NIDA director a strong supporter of the BC-CfE’s Seek and Treat strategy to fight HIV
At a special ceremony on May 31, 2010, Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health, was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Science by the University of British Columbia (UBC).
Dr. Volkow was recognized for her relentless efforts to understand the causes and health consequences of drug addiction, her pivotal role in shaping addiction research and her life-long work of advocating for evidence-based public policy.
“I am delighted that Dr. Volkow, one of the world’s most respected leaders in the area of addiction research, has accepted this honour,” said Prof. Stephen Toope, president and vicechancellor of UBC. “She has been an exemplary leader and dedicated three decades of her life towards making a difference as a researcher and as a doctor.”
Dr. Volkow said that she is deeply humbled by this honour, especially as it comes from a leading education and research institution such as UBC. “Drug addiction is a devastating disease, with staggering social and economic costs. It pleases me greatly to think that through my research, I may have contributed to NIDA director a strong supporter of the BC-CfE’s Seek and Treat strategy to fight HIV improving the health of individuals and communities affected by substance abuse and addiction and informing public policy,” said Dr. Volkow.
In her role as NIDA director, Dr. Volkow has been very supportive of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) Seek and Treat for Optimal Prevention of HIV/AIDS (STOP HIV/AIDS) strategy. The strategy supports the expansion of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) to all HIV-positive individuals who are in medical need, including hard-to-reach populations such as sex trade workers and injection drug users. Providing more HIVpositive British Columbians with HAART is a prerequisite to significantly reducing or even eliminating the spread of HIV.
A pioneer in the use of brain imaging to investigate addiction and other mental disorders, Dr. Volkow’s research has been instrumental in showing that addiction is a disease of the brain, and not a sign of moral weakness or a flawed character.
She has published more than 450 peer-reviewed articles and more than 60 book chapters and non-peer reviewed manuscripts. In 2007, she was named one of TIME magazine’s “Top 100 People Who Shape Our World.”