VCU hosts global leaders on substance abuse prevention, treatment and policy

By Rachael Pawlowski
VCU Communications and Public Relations

Virginia Commonwealth University’s Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies announces seven international scholars chosen to participate in the Humphrey Fellowship Program in Substance Abuse Prevention, Treatment and Policy.

This is the third year VCU has been host to the distinguished Humphrey Fellowship Program.

The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program, a Fulbright exchange activity, is administered by the Institute of International Education. The program brings established health professionals from developing countries to VCU for two semesters of study and related professional experiences.

The VCU Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies serves as the administrative home for the program and, working with faculty mentors, coordinates individualized program plans for the Fellows as well as develops professional affiliations. 

The academic portion of VCU’s program is led by the Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, a core department in the emerging School of Public Health.

Participants are selected through a rigorous process that is determined by U.S. embassies and the Fulbright commission. The program builds ties with international professionals and stimulates global research opportunities.

The seven fellows are:

Dr. Adrian Octavian Abagiu, of Bucharest, Romania, who graduated from the Bucharest University of Medicine in 1987 and earned a Ph.D. in medical science in 2000. He has been a senior doctor in infectious diseases since 1994. Abagiu hopes to learn more about substance abuse prevention and treatment.

Dr. Munir Ahmed, from Dhaka, Bangladesh, who obtained a medical degree, a master’s degree in public health degree and a diploma in health economics in 1989, 2003 and 2004 respectively, all from Dhaka University. In 2004 he joined Care’s harm reduction program – which focuses on injection drug users and heroin smokers. Ahmed hopes to enrich his knowledge regarding drug treatment modalities, policies, prevention, drug-overdose management, drug control legislation and self-help groups.

Daniel Akwasi Amankwaah, from Accra, Ghana. Amankwaah obtained his bachelor’s degree in political science and French in 1994 from the University of Ghana, where he also earned a law degree in 2007. He is head of the Legal Liaison Unit of the Ghana Narcotics Control Board. During his fellowship he will focus on substance abuse policy and criminal justice.

Dr. Petr Popov, from Prague, Czech Republic. Popov graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of the Charles University Prague in 1987, where he also completed his specialty in psychiatry in 1991 and his postgraduate specialty in drug abuse in 1997. He is head of the division of substance abuse services of the General Faculty Hospital Prague and head of the Department of Addictive Disorders at the Czech Institute of Postgraduate study in medicine. Popov hopes to broaden his knowledge of drug treatment modalities, policies, prevention and drug control legislation.

Dr. Tekendra Kumar Rai, from the State of Sikkim, India, who obtained a bachelor of medicine and surgery degree from Marathwada University in 1990. He oversees the Sikkim Anti Drugs Unit of the State. For his fellowship, Rai will focus on enhancing his knowledge about substance abuse policy, prevention and research and drug control legislation, especially regarding prescription drugs. He also seeks to learn about the relationship between HIV/AIDS and injection drug use.

Dr. Muna H. Sawwaf, from Jeddah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Sawwaf graduated from King Saud University in 1989 with a bachelor of medicine and surgery with honors. She is a consultant psychiatrist and head of the department of psychiatry at King Fahd General Hospital. Her fellowship goals are to learn more about the management of drug addiction in women, and behavioral and pharmacological treatments.

Oleksii Smirnov, from Kyiv, Ukraine, who works for the International HIV/AIDS Alliance in Ukraine and coordinates the activity of HIV-prevention projects of the Southern Ukraine as a senior program officer. Smirnov wants to broaden his knowledge about new strategies of work with this vulnerable group, particularly in the field of harm reduction, rehabilitation and substitution therapy.

The Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies was established at VCU in 1993 to promote excellence in research and education on substance abuse. The institute is composed of more than 50 faculty members from 14 different departments within the university, which enables a multidisciplinary approach to addressing the complex problems associated with alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

VCU’s Office of International Education assists Fellows in moving to Richmond, provides on- and off-campus housing options, identifies host families and offers numerous opportunities for a meaningful cultural experience.

For more information on the Humphrey Fellowship program visit www.iie.org/pgms/hhh/.