About the speaker: 

Dr. Brooke Molina (she/her) is Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology, Pediatrics, and Clinical and Translational Science at the University of Pittsburgh and a licensed clinical psychologist in Pennsylvania. She has been conducting federally funded single- and multi-site research on the course, causes, outcomes, and treatments of ADHD and substance use/disorder amongst individuals with increased risk (ADHD; children of alcoholics) and typical-healthy populations, throughout her career. Her greatest area of research concentration has been longitudinal studies of individuals with ADHD with an emphasis on understanding their multifactorial risk for harmful alcohol use and other substance use/disorders as well as long-term diagnostic and functioning outcomes.

Dr. Molina has been federally funded to conduct this research since 1995, with a focus on two well-known cohorts of adults followed since childhood (Pittsburgh ADHD Longitudinal Study; longitudinal follow-up of the children in the Multimodal Treatment of ADHD study).

Other projects have focused on the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying psychopathology course and outcome, psychosocial and pharmacologic treatment for ADHD, and prevention of stimulant diversion by adolescents and young adults being treated for ADHD in primary care. She directs the Developmental Alcohol Research (T32) Training program for postdoctoral scholars (DART), she has served on multiple journal editorial boards and NIH review panels, and she is President-elect of the American Professional Society for ADHD and Related Disorders (APSARD).

About the talk:

Childhood ADHD is a known risk factor for harmful alcohol-related outcomes and other substance use; multiple reasons for this specific risk have been hypothesized and some have been tested. I will describe candidate pathways and present results from two recent studies following children with ADHD into early adulthood. Findings will emphasize the roles of typical ADHD-related impairments as well as the most common treatment for ADHD – stimulant medication. Implications for treatment and future research will be discussed.

This presentation targets researchers and any clinical care providers who treat ADHD in children and adults, offering content at an intermediate level. The speaker has reported no conflicts of interest or commercial support for this talk.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe evidence-based reasons for increased substance use risk amongst children with ADHD.
2. Describe what is currently known about the extent to which stimulant medication increases risk for substance use disorder.
3. Select treatments for ADHD that maximize the chances of reducing substance use disorder risk.

Continuing Education:

One hour of CE credit is available for attendees who are present for the entire program. We ask that all participants complete the given evaluation form at the conclusion of the program.

The Center for Children and Families is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Center for Children and Families maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) accepts CE credit provided by APA providers towards ANCC re-certification.

This free in-person talk has also been approved for up to 1 CEU credit by Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling; and 1 CE credit by Florida Board of Psychology and Florida Office of School Psychology.