ADDICTION CENTRE LAUNCHED

Criminologist Raymond Corrado (left) expects SFU will play a prominent role
in a new $10 million research centre that will focus on addiction.

Housed at the University of Victoria, the centre for addictions research of
B.C. involves a partnership of all four B.C. universities.

Funding is being provided by the B.C. Addictions Foundation, which was
established at the recommendation of the B.C. addictions task force in 2001.

Corrado, an expert on youth crime, is SFU's representative on the centre
team. He will spend the next few months canvassing SFU researchers in
various schools and departments whose research is linked to addiction.
"I'll be drawing our expertise from a wide range of areas including
psychology, criminology, kinesiology and communication," says Corrado.
"With such a wide range of ongoing and potential research, SFU will be
well-represented in the centre's work."

The centre's mandate covers a range of addictions, everything from
substance abuse to problem gambling. Led by University of Victoria
psychologist Bonnie Leadbeater, it will provide the first coordinated
effort into addiction research in B.C.

Addiction research has typically been conducted within separate
disciplines, limiting the transfer of knowledge between researchers.
Corrado says the centre will make it easier for those in their various
fields to collaborate on population health research that targets the
causes, prevention and treatment of addictions.

Expertise will include researchers with background in the biomedical causes
of addictions, the social dimensions of addiction, particularly related to
youth and aboriginal health, and health service delivery to remote populations.

The first year will see a special emphasis on the areas of fetal alcohol
syndrome, addictions related to mental illness and the prevention of
addiction among youth, an area with connections to Corrado's ongoing study
of incarcerated juveniles, in particular, repeat offenders.

The centre's advisory board is made up of university, community and
government partners. Research units are being established at each of the
partner universities, including UBC, UNBC and SFU.