Patient-oriented research is an important part of the NIH mission. The K24 funding mechanism provides an outstanding opportunity to provide mentoring opportunities for new or future clinical researchers while at the same time enhancing the mentor's own patient-oriented research program. The Candidate has a long and strong history in mentoring;she is a nationally-recognized leader in the alcohol research field;and she has a consistent track record in acquisition of peer-reviewed funding. Great progress was made in the initial funding period, consistent with the goals of the K24. This application represents a request for a second five years of support. The Candidate's long-term career goal is to provide quality mentoring in patient-oriented research to the next generation of alcohol researchers while, at the same time, becoming an expert in patient-oriented research focused on the relationship between social anxiety and alcohol. The environment for patient-oriented research and the resources at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) are outstanding. Examples of opportunities for mentees include participation in multisite and investigator-initiated pharmacotherapy clinical trials with new medications for alcohol treatment;pharmacogenomic studies to begin to predict drug response;human laboratory studies of voluntary drinking to study medication effects;gender-related research related to relapse;and studies of the relationship between stress and drinking. The MUSC Charleston Alcohol Research Center, the Women's Research Center, and the Neurobiology of Addiction Research Center together provide a stimulating multidisciplinary academic environment for all mentees and help facilitate patient-oriented and translational research. The Candidate has demonstrated the ability to attract strong mentees and to develop them into independent clinical researchers. These individuals remain in academic careers and, importantly, continue to conduct alcohol research. The Candidate's research program and the Charleston Alcohol Research Center's theme relate to the important problem of alcohol treatment, a research area of major importance to society.
