National Institutes Of Health Awards $350,000 To University Of Miami School Of Business For Cocaine Addiction Study

CORAL GABLES, Fla., May 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has granted $350,000 to a professor at the University of Miami (UM) School of Business Administration for an innovative study aimed at uncovering cocaine abuse patterns to lead to more effective treatments.  Yongtao Guan, a professor of management science at the UM School of Business, will use statistical methods to interpret and categorize data of cocaine users, specifically their patterns of use before, during and following drug rehabilitation, in order to better understand the treatment's effectiveness. The proposed methods are not limited to cocaine addictions but also can be used for the treatment of other addictions including alcohol dependence.

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"The result of this work can be used by other researchers and drug counselors to better evaluate the effectiveness of treatment and to determine the most effective treatment for addicts based on their individual, behavioral characteristics," said Guan, whose collaborators include Jose Szapocznik, a professor at UM's Miller School of Medicine, and Rajita Sinha and Heping Zhang, both professors at Yale University.  "The results could have major economic implications in that there are more than one million people dependent on cocaine in the U.S. alone."

About the University of Miami School of Business Administration
The University of Miami School of Business Administration is a leading business school, offering undergraduate business, full-time MBA, Executive MBA, MS, PhD and non-degree executive education programs. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Miami, the School is located in a major hub of international trade and commerce and acclaimed for the global orientation and diversity of its faculty, students and curriculum. The School delivers its programs at its main campus in Coral Gables as well as at locations across Florida and abroad. More information about the University of Miami School of Business Administration can be found at www.bus.miami.edu.

SOURCE University of Miami School of Business Administration