American Psychological Association Annual Meeting Early Career Investigator Poster Session - Abstract This is a proposal to request funding for 20 travel awards to be competitively awarded to early stage investigators presenting alcohol use research at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association (APA), and to highlight their research in a special poster session and networking event. This event, called the Early Stage Investigator Poster Session, has been taking place at the annual convention of the APA for the past fifteen years, and has been co-sponsored by APA Divisions 50 (Society of Addiction Psychologists) and 28 (Psychopharmacology), made possible through funding from NIAAA and NIDA. Funding from NIAAA has been formalized for the past 15 years through an R13 award, most recenUythrough R13 {Pl Hoeppner R13AA022858), which is scheduled to end in January 2023. This proposal is submitted to continue this successful, well-regarded and unique event that specifically promotes the early career to independent investigator pipeline. The aim to foster the career development of early stage alcohol and addiction investigators is in line with NIAAA's Strategic Plan in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of alcohol-related problems, as well as for the rapid dissemination of research findings. This event is well-attended and information is shared with APA conference attendees as well as with broader audiences via social media. The rationale for targeting the APA convention is twofold. First, psychologists make up a major constituency in the scientific community of alcohol researchers and on topics related to alcohol and addiction. Second, virtually all psychologists' work is direcUy or indirectly affected by issues related to alcohol use and addiction, providing a unique opportunity to communicate addiction research to the larger scientific and clinical community. The APA is the largest organization of psychologists and their trainees in the US and its annual convention attracts roughly 16,000 attendees annually. The APA meeting thus represents an ideal opportunity to advance alcohol and addiction research and foster career development among trainees. The goal of this project is to foster the development of the next generation of alcohol researchers from the psychological community by (1) providing the means necessary to attend the APA convention, (2) showcasing early career investigators' research, and (3) stimulating networking among trainees and leading alcohol and addiction scientists. To maximize inclusion, we will specifically encourage early career investigators from backgrounds under-represented in research to ask questions about the process of submitting abstract and travel awards, to request connections with mentors/collaborators for submissions to APA, and to apply for travel awards. To date, the Early Stage Investigator Poster Session has been highly successful in meeting these objectives over the past 15 years. The goal for the proposed project is to sustain these contributions to the field and advance scientific innovation and excellence in alcohol research by supporting the early career to independent investigator pipeline with researchers from under-represented backgrounds.
