The VIDA 2014 Conference is being sponsored by the Hispanic Health Disparities Research Center and the Vulnerabilities in Drug Abuse (VIDA) Project at the University of Texas at El Paso. This year's conference explores topics related to drug abuse, including the neuroscience of drug abuse, intimate partner violence, and sociocultural and community factors.

The keynote speaker Dr. Carl Hart, Associate Professor of Psychology at Columbia University, will help to facilitate connections between researchers and community members. His address will focus on the complex interactions between drugs of abuse and the neurobiology and environmental factors that mediate human behavior and physiology.

Other sessions will explore factors affecting access to treatment programs, the role of environmental stress in addiction, the use of Motivational Interviews in treatment and research, culturally tailored intervention programs, and the neuronal aspects of vulnerability to drug abuse. Speakers hail from many universities across the country, from the National Institutes of Health, and local agencies. In addition, several student-oriented activities are scheduled, including a research poster session, networking opportunities, and a breakout session on developing a research career in substance abuse research.

Seating is limited, so please register early.