Mark Willenbring, M.D., has joined NIAAA as the Director of the Institute's Division of Treatment and Recovery Research (DTRR). In his new position, Dr. Willenbring will be responsible for stimulating, developing and supporting clinical research on therapies for alcohol abuse and alcoholism. He also will work with intramural scientists at NIAAA and other NIH Institutes to advance what we know about treating alcohol abuse and alcoholism.

"NIAAA is fortunate to have Dr. Willenbring on board," says NIAAA Director Ting-Kai Li, M.D., "as he brings to NIAAA expertise in a range of issues in clinical research on alcohol and other drugs of abuse, including expertise in medication development -- an area of critical importance to the Institute's treatment research agenda."

Dr. Willenbring comes to NIAAA from the University of Minnesota, School of Medicine, where he served as Professor of Psychiatry. For the past 12 years, he also has served as Medical Director of the Addictive Disorders Section at the Veteran's Affairs Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Dr. Willenbring received his M.D. from the University of Minnesota and did his internship at St Paul-Ramsey Medical Center in St. Paul. He completed his residency in psychiatry at the University of California, Davis.

Dr. Willenbring's research interests include pharmacotherapies for alcohol and other drug abuse, alcohol and tobacco, the treatment of co-occurring disorders, the interaction of treatment for alcohol use disorders and hepatitis C, and implementing research findings into clinical practice. During his distinguished research career he has published on topics ranging from medications for alcohol dependence and mental health disorders and psychoneuroendocrinology, to case management and service delivery, hepatitis C, and evidence-based practice guidelines. For the past five years, Dr. Willenbring has been a national leader in a large-scale effort within the VA to implement evidence-based practices in substance use disorder treatment.

Source: NIAAA News Release