ABOUT

The Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research was created in 1999 with generous endowed support from M. June and J. Virgil Waggoner. Its goal is to research the biological causes of substance use disorders and discover new therapies and treatments. In 2023, an estimated 48.5 million people in the United States had a substance use disorder that involved abuse of alcohol, illicit drugs, or prescription pain relievers*. The effect of these disorders on society is immense in terms of loss of productivity, health care costs, and diminished quality of life for those struggling with substance use and for their loved ones. Scientific advances have revolutionized our knowledge of these disorders, and we now clearly understand that they are treatable diseases of the brain. The Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction marshals the collective expertise of a multidisciplinary team of scientists that study the biology of substance use disorders across a variety of levels and approaches, from genetic and molecular, to clinical and public health. This integrated, synergistic approach creates the opportunity for collective progress not possible in any one laboratory and accelerates the potential development of new therapies and treatments for these devastating disorders.

MISSION

The mission of the Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research is to:

• Study the neurobiological causes of substance use disorders and translate this knowledge into new treatments, and prevention strategies.
• Move the field of addiction research forward as efficiently as possible through creating opportunities for collaboration and cross-pollination of ideas between a multidisciplinary team of scientists. 
• Explore the relationship of substance use disorders to comorbid psychiatric and societal dynamics through collaborative research with clinicians, social, and behavioral scientists. 
• Use emerging research tools in neurobiology to identify new candidates for medication development.
• Train future scientists in state-of-the art approaches to the study of substance use disorders, fostering their development as the next generation of leaders in the field.

*Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health Data