Social Impact Practicum Matches Community Needs With Student Contributions

Professor Jibran Khokhar and his students joined forces with the Dartmouth Center for Service's Ashley Doolittle to create a Social Impact Practicum in their psychology course, "Motivation Drugs, and Addiction." Through their projects, the students will contribute new data and evidence-based strategies on the topics of neuroscience, drugs, and addiction to partners at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and its affiliates, including community organization All Together. In partnership with Doolittle, Dartmouth's Associate Director for Academic & Service Engagement, the course was designed to apply academic principles in addressing pressing issues in real-life contexts. Professor Khokar said he hopes that by researching the effects of drugs on the brain, his students can show that addiction is a disease, and reduce the stigma associated with it. If such goals are achieved, the class will be helping to form a new community narrative about the opioid crisis, and contribute to finding the best way to support people struggling with treatment. Read more from The Dartmouth.