DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is a revised competing continuation Senior Scientist Research and Mentorship Award (K05) application for Stephen A. Maisto, Ph.D. The primary goals of this application are to advance my research programs in (1) alcohol and other drug assessment and treatment research methods, (2) alcohol treatment outcomes, process, clinical course, and relapse, and (3) human alcohol challenge research, to continue to explore statistical methods and techniques of longitudinal research that may be applied to advance knowledge about alcohol treatment outcomes, mechanisms of treatment-related change, alcohol treatment clinical course, and relapse, and to add to my success in mentoring junior investigators and postdoctoral ferllows. The renewal of my K05 award would allow me to continue to pursue these primary aims at the high level of activity that has characterized the period of my current K05 award, which ends on 8/31/13. During the K05 award period, I propose to continue my research program in the research areas noted above and that is based in Syracuse University and in collaboration with colleagues at SUNY Upstate Medical University (Syracuse, NY), the VA Medical Upstate NY Network, and at other institutions in the US. My Mentoring Plan made feasible by the K05 award includes the addition of four new mentees, three Ph.D.s and 1 M.D.-Ph.D. As I have done successfully since the beginning of my current K05 award, I intend to maintain a cohort of an average of 4 junior investigator and postdoctoral fellow mentees for each year of the K05 award renewal period.

Project Narrative Alcohol use disorders remain a major public health problem in the United States, and advances in their understanding and treatment depend on basic and clinical research. This K05 senior scientist research and mentorship competing renewal application requests support to continue research on the assessment and treatment of alcohol use disorders in multiple healthcare settings as well as basic human alcohol administration research on alcohol use and behavioral risk. Furthermore, renewal of the K05 award would continue to support major effort in mentoring junior colleagues and postdoctoral fellows in basic and clinical alcohol research, which is vital to the success of the long-term effort to alleviate the human suffering caused by excessive use of alcohol in the United States.