NIDA awards over $7.5 million in research training for early career child and adolescent psychiatrists focusing on the intersection of youth substance use and mental health

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) announced today the final selected awardees for the 2026-2031AACAP Physician Scientist Program in Substance Use K12 Career Development Award. In recognition of the dearth of child and adolescent psychiatrists trained to conduct clinical and basic research, especially in the area of substance use, AACAP and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) have joined forces to create a five-year program with over $7.5 million in dedicated federal grant funding to train aspiring investigators in the area of youth substance use research.

Between 1998 and 2025, 32 scholars across five cohorts completed the NIDA/AACAP program and made significant contributions to child and adolescent substance use research and clinical practice. Collectively, they have produced 1,145 peer-reviewed publications (297 first- or senior-authored) and 1,642 scientific research presentations. The 24 scholars who have completed the K12 program have secured 303 grant awards, including 77 NIH R-series grants (51 R01s), 23 U-series grants (12 U01s and 5 U54s), 11 P-series grants (7 P50s), and 61 foundation grants.

AACAP has selected a sixth cohort of six scholars for the AACAP Physician Scientist Program in Substance Use K12 Career Development Award, supported by NIDA. These scholars represent diverse backgrounds and are emerging leaders in the field of pediatric substance use research, demonstrating remarkable professional achievement early in their careers and a commitment to research.

Scholars advanced through a highly competitive selection process, including a comprehensive written application and review of their proposed research project. A complete list of awardees appears below:

Peter Jackson, MD
University of Vermont
Project: Foundations for Family Communication about Parental SUD: Measurement, Cohort Evidence, and Family-Informed Design
Primary Mentor: Hugh Garavan, PhD

Sivabalaji Kaliamurthy MBBS
Children's National
Project: Developing a Brief Inpatient Intervention for Adolescents Using Cannabis
Primary Mentor: Richard Schottenfeld, MD

Amalia Londoño Tobón, MD
Georgetown University
Project: Adapting and Piloting a Multi-Component Obstetric Practice Approach to Increase Access to Perinatal Substance Use Disorder Care for Mother-Infant Dyads
Primary Mentor: Nancy Byatt, DO, MS, MBA

Elizabeth Olsen, MD
Brown University
Project: Our VOICES: Tailored Cannabis Use Intervention for Female Adolescents in Mental Health Treatment
Primary Mentor: Larry K. Brown, MD

Aaron Quiggle, MD, MS
Mass General/Harvard Medical School
Project: Controlled Trial of Delayed/Extended-Release Methylphenidate for Adolescents and Young Adults with ADHD and Cannabis Use Disorder
Primary Mentor: Timothy Wilens, MD

Tara Thompson-Felix, MD
Yale School of Medicine
Project: Cannabis Use in Pregnancy and Child Neurodevelopment: Investigating the epigenetic landscape of iPSC neuron and microglia derived extracellular vesicles
Primary Mentor: Linda Mayes, MD

Awarded scholars and their mentors will meet with AACAP’s K12 Principal Investigator and Advisory Committee for AACAP’s K12 Annual Retreat each summer throughout the program. Awardees will present their research plans to the K12 committee and refine career development and research training programs with mentors, which will enable them to establish academic careers as independently funded investigators in child and adolescent psychiatry substance use research.

Questions regarding the program may be directed to the grant Program Administrator, Sarah Hellwege, MEd, by email: shellwege@aacap.org.

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The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry promotes the healthy development of children, adolescents, and families through advocacy, education, and research. Child and adolescent psychiatrists are the leading physician authority on children’s mental health. For more information, please visit www.aacap.org

Media Contact:
Rob Grant, Communications Director
202.966.7300
rgrant@aacap.org
www.aacap.org