MIDDLEBURY — Peg Calder, the president of the Middlebury-based Foundation for Alcoholism Research (FAR), presented “FAR: Why, How and What?” at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for the Studies of Addiction (CSA) in Philadelphia, Pa., on Nov. 9. The presentation was part of the CSA’s monthly seminar series.
Dr. Teresa Franklin, neuroscientist at the CSA, extended the invitation earlier this year after conferring with the steering committee regarding their interest in hearing about FAR. This was the first such speaker for them; others are in the scientific fields.
When speaking about why FAR was formed, Calder presented statistics on the paltry research funds spent to help resolve alcohol use disorder compared to the need. Alcoholism is the third most common disease in the United States, yet the dollars spent in finding answers is the lowest per person of any of the major diseases.
According to the National Institutes for Health, alcoholism afflicts 17.6 million people in the U.S., and the research funds amount to about $25 per person, compared to $500 per person for cancer and $3,000 per person for HIV/AIDS.