PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT (OVERALL) The United States has been experiencing a national crisis around escalating rates of substance use and un- healthy behavior patterns in rural communities. The nature and challenge of substance misuse in community and rural settings continues to change rapidly, evolving in reaction to myriad forces. The causes and conse- quences of drug use are complex. They range from molecular to cultural and are usually studied in isolation even though they are interconnected. The unique mission of the Rural Drug Addiction Research (RDAR) Center is to apply complementary approaches across disciplines to better understand the factors associated with sub- stance use and identify new avenues to address this critical public heath challenge. In Phase 1, RDAR brought together basic and applied scientists from neuroscience, cognition, simulation, epidemiology, psychology, and sociology to address the etiology, assessment, prevention, and treatment of substance use. Center projects range from synapse to society—from the microscopic world of biology to social and geographical environments— to understand drug use in the Great Plains. In Phase 2, RDAR will extend its successful infrastructure and prac- tices to support a cadre of researchers that integrate multiple disciplines to enable promising early-stage inves- tigators to achieve research independence. The Center will support Project Leaders’ scientific growth and career development (Aim 1) and foster interdisciplinary research to investigate substance use (Aim 2) in Nebraska, the Great Plains, and surrounding regions. RDAR will draw on an internal Mentoring, Engagement, and Outreach Workgroup of 15 senior researchers providing dedicated mentoring and technical expertise. A 5-member Advi- sory Committee will guide the Center as leadership builds and strengthens the investigator pipeline through institutionally committed strategic hires, recruitment efforts across colleges and departments, institutional Pilot Project support, and collaborations with existing research centers and service units. Coupled with existing and new institutional commitments such as indirect recapture, pilot project funding, new tenure-track hires, and ren- ovated space, RDAR will enhance the success of investigators competing for external funding and increase the Center’s thematic footprint regarding basic, clinical, translational, and community research. These successes will position the Center to leverage Phase 2 funding and institutional commitments from a nationally recognized research university (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) and a university-based medical center (University of Ne- braska Medical Center) to increase RDAR’s scope of research and the reach of findings. Working with commu- nity, university, and IDeA-state partners, RDAR will engage with clinical, community health, and policy sectors to address substance use challenges in rural and underserved populations. These strategies will set the stage for national, evidence-based impact on this critical health issue, support the translation of research into inter- vention, enhance the foundation for long-term Center sustainability, and propel RDAR toward achieving funding as a NIDA/NIAAA-supported P01/P30/P50 research center.

PROJECT NARRATIVE (OVERALL) The Rural Drug Addiction Research (RDAR) Center brings together basic and applied scientists from neurosci- ence, cognition, simulation, epidemiology, psychology, and sociology to address the etiology, assessment, pre- vention, and treatment of substance use and misuse. In Phase 2, RDAR will enhance the success of investiga- tors competing for external funding and increase the Center’s thematic footprint regarding basic, clinical, trans- lational, and community research by supporting the scientific growth and career development of investigators and fostering interdisciplinary research to investigate substance use and health disparities in Nebraska and the Great Plains. Working with community, university, and IDeA-state partners, RDAR will engage with clinical, com- munity health, and policy sectors to address the challenges of substance use in rural and underserved popula- tions, setting the stage for national, evidence-based impact on this critical health issue and supporting the trans- lation of research into intervention.