U of Michigan scientist takes helm of Hazelden Betty Ford addiction research center

CENTER CITY, Minn., Jan. 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Quyen Ngo now leads research activities at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation as the new executive director of the Butler Center for Research. Dr. Ngo most recently served as a research assistant professor at the University of Michigan's Institute for Research on Women and Gender and in the university's Emergency Medicine department.

The Butler Center for Research, an internal scientific research department, supports the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation through its primary focus of conducting scientific research that can be used to not only continuously improve Hazelden Betty Ford's clinical services and programs, but to also inform the entire field of addiction and recovery.

Most recently, the Butler Center and its collaborators published a peer-reviewed study in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment that reflected successful outcomes for Hazelden Betty Ford's Comprehensive Opioid Response with Twelve Steps, or COR-12®, framework, resulting in:

• high rates of medication compliance,
• high engagement in other aspects of treatment and recovery support, and
• high rates of continuous abstinence in the first six months after recovery initiation.

"We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Ngo to our team," said Dr. Valerie Slaymaker, vice president of education and research at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and provost of the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School of Addiction Studies. "She is a highly esteemed professional and an outstanding addition to our leadership. Her expertise and leadership will guide our many research interests as we explore the ever-evolving science of addiction and recovery."

Dr. Ngo—who, after receiving her doctorate, has spent the last eight years conducting grant-funded research on the role of substance use in intimate partner violence and developing technology-enhanced brief interventions for substance use disorders—begins her tenure as executive director at an exciting time for the Butler Center. Research projects currently underway include:

• a collaboration with Mayo Clinic to identify biomarkers that predict the response of patients with alcohol use disorder to the medicine acamprosate;
• a collaboration with the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management harnessing machine learning and artificial intelligence to build predictive models for evaluating each patient's initial risk and then identifying the treatment elements most likely to lead to long-term recovery for that patient.

"The Butler Center is engaged in leading-edge research right now, and I could not be more thrilled," said Dr. Ngo, who earned her PhD in clinical psychology and women's studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and completed a post-doctoral research fellowship there. "It's an honor to join such a storied organization as the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, where research, innovation and leadership are part of the organizational DNA."

Since its inception, the Butler Center for Research has been dedicated to improving recovery outcomes by conducting clinical and institutional research; collaborating with other research centers; and communicating scientific findings both internally and publicly.

In 1974, Hazelden (later the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation) created the Continuation Center, a hub for research, literature, and administration located at its headquarters in Center City, Minnesota. The Continuation Center was renamed the Butler Center for Research in 1977, with the vision of supporting sustained recovery from addiction for all who seek help by way of advancements in knowledge and integration of research of addiction treatment into practice.

About the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is a force of healing and hope for individuals, families and communities affected by addiction to alcohol and other drugs. As the nation's leading nonprofit provider of comprehensive inpatient and outpatient treatment for adults and youth, the Foundation has 17 locations nationwide and collaborates with an expansive network throughout health care. With a legacy that began in 1949 and includes the 1982 founding of the Betty Ford Center, the Foundation today also encompasses a graduate school of addiction studies, a publishing division, an addiction research center, recovery advocacy and thought leadership, professional and medical education programs, school-based prevention resources and a specialized program for children who grow up in families with addiction. Learn more at www.HazeldenBettyFord.org and on Twitter @hazldnbettyford.

SOURCE Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

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