National Grand Rounds - November 2024

Kristen Huntley, PhD, is the Associate Director and Addiction Medicine Team Leader in the Center for the Clinical Trials Network (CCTN), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Huntley also serves as a Scientific Officer for multi-site clinical research projects studying the effectiveness and implementation of interventions for the treatment of substance use disorders. She provides leadership for selected projects conducted through the NIDA CTN Dissemination Initiative, and is the NIDA CCTN contact for research conducted in emergency medicine settings. 

During her tenure at NIH Dr. Huntley has served as a Scientific Review Officer at NIDA and as a Program Director at the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) where she managed a portfolio of pain management research grants and led efforts to build collaborations with other federal agencies to encourage research on the use of integrative approaches and models of care for pain management in military and veteran populations. Prior to working at NIH, Dr. Huntley was on the faculty of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, a project director at a market research firm, and worked as a clinical psychologist in a variety of community and medical settings. Dr. Huntley has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and over 30 years of experience in government, academic, research, and clinical settings.

Dr. Jana Drgonova supports innovative research programs in development of pharmacotherapies for substance use disorders through preclinical safety and efficacy assessments, and through planning and development of clinical studies. Before joining NIDA, Dr. Drgonova was a Scientific Program Manager at the VA Office of Research and Development where she managed a portfolio that included preclinical and clinical research on alcohol and substance use disorders, pain, and medical cannabis. Dr. Drgonova obtained her PhD in Biochemistry from the Slovak Technical University and gained her research experience in substance use disorders during her 13 years at the NIDA intramural program. There she used animal models and behavioral and molecular approaches to evaluate the role of genes implicated in vulnerability to drug addiction. Her other interests include text mining and natural language processing.

Mr. Brian Marquis joined the NIDA Communications Branch (CB) in January 2002 as the Information Center Manager. He is now the NIDA Public Liaison Officer and connects with organizations across the country with the help of NIDA publications and Web sites. Prior to joining the branch, Mr. Marquis worked at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Publications Clearinghouse and as a contractor at National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. He has a B.S. in Family Studies from University of Maryland, College Park.

Dr. Lindsey Ann Martin is a Health Scientist Administrator (Program Officer) in the Services Research Branch in the Division of Epidemiology, Services, and Prevention Research (DESPR) at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Her portfolio areas include quality measurement and recovery services. In addition to her role at NIDA, Dr. Martin serves as a project scientist for the NIH Common Fund's Transformative Research to Address Health Disparities and Advance Health Equity initiative, as well as the Community Partnerships to Advance Science for Society (ComPASS) initiative. Dr. Martin has a PhD in anthropology, with a specialization in medical anthropology, from Wayne State University and completed a VA Advanced Fellowship in Health Services Research and Development at the Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness & Safety (IQuESt) at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center.

Nicholas E. Nacca, MD, FACMT is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Director of Medical Toxicology, and Associate Fellowship Director of the Medical Toxicology Fellowship Program at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC). In addition to his role within the Department of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Nacca holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Environmental Medicine. As Director of Medical Toxicology, Dr. Nacca oversees the educational and clinical operations of the medical toxicology consultation service, where he is actively involved in training medical toxicology fellows, as well as mentoring multidisciplinary teams that include medical residents, pharmacy residents, and medical students. He also staffs and directs a referral-based outpatient Medical Toxicology Clinic, where he provides specialized care to patients requiring toxicological evaluation and treatment. Dr. Nacca’s work bridges clinical practice and education, emphasizing the development of the next generation of toxicology professionals while providing expert consultation in both inpatient and outpatient settings.