Grant: Meetings, Planning and Dissemination Grant: INMHA

Researchers, health care providers, and stakeholders will be invited to this two-day symposium on the unique aspects of women problem gamblers. Discussion topics will include current knowledge about women problem gamblers: social, psychological and neurological characteristics; treatment approaches; and gaps in the research. The symposium will include a poster session to encourage the participation of graduate students and enhance networking by increasing the amount of knowledge that can be shared during this time. Opportunities for networking will be provided during the first day and interested individuals and groups can choose to attend the second day of the symposium, which will focus on partnership development and planning meetings. These meetings will be organized by participants' specific research interests to help identify and develop possible collaborations to guide development of new research proposals. The University of Lethbridge has been chosen as the site for this symposium because it is a member of the Alberta Gaming Research Institute (AGRI), a consortium of the University of Alberta, University of Calgary, and the University of Lethbridge. The primary purpose of AGRI is to support and promote research into gaming and gambling in the Province of Alberta. AGRI has developed an extensive library that serves researchers around the world. It is housed at the University of Lethbridge. A number of gambling researchers are located at the University of Lethbridge and four have agreed to present at this symposium. A panel of women problem gamblers who are in recovery will be invited to share their experiences of gambling, the issues they faced in treatment, and directions they see for future research. The symposium will be advertised on research and health listserves. Long-distance technology will be utilized to encourage the participation of researchers, health care providers, and stakeholders where distance to travel is prohibitive.