Course Description

Please join the FAES Academic Programs Team on February 20, 2025 at 12PM for the next installment of our Educational Webinar Series: Brain Myths vs. Molecules: Debunking Society’s Biggest Misconceptions about Addiction with Dr. Ruby Holland!

The Zoom link for the December Educational Webinar will be sent to you via email on February 19, 2025. Attend for a chance to win a FREE SPRING COURSE! 

This webinar will introduce learners of all levels to addiction - one of society’s most misunderstood conditions. Through interactive discussions and compelling scientific evidence, participants will discover how addiction physically rewires the brain's circuitry and why understanding these neural changes is crucial for effective treatment. This webinar bridges the gap between common misconceptions and scientific reality, revealing how modern neuroscience is revolutionizing our approach to addiction treatment and recovery. While the neurobiological underpinnings of addiction will serve as the focus of this webinar, learners will also explore how social determinants of health, systemic inequities, and psychosocial factors interact with brain chemistry to shape both vulnerability to addiction and access to treatment. Students who are interested in learning more about this fascinating topic are encouraged to enroll in the FAES course titled Neurobiology of Addiction (NEUR 355) – available this spring!

Speaker: Ruby A. Holland, MD, PhD is a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine 

Ruby A. Holland, MD, PhD is a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and will be transitioning to anesthesiology residency later this year. Her research in the Ross Laboratory focuses on brainstem neurocircuitry underlying chronic pain and opioid addiction. Her long-term goal is to apply her research towards the development of novel therapeutic strategies to treat pain effectively while minimizing opioid side effects. Outside of the lab, Ruby is passionate about education, advocacy, and mentorship. She has served as an FAES instructor for three years, teaching both Introduction to Human Neuroscience (NEUR 325) as well as Neurobiology of Addiction (NEUR 355).

Join us on January 16 at 12PM for our next Virtual Information Session. Register now!

The Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences (FAES) at NIH seeks to foster education and research in the biomedical sciences by providing instruction at the cutting edge of biological science and its evolving applications. Our goals also include responding to the educational and cultural needs of the NIH community and projecting FAES educational assets globally. All courses and workshops are open to the public. NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS FAES admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin, sex, disability, or age in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship programs, and other school-administered programs.

Please email registrar@FAES.org with questions or if you have issues with registration.