The Denison University Anderson Lecture Series will present an internationally recognized psychologist in the field of addiction research as its next speaker. G. Alan Marlatt, director of the Addictive Behaviors Research Center at the University of Washington, will speak at 8 p.m. on Thursday (Feb. 23) in Slayter Auditorium. His topic is "Mindfulness Meditation in the Treatment of Addictive Behaviors." The convocation is free and open to the public.

Marlatt's most recent work has investigated the "harm reduction" approach to reducing alcohol problems in young adults, including high-risk college students. He has conducted basic research on cognitive-behavioral factors in addiction, including investigations of how positive expectancies for alcohol and other drugs affects future use, social facilitation of alcohol use, and the role of stress and coping in substance use. His applied research has focused on relapse prevention in treatment of addictive behavior problems, including alcohol dependence, abuse of other substances, and maladaptive sexual behavior patterns (e.g. pedophilia).

Born in British Columbia, Marlatt earned his bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of British Columbia and his doctorate in clinical psychology at Indiana University. He did an internship in clinical psychology at Napa State Hospital, Calif., and has served on the faculties of the University of British Columbia and the University of Wisconsin. He has been a visiting scholar at Harvard University and at universities and hospitals in Brazil, Holland, Australia and England.

A prolific writer, Marlatt has published more than 200 journal articles and book chapters and has served as editor or author of several books, including "Alcoholism: New Directions in Behavioral Research and Treatment," "Relapse Prevention," and "Assessment of Addictive Behaviors." Marlatt has served on the editorial boards of 29 professional journals and as a consultant with the Veterans Administration, the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Marlatt has also earned awards for his research from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the National Institutes for Health (NIH). He won the Jellinek Memorial Award for Alcohol Studies in 1990, the NIH Research Scientist Award (1987-2003), and the NIH MERIT Award for Research on College Student Drinking (1990-1999).

Calendar Listing:

CALENDAR LISTING: Denison University, Granville -- The Anderson Lecture Series presents G. Alan Marlatt, internationally recognized psychologist in the field of addiction, speaking on "Mindfulness Meditation in the Treatment of Addictive Behaviors"; 8 p.m., Thursday (Feb. 23), Slayter Auditorium. Free and open to the public. Contact 740-587-6338 to confirm information.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

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