• Events and Special Events
• The John P. McGovern Award
• The John P. McGovern Lecture Series

Events and Special Projects

February 18, 2010: 40^th Anniversary of the Founding of the Narcotics Treatment Administration

IBH celebrated the 40th anniversary of the founding in Washington, DC of the Narcotics Treatment Administration (NTA). NTA was established on February 18, 1970 to attempt the daring and untested public health strategy of providing addiction treatment on a massive scale to turn around a rapidly escalating heroin epidemic and closely related crime wave in the District of Columbia. In three years, with the help from many people, this goal was achieved. The accomplishments of NTA were documented in over 200 professional articles and countless media reports. And then, NTA, as an organization, was gone.  

Experts in drug abuse treatment and policymakers of the time joined IBH to share their experiences and recollections of NTA.  Among them was Robert L. DuPont, M.D., IBH President and former NTA Administrator and Senator Joseph Tydings (D-MD), former Chairman of the Committee on the District of Columbia (pictured with then-Mayor Walter Washington in the background). The NTA experience was a major factor in changing this country's drug control strategy, sparking an unprecedented national investment in drug abuse treatment, prevention and research. With this new, balanced strategy, the United States set a new path for confronting what has proven to be a global epidemic of drug abuse.  

Related Resources:
Proposal to End Heroin Addiction and to Reduce Crime in the District of Columbia. 1970.
Where Does One Run When He's Already in the Promised Land? Speech delivered by Robert L. DuPont, M.D., at the Fourth National Conference on Methadone Treatment, 1973.
The Sick Sixties.  James Q. Wilson, Ph.D. and Robert L. DuPont, M.D., Atlantic Monthly, 1973.
The Dynamics of a Heroin Addiction Epidemic. Authored by Robert L. DuPont, M.D. and Mark H. Greene, M.D. Science, 1973.

The John P. McGovern Award

The John P. McGovern Award recognizes innovation in drug abuse prevention by identifying ideas to guide effective actions to reduce illegal drug use. McGovern Award winners are selected on the basis of their impact on drug abuse policy. The award is funded by the John P. McGovern Foundation of Houston, TX

February 7, 2011: R. Gil Kerlikowske, Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy
On February 7, 2011, the Institute for Behavior and Health, Inc. presented the John P. McGovern Award for leadership in drug abuse prevention to R. Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), for his distinguished leadership in drugged driving prevention and enforcement including recognizing drugged driving as a featured national priority in the 2010 National Drug Control Strategy. The meeting was a celebration of Director Kerlikowske's leadership and an expression of gratitude and respect from the impressive audience of 60 national leaders in highway safety and substance abuse prevention, treatment and research. More on the McGovern Lecture.

November 4, 2010: William L. White, MA, Senior Research Consultant, Chestnut Health Systems
William "Bill" White has worked full time in the addictions field since 1969 as a streetworker, counselor, clinical director, researcher, trainer and consultant. He has authored or co-authored more than 300 articles, monographs, research reports and book chapters and 14 books.  His book, Slaying the Dragon - The History of Addiction Treatment and Recovery in America, received the Eleanor and George McGovern Family Foundation Award for the best book on addiction recovery. He has been a visible recovery advocate and is the past-chair of Recovery Communities United and has served as a volunteer consultant to Faces and Voices of Recovery since its inception in 2001. The Institute for Behavior and Health, Inc. was pleased to honor Mr. White with the John P. McGovern Award for his many years as the leading historian and the inspiration of addiction treatment and the Recovery Movement.

October 4, 2010: Per Johansson, Secretary General, Swedish National Association for a Drug Free Society (RNS); Co-founder, World Federation Against Drugs (WFAD)
Per Johansson has been active in the Swedish National Association for a Drug Free Society (Riksförbundet Narkotikafritt Samhälle; RNS) for three decades and has tracked the development of Swedish drug policy as it shifted from permissive to restrictive in nature. In recent years, he has been involved in RNS foreign projects in the former Soviet Union and South America. He has also studied the experiences of random drug testing in schools in the United States. In 2009, he co-founded the World Federation Against Drugs (WFAD). WFAD is a multilateral community of non-governmental organizations and individuals. Its aim is to work for a drug-free world. The Institute for Behavior and Health, Inc. was honored to give Per Johansson the John P. McGovern Award. Per Johansson's remarks.

June 30, 2009: Attorney General Larry Long, Attorney General of South Dakota Bill Mickelson, President & CEO, Mickelson Consulting Group LLC
South Dakota Attorney General Larry Long conceptualized the 24/7 Sobriety Project, a program committed to working with chronic Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) offenders into changing their behavior and prevention of additional DWI arrests. First implemented in Bennett, County, South Dakota, the primary objective of the program for each DWI defendant is sobriety 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Active drug testing in conjunction with immediate, known, short-term consequences for any detected use of alcohol or drugs has produced positive alcohol- and drug-free behaviors among DWI offenders. Bill Mickelson, former Special Agent for the Division of Criminal Investigation for South Dakota, helped facilitate the development of the 24/7 Sobriety Project which has grown to 56 counties in South Dakota. It is hoped that this program can be adapted statewide and begin to have a real impact on defendants and their families and employers.

