National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives
A professional organization dedicated to translating scientific knowledge from the field of prevention science into effective and sustainable practices, systems and policies.
Virtual Congressional Briefing Series
Protecting Federal Leadership in Addiction Science and Public Health
PART III REGISTRATION:
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
2:00 - 3:30pm ET
The Addiction Science Defense Network (ASDN) is pleased to announce an upcoming series of six congressional briefings on the critical importance of sustained federal support for addiction research, prevention, treatment, and recovery services. This briefing series will consist of six sessions, approximately 3-4 weeks apart.
Addiction remains a profound public health challenge, touching every community and family across the US. While the costs—social, economic, and personal—are immense, so too are the opportunities before us. Groundbreaking research continues to reveal the complex biological, psychological, and social factors driving substance use disorders. This body of research has led to:
-
development of more effective treatments and prevention programs,
-
increasingly accurate identification of the predictors of substance use and dependence,
-
a better understanding of how different people are likely to respond to interventions so they can be more appropriately treated, and
-
knowledge about the risk factors for relapse so we can intervene and provide support.
In essence, through continued federal leadership and investment, our nation has been making significant strides toward preventing youth substance use and improving the lives of individuals with addiction and their families.
ASDN—comprised of scientists, practitioners, educators, clinicians, community advocates, and people with lived experience—advocates to preserve funding for federal agencies that serve as the backbone of our nation’s efforts to address our substance use disorder crises through research and the development of evidence-based programs and policies. We are also urging that the federal government scale up supports for States and Communities to be able to reliably deliver needed programs and services.
Part I – Federal Response to Addiction in the U.S.
This session occurred on January 13, 2026. Speakers covered the impact of addiction on public health, the indispensable roles of the CDC and SAMHSA in combating substance use disorders by supporting treatment and prevention services, and the economic and human consequences of underfunding for states and constituents.
Part II – Scientific Foundations for Our Response to Addiction
This session occurred on February 5, 2026. Speakers highlighted ongoing and future scientific advancements in addiction research, showcased NIH’s role in developing new treatments and preventive interventions, and emphasized the importance of ongoing federal leadership and investment in addiction science and services.
Part III – Connecting Addiction Science to Public Health Policy
Wednesday, February 25th from 2:00-3:30pm ET | REGISTER for Part III
This session will focus on bridging scientific research with impactful public health policy, aiming to create a more effective and efficient system of services. The discussion will address the critical question: Do investments in research and evidence-based programs make a difference in public health outcomes?
Part IV – The Promise of Prevention
Wednesday, April 15th from 2:00-3:30pm ET
This session will showcase how prevention research has led to a better understanding of the causal mechanisms of substance misuse and addiction, leading to the development of programs, policies, and practices to prevent pathways to substance use in our youth.
Part V – The Criticality of Community Engaged Research (TBD)
This session will focus on the essential role that community involvement plays in advancing research related to substance use prevention, intervention, and recovery. Drawing on diverse expertise, the session will highlight how engaging communities not only enhances the relevance and effectiveness of research but also ensures that policies and interventions are culturally responsive and sustainable.
Part VI – The Aftermath: A Whole of Society Approach to Substance Use (TBD)
This session will feature a foremost authority from Alberta Canada who is transforming systems and mindsets through an understanding of how lifelong health is determined by more than just our genes: early life experiences change our brains in ways that make us more or less vulnerable to health problems in adulthood. A science-based roadmap will be presented for improving our physical and mental health, reducing vulnerability to addiction, and addressing related health problems across the lifespan.
Agenda & Speakers
Part III – Connecting Addiction Science to Public Health Policy
Opening Remarks
Rob Vincent is a U.S. Navy Desert Storm veteran and senior public‑sector executive with 38 years of leadership across education, behavioral health, and federal policy. As the Associate Administrator for Alcohol Prevention and Treatment Policy at SAMHSA, he provided national leadership on alcohol policy, interagency coordination, and evidence‑based prevention and treatment strategies. His portfolio included advising governors’ offices, state agencies, and federal partners; managing more than $200 million in public contracts; and leading initiatives that strengthened state and local capacity in prevention, early intervention, and treatment.
Moderator
Dr. Diana Fishbein, Nova Scholar, is the President Director of the National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives (NPSC), a senior scientist in the FPG Child Development Institute at UNC-Chapel Hill, and part-time research faculty at Penn State. Her 40 year career has focused on addiction-related research, funded largely by NIH, other federal agencies and foundations, as well as on translating science into public health policy.
Co-Moderator, NPSC Intern
Paige Marsland is a postdoctoral researcher at Binghamton University in the Varodayan Lab, where her work focuses on understanding how adolescent alcohol exposure shapes neural circuit function across the lifespan. Paige completed her undergraduate degree with honors at the University at Buffalo, followed by her masters and PhD at Binghamton University. Alongside her bench research, Paige is the founder of Bite Size Neuro, a volunteer science communication initiative dedicated to increasing science literacy in schools and community organizations. Through Bite Size Neuro, she translates complex neuroscience concepts into accessible content for general audiences, with a particular focus on engaging students in scientific thinking and inspiring interest in research and science.
Brian King, PhD, MPH, Executive VP for U.S. Programs, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
"Translating Science to Action: Lessons from Tobacco Control"
Overview: Decades of rigorous research have shown that comprehensive, evidence-based tobacco control strategies reduce tobacco use, prevent disease, and save lives when implemented at scale. Federal infrastructure is essential to translate this evidence into nationwide impact by providing coordination, technical, and financial support that ensures these proven interventions are implemented broadly across all states.
