Information Dissemination Core
Click HERE to see the Information Dissemination Core outreach activities for Brain Awareness Week
UNC Alcohol Research Center
MOLECULAR AND CIRCUIT PATHOGENESIS OF ALCOHOL USE DISORDER
Information Dissemination Core
Contact Primary Investigator: Dr. Donita Robinson
Co Primary-Investigator: Dr. Sara Faccidomo
The Information Dissemination Core of the UNC Alcohol Research Center (ARC) integrates with the educational mission of the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies (BCAS) as a part of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine (UNC-SOM) at Chapel Hill. This Core supports the dissemination of current research on alcohol drinking in youth and adults to key stakeholders, including students, parents, educators, medical providers, law enforcement agents, policy makers, and the broader community. To accomplish our dissemination goals, we strategically partner with state agencies, non-profit organizations, and educators. We also actively train our students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty in community outreach and dissemination of their BCAS research on alcohol pathology. We will build on these successful efforts in the following three aims:
Aim 1: Disseminate current research on the neurobiological consequences of adolescent binge drinking to local and regional stakeholders.
Activity 1.1: Partner with state and local groups (North Carolina ABC Commission’s Initiative to Reduce Underage Drinking, Orange Partnership for Alcohol and Drug Free Youth, Chapel Hill Campus and Community Coalition) to promote parental and community education on the consequences of underage drinking.
Activity 1.2: Provide accurate and accessible information on alcohol use and its consequences in presentations to the following groups of college students who are at risk for alcohol-related harm: (1) first-time offenders with alcohol-related charges, in partnership with Carpe Diem, a UNC-affiliated alcohol education program; and (2) UNC sorority and fraternity leaders, in partnership with the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.
Activity 1.3: Provide accurate and accessible information on alcohol use and its consequences in presentations to high school students in collaboration with Orange Partnership for Alcohol and Drug Free Youth and the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center.
Measures of success for these activities include metrics of access to websites and recorded lectures; public service announcements and news releases; number of presentations to NC stakeholder groups; audience feedback when available; follow-up surveys on alcohol drinking from Carpe Diem students.
Aim 2: Engage in bidirectional, translational education with medical fellows and residents in the UNC School of Medicine.
Activity 2.1: Provide education on alcohol pharmacology and mechanisms of pathology, including research findings from this P60 ARC, to the UNC Addiction Medicine Fellows and advanced Psychiatry residents.
Activity 2.2: Provide education on clinical addiction medicine to BCAS faculty and trainees through presentations by the UNC Addiction Medicine Fellows and members of the UNC Psychiatry Working Group on Addiction.
Measures of success for these activities include formal evaluations from participants on learning objectives and perceived benefit; translational scholarly products (e.g., literature reviews).
Aim 3: Train BCAS scientists in effective community outreach and broad dissemination of neuroscience and alcohol research.
Activity 3.1: Develop and employ interactive learning modules that promote scientific literacy and enthusiasm for neuroscience and implement them at local venues (NC Museum of Life + Science, UNC Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, UNC Science Expo, K-12 classrooms).
Activity 3.2: Provide training and opportunities to BCAS scientists in community outreach and dissemination to broad audiences. The training will provide scientists with the tools to engage a lay audience in hands-on exhibits, brief presentations and both one-on-one and group interactions.
Activity 3.3: Maintain the “BCAS-Brains” outreach website with information and interactive materials for use by BCAS scientists, K-12 classrooms and other stakeholders.
Measures of success for these activities include the number of BCAS scientists participating in training and organized outreach events; formal assessment of BCAS scientists before and after training on community outreach; number of BCAS scientists organizing their own outreach events; number of visitors at outreach events; publication and dissemination of outreach strategy and curriculum.
The UNC-ARC is a regional and national resource in alcohol pathology that exactly fits the NIAAA criteria for a Comprehensive Alcohol Research Center, due in part to the exceptional activities of the Information Dissemination Core. Our strategic collaborative partnerships for the dissemination of scientific insight on alcohol drinking across the lifespan optimize our impact on public knowledge and health.