Hendrée Jones, PhD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and executive director of the UNC Horizons program, received the prestigious 2019 Marian W. Fischman Lectureship Award June 17 at the annual meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) in San Antonio, Texas.
This award honors the late Marian W. Fischman, a respected pioneer in drug abuse research and an outstanding scientist. It was established in 2001 to recognize the contributions of an outstanding woman scientist in drug abuse research.
“I am honored and humbled to receive this incredibly meaningful award that was created for such an amazing leader in the field of addiction research,” says Jones. “Dr. Fischman was not only an outstanding scientist and a dynamic individual, she was also a role model for women leaders around the world.”
Jones is an internationally recognized expert in the development and examination of both behavioral and pharmacologic treatments for pregnant women and their children in risky life situations. She has led some of the most groundbreaking research in the field, particularly for enhanced treatment outcomes for women with opioid use disorder in pregnancy.
She has received National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for her research for nearly 25 years and serves as a consultant for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAHMSA), the United Nations and the World Health Organization.
Earlier this year, Francis Collins, MD, PhD, director of the NIH, tapped Jones to serve on an expert working group of the Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative, an NIH-wide effort to improve prevention and treatment strategies for opioid misuse and addiction, and to enhance pain management.
As part of the Fischman award, Jones delivered a lecture at CPDD to a standing-room-only crowd. Cora Lee Wetherington of the NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse wrote, “Congratulations again on your much-deserved award at CPDD and your outstanding talk. That was such an amazing event. I saw your tears at the standing ovation you received, and I had a few myself.”
UNC Horizons Program is a substance abuse treatment program for pregnant and/or parenting women and their children, many of whom have seen their lives touched by violence. Last year, 233 women and 65 children received treatment at UNC Horizons, and 51 healthy babies were born to women in the program. To learn more, visit unchorizons.org.