Institutionalization of Drug Abuse Research in Academia: One Professor's View

• Date: 01 January 2009
• DOI: 10.1177/002204260903900102
• Author: Clyde B. McCoy
• Published date: 01 January 2009
• Subject Matter: Article

© 2009 BY THE JOURNAL OF DRUG ISSUES

JOURNAL OF DRUG ISSUES 0022-0426/09/01 15-20

__________

Clyde B. McCoy, Ph.D. is Professor and Chairman for the Department of Epidemiology and Public

Health, Director of the Comprehensive Drug Research Center, and Director of the University of Miami/

Humana Health Services Research Center. Dr. McCoy’s areas of interest include epidemiology and

social behavior. He has studied drug abuse issues for more than 30 years.

INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF DRUG ABUSE RESEARCH IN

ACADEMIA: ONE PROFESSOR’S VIEW

CLYDE B. MCCOY

Substance abuse is marginalized both as an activity and as an area of study.

Substance abuse research is a relatively new f‌i eld, and in the early days faculty

members engaging in such research found it diff‌i cult to obtain tenure track positions

at universities. Funding for substance abuse study was limited, depending mainly

on the National Institute on Drug Abuse for grants. This article describes one

professor’s role in the institutionalization of substance abuse research in academia

and the benef‌i ts of a career in this f‌i eld.

Having spent over 30 years in the f‌i eld of drug abuse research, I can say it has

been a most worthwhile and satisfying career. While obstacles and roadblocks have

occurred, the rewards have far outweighed the diff‌i culties. In fact, resolving the

diff‌i culties has added to the gratif‌i cation of engaging in this venture. While drug

abuse has been with us since the dawn of civilization, substance abuse as an academic

discipline is relatively new. An interesting and enlightening history of substance

abuse research can be found in “Drug Abuse Research in Historical Perspective”

by David Musto (1996).

During the f‌i rst half of the twentieth century, substance abuse research was not

generally an integral part of academic training or focus. It was probably the drug

epidemic of the late 1960s and early 1970s that established the modern f‌i eld of

substance abuse research. The creation of federal agencies, such as the National

Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse

(NIDA) under the umbrella of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), provided a

venue for training researchers in a wide variety of academic disciplines in substance

abuse research and for funding many of the research studies. The establishment of