Brian King, PhD, MPH, was the Director of the Center for Tobacco Products at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Prior to joining FDA, he served as the Deputy Director for Research Translation in the Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. King joined the CDC in 2010 as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, before which he worked as a Research Affiliate in the Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York. Dr. King has worked for over 20 years to provide sound scientific evidence to inform tobacco control policy and to effectively communicate this information to key stakeholders, including decision makers, the media, and the general public. He has authored or co-authored
over 225 peer-reviewed scientific articles pertaining to tobacco prevention and control, was the lead author of CDC’s 2014 update to the evidence-based state guide, “Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs,” and was the Senior Associate Editor of numerous U.S. Surgeon General's Reports on tobacco. Dr. King holds a PhD and MPH in Epidemiology from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Tim Naimi, MD, MPH (Board Certified in internal medicine, pediatrics, and preventive medicine), Director of University of Victoria’s Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research & Professor in Division of Medical Sciences, formerly with Boston Medical Center & Professor at Boston University Schools of Medicine and Public Health
"Return on Investment: How Epidemiology and Policy Studies Reduce Harms from Substance Use"
Overview: Health effects of alcohol and alcohol policy, marketing controls, availability restrictions, and taxation and pricing policies.
Timothy Naimi MD, MPH is currently the Director at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research and Professor in the School of Public Health and Social Policy at the University of Victoria in Victoria, BC, Canada. He received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard College, his M.D. degree from the University of Massachusetts, and his M.P.H degree from the Harvard School of Public Health. He completed a combined
internal medicine-pediatrics residency program at Massachusetts General Hospital, the Epidemic Intelligence Service program with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and a Preventive Medicine Residency with CDC. He has worked as a physician for the U.S. Indian Health Service, and as a senior epidemiologist with the Alcohol Team at CDC, and a professor in the Boston University Schools of Public Health and Medicine. His research interests include alcohol epidemiology, the health effects of
substance use, and the impact of alcohol and cannabis policies.
Traci Toomey, PhD, Director of the School of Public Health Cannabis Research Center and the Alcohol Epidemiology Program at the University of Minnesota
"Importance of research to inform cannabis policy and implementation"
Overview: Cannabis policies and implementation, retail environments,
legislative and community outreach
Dr. Toomey is a behavioral epidemiologist who is an expert in public health policy, with a particular expertise in substance use control policies. She has served as the principal investigator or co-investigator of nearly 40 externally-funded research studies focusing on substance use (alcohol, cannabis, tobacco). Dr. Toomey is the director of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health Cannabis Research Center. Dr. Toomey is also the director of the Alcohol Epidemiology Program (AEP) at the University of Minnesota. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Dr. Toomey’s research expertise has been instrumental in many community outreach efforts. She has served: (1) on Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Board of Directors, (2) as a consultant for the Congress for the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking (STOP) Act, (3) on the Advisory Board for the U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance (Co-chair), (4) on the Coordination Team of the CDC Guide to Community Preventive Services Alcohol Initiative, and (5) on the Center for Advancing Alcohol Science to Practice core team.
Jonathan Caulkins, PhD, H. Guyford Stever University Professor of Operations Research and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College and a member of the National Academy of Engineering
"Opportunities for Studying Drug Supply"
Overview: Research on effectiveness of supply control measures used in drug policy and their potential impact on mortality and morbidity.
Jonathan P. Caulkins is the Stever University Professor of Operations Research and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. Dr. Caulkins specializes in systems analysis of the supply chains supporting illegal markets, particularly problems pertaining to drugs, crime, terror, and prevention. Issues surrounding opioid markets and regulation, COVID-19 and cannabis legalization have been a focus in recent years, including co-authoring Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford University Press). Dr. Caulkins is a past Co-director of RAND's Drug Policy Research Center, founding Director of RAND’s Pittsburgh office and continues to work through RAND on a variety of projects. The views Dr. Caulkins will offer are his own, and do not represent those of Carnegie Mellon, RAND, or any other institution with which he is affiliated.
Traci Green, PhD, MSc, Professor and Director of the Opioid Policy Research Collaborative, Brandeis University; Co-Director of the COBRE on Opioids and Overdose at Rhode Island Hospital, Brown University Health
"From Data to Action: How research on drug related harms slows epidemics, empowers communities and changes policy"
Overview: Research on and translation of opioid overdose prevention, medication treatment innovations, criminal justice and pharmacy-based interventions to change policy and save lives.
Dr. Green is an epidemiologist whose research focuses on drug use, opioid use disorder, and drug-related injury. She earned a Master of Science in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from McGill University and a PhD in Epidemiology from Yale University. She is Professor and Director of the Opioid Policy Research Collaborative at Brandeis University where she oversees research on the drug supply, overdose prevention, and risk mitigation following law enforcement and policy actions. She also co-directs the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) on Opioids and Overdose at Rhode Island Hospital and is an Adjunct Professor of Emergency Medicine and Epidemiology at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University and the Brown School of Public Health. Dr. Green created the web app platform www.streetcheck.org to support the growth and excellence of community drug checking. She helped co-found www.prescribetoprevent.org for prescribers and pharmacists and its companion site
www.prevent-protect.org for families, patients, and community organizations to improve naloxone access.
Why Your Participation Matters
Federal leadership is essential to maintaining the scale, consistency, and vision necessary to address the complex challenge of addiction. The briefing will provide members of Congress, their staff, agency officials, national and community organizations, media, and the public with the latest data and real-world stories illustrating why robust support for NIH, CDC, and SAMHSA is vital to saving lives, fostering innovation, and promoting recovery nationwide.
Join ASDN as we advocate for continued and increased federal investment in addiction science and services. Together, we can ensure the future health and well-being of millions of Americans and sustain the progress our nation has made in the fight against substance use disorders.