NIDA director a finalist for prestigious service award

Longtime National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) director Nora D. Volkow, MD, is receiving recognition from a nonprofit organization devoted to revitalizing federal government service through workforce development initiatives.

Volkow last week was named one of 31 finalists for the 2013 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals from the Partnership for Public Service, a group whose efforts focus on building and maintaining a high-quality federal workforce. Volkow is one of five finalists in the Science and Environment category, recognizing significant contributions in subject areas ranging from biomedicine to energy to information technology.

A summary of the award finalists’ credentials that was published in the May 8 Washington Post states that Volkow “demonstrated that drug addiction is a disease that changes brain function and created new strategies for treating patients with substance abuse issues.”

About 18 months into her tenure as NIDA director, back in late 2004, Addiction Professional featured Volkow on its cover. She is photographed in front of two large office computer monitors depicting the brain scans that have served as the focal point of her message of using the latest in scientific discovery to understand addiction and its most promising treatment and prevention strategies.

Other achievements being recognized in the Science and Environment award category include improvements in coronary stent technology and efforts to stem the release of greenhouse gas from U.S. Department of Energy facilities.

Medalists receive cash awards, and this year’s winners will be announced in October. Finalists are selected from a list of nominees suggested by supervisors and others, and a panel of leaders from various sectors chooses the medalists in each category.