
Established in 1978, the Alcohol Research Center (ARC) at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine remains the longest-funded center both at UConn and at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), a branch of the National Institutes of Health. Funding to the ARC was recently renewed through 2024.
The Center is the first funded by the NIAAA to focus on both the etiology and treatment of alcoholism. Although alcohol research remains the central focus, the ARC now has programs that encompass research on other psychoactive substances (including heroin, marijuana, cocaine), pathological gambling and HIV/AIDS.
Our program is guided by three basic scientific questions:
- What is the nature of addiction?
- Why are some individuals more vulnerable to addiction than others?
- What mechanisms account for the efficacy of various treatments for different types of addicted persons?
Research Studies
Addiction and Substance Abuse*
* Several of the studies listed at this link are funded by the ARC. Others are funded by other grants.
News
UConn Today: Alcohol Research Center’s Unheard of Longevity
WTIC NewsTalk 1080: UConn’s Alcohol Research Center Continues Unprecedented Run
Alcohol Research Center Battles Addiction with Science
Scientists Find Gene Linked to Alcohol Consumption
Researchers
Principal Investigator and ARC Contact
Lance Bauer, Ph.D.
Psychiatry, School of Medicine
Phone: 860-679-4154
Email: lbauer@uchc.edu
Scientific Directors
Jonathan Covault, M.D., Ph.D.
Psychiatry, School of Medicine
Sheila Alessi, Ph.D.
Calhoun Cardiology Center, School of Medicine
Associate Scientific Directors
Mark Litt, Ph.D.
Behavioral Sciences and Community Health, School of Dental Medicine
Carla Rash, Ph.D.
Calhoun Cardiology Center, School of Medicine
Howard Tennen, Ph.D.
Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine
Kristyn Zajac, Ph.D.
Calhoun Cardiology Center, School of Medicine
Victor Hesselbrock, Ph.D.
Psychiatry, School of Medicine
Grants Management Contact
Ms. Margie Meadows
Psychiatry, School of Medicine
Email: mmeadows@uchc.edu
Mailing Address
Margie Meadows
Alcohol Research Center Administrative Office
Department of Psychiatry
UConn Health
263 Farmington Avenue
Farmington, CT 06030-1410