Who We Are
In late February 2020, the first Bridging Connections in Addiction Research (BCAR) Symposium brought together about 50 members of the addiction research community at University of Pittsburgh. This gathering was adjacent to the annual meeting of the Appalachian Node of NIDA Clinical Trials network, a collaboration between Pitt, West Virginia University and Penn State at the time. A dozen individuals presented 5-minute snapshots of their research followed by table networking activities. The buzz and excitement of multi-disciplinary addiction researchers gathering in one place made it clear that this should not be a one-off event. Despite the pandemic disruptions that followed in the subsequent months, many individuals signed on to a Zoom gathering later that spring to plan for more collaborative opportunities.
A Brief History of BCAR
In February of 2020, we held a first gathering of addiction research faculty and trainees, from which we developed the BCAR organization. BCAR started with the School of Medicine, School of Pharmacy, School of Public Health, and School of Social Work with faculty and students representing Anesthesiology, General Internal Medicine, Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Health Policy and Management, Psychiatry, and Radiology.
As of August 2026, Pitt programs have had at least 120 faculty and several doctoral and post-doctoral trainees conducting research in the field of addiction. Their research methods included the whole range of health science research: basic science, animal experiments, translational, imaging, clinical trials, and population science. Combined, their funding originated from multiple NIH institutes: NIDA, NIAAA, NIMH, NHLBI, NIDDK, NCI, NIA, NINDS, as well as SAMHSA, HRSA, and foundations (both local and national). But most projects originated from a single department or focused on one type of research methodology.
We are always looking for new ideas and volunteers! Email bcar@pitt.edu to get involved.