WORKSHOP: EARLY CAREER MEMBER COMMITTEE: NAVIGATING A CAREER IN ADDICTION SCIENCE: Grand Ballroom II

Despite a wide range of career paths available to scientists in the substance use and addiction fields, knowledge on how to navigate a career can be limited. This gap in knowledge can be a function of limited access to resources, mentorship, and/or institutional knowledge. Opportunities may exist for emerging addiction scientists that are well suited for their skillsets or expertise but are otherwise inaccessible due to a lack of knowledge on how to pursue certain career paths. The purpose of this workshop is to provide early career attendees at CPDD the opportunity to hear from a diverse group of addiction scientists from a range of professions spanning academia, industry, and government agencies. This workshop will provide valuable information to early career scientists about skill sets, expertise, and experiences needed for various careers and the benefits of different career paths. Our speakers include preclinical, clinical, and epidemiological addiction scientists with experience in Industry positions, government agencies, and both research-focused and teaching-focused academic institutions. Presenters will share experiences that prepared them for their careers, describe their day-to-day work, and discuss available growth opportunities. Presentations by speakers will be followed by breakout groups to allow early career attendees to ask directed questions about specific careers. CPDD is successful, in part, because of dedicated scientists with careers in academia, industry, and government who collaborate to advance the understanding of addiction science. This workshop will provide critical insights for early career attendees, facilitate unique networking opportunities, and will ultimately enrich the future membership of CPDD.