Registration open for 8th annual Substance Use Research Event
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 16, 2025) — The University of Kentucky’s eighth annual Substance Use Research Event (SURE) will be March 10, 2026, and registration is currently open.
Held in the UK Gatton Student Center Harris Ballroom from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., SURE is a free event that showcases translational research conducted at UK focusing on substance use and substance use disorder.
“Our goal with SURE is to highlight forward-thinking research that leads to real solutions. Bringing scientists and community members together is essential for translating discovery into better outcomes for individuals with substance use disorders,” said Michael Wesley, Ph.D., an associate professor in the UK College of Medicine and committee chair for the event. “We are excited to welcome Dr. Bita Moghaddam and Dr. John Kelly to SURE and look forward to the impact their expertise will have on our community.”
Speakers will include:
- Bita Moghaddam, Ph.D., professor of behavioral science and psychiatry at Oregon Health and Science University, “Evolution of the Role of Glutamate in Dopamine-Related Symptoms of Mental Illness”
- John Kelly, Ph.D., Elizabeth R. Spalling Professor of Psychiatry in Addiction Medicine at Harvard Medical School, “The Changing Approach to Addiction: From Crime to Clinic and Community”
There will also be four breakout sessions for attendees that focus on alcohol use, methamphetamine, new strategies for substance use disorder treatment and moving from policy to practice for substance use disorders.
A poster session will be held where attendees can showcase their research. This will include a poster competition, supported by the Substance Use Priority Research Area (SUPRA), for the following groups: staff, undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and community members. Submit abstracts online by Jan. 12, 2026.
The free event is open to all members of UK and the greater Lexington community. Attendees must register online in advance. Registration closes Feb. 2, 2026.
SURE 2026 is sponsored by the UK Office of the Vice President for Research, SUPRA, UK HealthCare CECentral and the UK Cannabis Center.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.