January 12, 2009: The Honorable Steven S. Alm, First Circuit of the State of Hawaii's Criminal Division
	The Honorable Steven S. Alm has developed and implemented an innovative program linking the criminal justice system to substance abuse treatment when needed called HOPE (Hawaii's Opportunity Probation with Enforcement). HOPE establishes clear expectations of drug-free behavior reinforced by active drug testing. Positive tests result in swift, certain, but not draconian, consequences. When needed HOPE links probationers to substance abuse and other treatment services. About half of HOPE probationers receive substance abuse treatment to help them stay drug-free. HOPE reduces drug use while also lowering re-arrest and revocation rates. In 2007, HOPE received the American Judicature Society Special Merit Citation Award. HOPE is a model program with potential to be replicated in courts across the US.

January 17, 2007: A. Thomas McLellan, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Treatment Research Institute
	A. Thomas McLellan, Ph.D was the principal developer of the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) and the Treatment Services Review (TSR), measurement instruments that characterize the multiple dimensions of substance abusing patients and treatments. These tools have been translated into over 20 languages and are the most widely used instruments of their kind in the world. The ASI and TSR have helped to revolutionize the delivery of treatment and helped researchers and clinicians gain more insight into the efficacy of treatment. Dr. McLellan's work has also promoted better understanding of the factors that lead to treatment success, and has fostered greater understanding of addiction as a chronic illness, reduced its stigma, and provided means for earlier identification and prevention.

June 1, 2006: Barry Logan, Ph.D., DABFT Director of the Forensic Laboratory Services Bureau, Washington State Patrol and State Toxicologist
	An expert in the field of forensic toxicology and drug analysis, Barry Logan, Ph.D. has made drug-impaired driving a focus of his research activities since 1994, with more than 25 publications on this topic, and frequent testimony as an expert in drug impaired driving cases. Dr. Logan serves on the board of the International Association of Forensic Toxicologists from which he received in 2003 the Mid-Career Achievement Award for Excellence in Forensic Toxicology for his work in postmortem and impaired driving toxicology.

January 10, 2005: Charles G. Curie, M.A., A.C.S.W., Administrator Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Charles G. Curie, M.A., A.C.S.W., Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) was recognized for his commitment to ensuring that people with addictive and mental disorders have the opportunity to achieve full participation in American society. Mr. Curie has provided SAMHSA with outstanding and effective leadership in dealing with mental illness, alcoholism and drug abuse by creating new linkages among programs dealing with these serious human problems at the national, state and local levels.

June 27, 2003: David G. Evans, Esq., President, Drug-Free Schools Coalition, Inc. Lisa Brady, Principal, Hunterdon Central Regional High School
	David Evans, Esq. is the Executive Director of the Drug Free Schools Coalition and is a practicing attorney. He is nationally known for his expertise in the area of drug testing law and developing legally defensible and effective anti-drug programs and policies. Lisa Brady, Ph.D. was the principal and is now superintendent of Hunterdon Central Regional High School in Flemington, New Jersey, and has been involved in student drug testing since 1997. She is an original member of the school's Random Drug Testing Task Force and helped develop one of the first student drug testing policies in the country. The school program has been identified nationally as a model program. Both David Evans and Lisa Brady work as consultants to school districts across the country to help them design and implement student drug testing programs.

January 14, 2003: J. Michael Walsh, Ph.D., President, The Walsh Group
J. Michael Walsh, Ph.D., has been a national and international leader in drug abuse prevention for more than two decades. He was instrumental in the development of the workplace drug prevention efforts begun in the 1980s. For the last two decades Dr. Walsh has focused on highway safety and the relationship of accidents, injury and death to illegal drug use. The result has been a compelling body of research data that show the direct connection between illegal drug use and highway tragedies. He has also been a leader, both on the national and international levels in highway safety policy, particularly in the area of per se legislation.

November 14, 2002: John P. Walters, Director, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
John Walters has shown remarkable leadership in the nation's efforts to curb illegal drug use in a wide range of distinguished roles over more than a decade. As Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), he embraced President George W. Bush's ambitious goal of reducing the use of illegal drugs by 10% in his first two years and by 25% in five years. Mr. Walters has provided important leadership in reducing workplace drug abuse and in promoting student drug testing in schools as part of a comprehensive school prevention program. Both have been critical elements in the war on illegal drug use.

The John P. McGovern Lecture Series The John P. McGovern Lecture Series recognizes innovations in drug abuse prevention by identifying and supporting ideas, technologies and methodologies that can be adopted in countries throughout the world. This lecture series is funded by the John P. McGovern Foundation, Houston, TX. The Lecture is sponsored by the Institute for Behavior and Health, Inc., with generous support from the John P. McGovern Foundation.

February 7 2011: Drugged Driving - A National Priority R. Gil Kerlikowske, Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy David Strickland, Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Following the presentation of the John P. McGovern award to R. Gil Kerlikowske, he described how drugged driving became a national priority. The keynote address was given by David L. Strickland, NHTSA Administrator. Megan Harrington, representing Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), expressed support for these efforts. While a member of the US House of Representatives, then-Congressman Portman sponsored drugged driving legislation that was incorporated into the 2005 Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation Equity Act ­ a Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) which brought attention to the drugged driving problem for the first time in legislation.  Nora Volkow, M.D., Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), highlighted the role of research in efforts to understand and curtail drugged driving and expressed NIDA's commitment to support the 2010 National Strategy's ambitious target of reducing drugged driving in the US by 10% by 2015. IBH President Robert L. DuPont, M.D. asked meeting participants to contribute their suggestions for the future direction of US efforts to reduce this significant threat to highway safety. IBH composed a summary report of the meeting which includes next steps for drugged driving. Meeting Report. November 4 2010: The Significance of the Recovery Movement William L. White, MA, Senior Research Consultant, Chestnut Health Systems A. Thomas McLellan, Ph.D, Founder of Treatment Research Institute; Former Deputy Director, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Wilson Compton, M.D., M.P.E., Director, Division of Epidemiology, Services and Prevention Research, National Institute on Drug Abuse Andrea Kopstein, Ph.D., MPH, Director, Office of Program Analysis & Coordination, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment Paul Molloy, Chief Executive Officer, Oxford House Leonard A. Jason, Ph.D., DePaul University, Center for Community Research Pat Taylor, Executive Director, Faces and Voices of Recovery Carlos Hardy, MHS, Director of Public Affairs, Baltimore Substance Abuse Systems This lecture meeting focused on the importance of the Recovery Movement as a response to drug addiction in the United States. The John P. McGovern Award was presented by IBH President Robert L. DuPont, M.D. to William L. White, MA for his contributions to the field of addiction treatment and his distinguished career promoting lifetime recovery. Mr. White presented the long history of the recovery movement in the United States and discussed future directions. Dr. McLellan discussed how we can define recovery and its importance. Dr. Compton presented the future of recovery research and the role of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) while Dr. Kopstein discussed the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Annual Recovery Month which takes place each October. Lessons from successful recovery support programs were discussed by Mr. Molloy, Dr. Jason, Ms. Taylor, and Mr. Hardy. October 4 2010: International Drug Policy Symposium Per Johansson, Secretary General, Swedish National Association for a Drug-Free Society (RNS); Co-founder, World Federation Against Drugs (WFAD) R. Gil Kerlikowske, Director, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Nora D. Volkow, M.D., Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) IBH President Robert L. DuPont, M.D. presented the John P. McGovern Award to Per Johansson for his outstanding global leadership in drug policy. Mr. Johansson shared the Swedish drug policy perspective. ONDCP Director R. Gil Kerlikowske discussed the path forward in international drug policy, including the role of the US 2010 National Drug Control Strategy. Finally, Nora D. Volkow, M.D. presented the role of research in global drug policy. Dr. Volkow's slide presentation. The event was attended by international leaders in drug abuse prevention, treatment, research and policy from the United States, Sweden, Mexico and Canada. IBH President Robert L. DuPont with WFAD co-founders Sven-Olov Carlsson and Per Johansson.   Per Johansson of RNS and Yvonne Thunell of the Mentor Foundation, founded in Sweden. June 30 2009: 24/7 Sobriety Project Attorney General Larry Long, Attorney General of South Dakota Bill Mickelson, President & CEO, Mickelson Consulting Group LLC R. Gil Kerlikowske, Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy Robert Voas, Ph.D., Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation Jane Maxwell, Ph.D., Addiction Research Institute at the University of Texas at Austin The 24/7 Sobriety Project of South Dakota has demonstrated significant promise for reducing Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) offences and reducing alcohol and drug use among DWI offenders. Unlike other programs which only seek to reduce driving under the influence, this intense, low-cost, monitoring program for repeat DWI offenders seeks to eliminate the use of alcohol and drugs. This lecture gathered program innovators Attorney General Larry Long of South Dakota and Bill Mickelson with key leaders in drug policy, drug abuse prevention , and researchers. R. Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, was the evening's featured guest speaker. Director Kerlidowske discussed national drug control policies and how programs like the 24/7 Sobriety Project can impact DWI across the U.S. Researcher Robert Voas, Ph.D. explored how DWI offenders are managed in the U.S. while researcher Jane Maxwell, Ph.D. discussed the current state of DWI research. January 12, 2009: HOPE Probation: Hawaii's Opportunity Probation with Enforcement The Honorable Steven S. Alm, First Circuit of the State of Hawaii's Criminal Division Angela Hawken, Ph.D., Pepperdine University School of Public Policy Douglas Marlowe, J.D., Ph.D., National Association of Drug Court Professionals Al From, Founder and CEO, the Democratic Leadership Council HOPE (Hawaii's Opportunity Probation with Enforcement) holds the promise of significantly reducing both the demand for illegal drugs and associated criminal activity and prison populations across the US. Using drug testing with swift, brief sanctions for positive test results, HOPE is a cost-effective new option available as a model for use in courts nation-wide as a free-standing system or as a low-cost supplement to drug courts. HOPE conserves limited resources of treatment and supervision for those who need them. This McGovern Lecture brought together Steven Alm, the innovative judge who developed the HOPE model and Angela Hawken, Ph.D. who reported the positive findings from her evaluation of HOPE, funded by the US Department of Justice and the Smith Richardson Foundation. Douglas Marlowe, JD, Ph.D, discussed the relevance of HOPE for integration with drug courts. Al From, a long-time leader and policy expert in the nation's capitol, outlined his expectations and the political process for adoption of the HOPE model at the national level. This event was attended by federal, District of Columbia and state judges, criminal justice policy experts and administrators, and federal and state agency directors. November 2007: New Technologies in Roadside Drug Testing Bruce A. Goldberger, Ph.D., Professor, Director of Toxicology, University of Florida College of Medicine Mark S. Gold, M.D., Distinguished Professor, University of Florida College of Medicine Brain Institute J. Michael Walsh, Ph.D., President & Founder, The Walsh Group, Bethesda, MD Continuing its lecture series on Drugged Driving, in March, 2007 IBH brought together leaders in highway safety, public policy and research toxicology to consider the current state of roadside drug testing technology. Bruce Goldberger, Ph.D reviewed currently available technology, including breath, urine, saliva and sweat tests. He discussed the uses and limitations of these methodologies, and suggested new avenues of research and development that are in the pipeline. Mark S. Gold, M.D., followed Dr. Golderberger's presentation with comments regarding brain biology and driving behavior. J. Michael Walsh, Ph.D., internationally known for his research in drugged driving, concluded the presentation with both a national and global perspective on roadside testing practices. May 19, 2004: A New Legislative Agenda for Drugged Driving Michael McEleney, Legislative Director, Office of Representative Rob Porter (R-NV) J. Michael Walsh, Ph.D., President, The Walsh Group In May, 2004 IBH convened national leaders in highway safety to discuss a new legislative agenda for drugged driving. The meeting included a presentation from J. Michael Walsh, Ph.D., on programs focused on driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) currently underway in Europe and Australia. An international expert on drug-impaired driving, Dr. Walsh convened the recent International Symposium on Drug-Impaired Driving and discussed highlights from the presented research. Michael McEleney, Legislative Director for Congressman Jon Porter (R-NV), presented pending drug-impaired driving legislation in Congress. Representatives Porter and Rob Portman (R-OH) co-authored federal DUID legislation passed by the House of Representatives in April 2004. Discussing the House legislation and prospects for similar action by the Senate, Mr. McEleney called for greater public awareness and involvement in this issue. September 15, 2003: Uses for Onsite Hair Testing David Brill, MD, President and CEO, DrugRisk Solutions, Inc. Thomas Eden, Esq., National Advisor on Student Drug Testing IBH presented the John P. McGovern Lecture on Leadership in Substance Abuse Prevention in September, 2003 to David Brill, MD, MA, MPH, and Thomas Eden, Esq. Dr. Brill discussed the potential policy applications of a new onsite hair drug test developed by DrugRisk Solutions, LLC. This newly available screening technology will strengthen testing options for substance abuse prevention, detection and treatment. Thomas Eden, Esq. spoke on the optimal integration of this powerful new technology into existing law, policy and industry models. May 28, 2003: Oral Fluids Testing at the Roadside Sam Niedebala, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Science Officer, OraSure Technologies, Inc. J. Michael Walsh, Ph.D., President, The Walsh Group In May, 2003 IBH gathered a diverse group for another in a series of meetings to discuss driving under the influence of drugs (DUID). This meeting focusing on the technology currently available for roadside testing for illegal drugs. The goal for the discussion was to find answers to the question: "Is Oral Fluids Testing Ready for Prime Time at the Roadside?" R. Sam Niedebala, Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Chief Science Officer and a founder of OraSure Technologies, Inc., updated the group on recent technological developments and testing innovations. J. Michael Walsh, Ph.D., President, The Walsh Group, discussed DUID studies in Europe.