–4 p.m., MHH Conference Center, 6411 Fannin
  Presentations on study initiation, study conduct, documentation, investigational devices and drugs, and reporting requirements

Read the registration and fee schedule.

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Year of the dragon