Bridging the Gap between Science and Clinical Practice
Developed in Collaboration with the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration

Saturday, April 25, 2026

10:45 AM - 12:00 PM PT

Location: Regatta, Level 4

Presenter(s)

Wilson M. Compton, MD, MPE

Deputy Director
National Institute on Drug Abuse, Maryland

Slides
Geetha A. Subramaniam, MD, DLFAPA, DFAACAP

Deputy Director
NIDA
North Bethesda, Maryland
George F. Koob, PhD

Director
NIAAA
Bethesda, Maryland
Marta Sokolowska, PhD

Deputy Center Director for Substance Use and Behavioral Health
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Laurel, Maryland
Ken I. Freedman, MD, MS, MBA, DFASAM, FACP, AGAF

Senior Medical Director
Aetna / CVS Health
Plantation, Florida
TM

Tami L. Mark, PhD

Distinguished Fellow
RTI International
Bethesda, Maryland

The “Bridging the Gap” focus session is for addiction medicine clinical specialists, researchers, and federal research funding agencies (NIAAA, NIDA, FDA, and AHRQ) to discuss emerging trends and ways to improve alignment between research and clinical practice needs. Clinical specialists’ input on urgent clinical practice priorities will help guide research agencies in their efforts to make funding initiatives more responsive to everyday practice. The session will also provide updates on addiction research funding initiatives and promote collaborative research-practice partnerships.

Learning Objectives:

Learners will be able to:

Upon completion, participants will be able to list at least three current areas of scientific focus from participating federal agencies.
Upon completion, participants will be able to describe at least three emergent areas within addiction medicine that clinical specialists recommend for future scientific funding initiatives.
Upon completion, participants will be able to explain the importance of bidirectional communication between science and clinical practice communities, and its potential to improve quality of care and promote health equity.

Disclosure(s):

Wilson M. Compton, MD, MPE: 3M Companies: Stockholder/Ownership Interest (excluding diversified mutual funds) (Ongoing); Pfizer, Inc.: Stockholder/Ownership Interest (excluding diversified mutual funds) (Ongoing)

Geetha A. Subramaniam, MD, DLFAPA, DFAACAP: No financial relationships to disclose

George F. Koob, PhD: No financial relationships to disclose

Marta Sokolowska, PhD: No financial relationships to disclose

Ken I. Freedman, MD, MS, MBA, DFASAM, FACP, AGAF: Aetna / CVS Health: Employment (Ongoing)

Tami L. Mark, PhD: No financial relationships to disclose

Bridging the Gap between Science and Clinical Practice Developed in Collaboration with the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration

Presenter(s)

Learning Objectives:

Bridging the Gap between Science and Clinical Practice
Developed in Collaboration with the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration