Petris Center Director Richard M. Scheffler, Ph.D., and UC–Berkeley Psychology Department Chair Stephen P. Hinshaw, Ph.D., have been awarded an Investigator Award in Health Policy Research by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation® (RWJF) to write a book on attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The book, titled "ADHD Medication in America: Society, Schools and Public Policy," will provide a timely, evidence-based resource on key clinical and policy-related issues pertinent to ADHD. It is intended for legislators, regulators and health care payers, and will be a valuable resource for parents, health care professionals, teachers and advocates.

Approximately 4.4 million children in the United States have been diagnosed with ADHD, which is associated with longstanding problems in academic achievement, social relationships, life skills, and independence. More than half of those diagnosed receive medication, but its use has been mired in controversy. Because of the high medication rate and significant costs involved, as well as a recent surge in policy battles over the safety of the medications and the appropriate role of schools, the entire issue is ripe for incisive policy analysis.

The book will include exhaustive reviews of economic, historical and clinical research on ADHD issues. Most importantly, the authors will synthesize that research to provide priorities for state and federal policy-makers and government agencies, which will aid their efforts to reduce diagnostic and treatment-related disparities, improve access to effective treatments, and increase utilization of the most cost-effective treatments. Ultimately, this will enhance the effectiveness of interventions for children with ADHD, and improve the quality of life for these children, their families and their communities.

The $334,875 grant, awarded in mid-February, is scheduled to last three years; the authors plan to supplement the book with two to four journal articles.

The grant is from the Investigator Awards in Health Policy Research, a national RWJF program that supports researchers whose crosscutting and innovative ideas promise to contribute meaningfully to improving health and health care policy. The program provides one of the few funding opportunities in the United States for investigator-initiated projects that are broad in scope, innovative in approach, and have national policy relevance. Located at the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, the program is directed by David Mechanic, Ph.D.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves.