NCRG Now Accepting Nominations for 2005 Scientific Achievement Awards

The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) is requesting nominations for its fourth annual Scientific Achievement Awards in the field of gambling and gambling-related problems. Established in 2002 as the only awards of their kind, the Scientific Achievement Awards formally honor those individuals who have made exceptional scientific contributions to the field of gambling research.

Nominations for the awards are accepted in two categories. The "Young Investigator Award" recognizes excellence in scientific contributions to the field of gambling studies by a researcher whose advanced degree (Ph.D., M.D. or other terminal degree) was received in the past decade. The "Senior Investigator Award" honors an investigator whose body of work has led to important advancements, discoveries or developments in the field of gambling related research. Nominees for either category may be working in the social and behavioral sciences, epidemiology, neuroscience, public health or other related fields. The deadline for nominations is September 23, 2005.

"We have made great strides in recent years in elevating the study of gambling disorders as a vital area within the field of addictions research and, therefore, it is important to recognize the contributions of scientists who might otherwise be overlooked by the larger field," said Christine Reilly, executive director of the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders. "Furthermore, by honoring individuals whose work is characterized by rigorous standards, the NCRG is promoting the importance of high quality research."

The 2005 awards will be presented at the sixth annual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction, sponsored by the NCRG and the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders of the Division of Addictions at the Cambridge Health Alliance, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. The 2005 conference,  "Gambling and Addiction: Finding Common Ground on Prevention, Treatment and Policy," will be held Dec. 7-8 in Las Vegas.

In 2004, Alex Blaszczynski, a pioneer in gambling research, treatment and policy development, received the Senior Investigator Award, and Jon Grant, an accomplished young scientist who has made significant contributions to clinical research in pathological gambling and other impulse control disorders, was honored with the Young Investigator Award.

Recipients of the NCRG Scientific Achievement Awards are selected by an independent committee of distinguished leaders in the field of addictions and gambling research chaired by Joseph Coyle, the Eben S. Draper Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

For instructions on submitting a nomination for the 2005 awards, contact Christine Reilly or visit the NCRG Web site.