Background

The Center for Drug Abuse Research (CDAR) was established in 1994 to build Howard University’s capability to conduct drug abuse research, and to serve as a respository and resource for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the area of drug abuse research on African Americans. Within its overall mission, CDAR’s focus is on the epidemiology and prevention of drug abuse among African Americans from the prenatal period through adulthood. In recent years, CDAR has been a resource to international researchers, particularly in southern Africa, who are interested in developing culturally appropriate research for African populations.

Functions

As a multidisciplinary center, CDAR is associated with faculty investigators in both the Health Affairs and Academic Affairs Divisions within Howard University, who are conducting research on drug abuse. CDAR provides research development activities to support and strengthen the capacity of faculty at Howard University and other HBCUs to participate in drug abuse research programs, through:

• Sponsorship to national conferences, meetings and workshops.
• Internships and Assistantships.
• Teaching and training opportunities.
• Information dissemination and updates via list-serve, fax and website.

Funding

CDAR was established by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and is sustained through University funding and grants/contracts from a number of Federal and private agencies, including the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), the Administration for Children, Youth and Families (ACYF), and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Substance Abuse Policy Research Program. CDAR represents Howard University on the National HBCU Substance Abuse Consortium, which coordinates curricula training in substance abuse at nearly 60 HBCUs throughout the U.S. and the Caribbean.