About Torrance Clinic 

FRI’s Torrance clinic began operating in 2000.  The clinic is led by PI/Clinic Director, Dr. Donnie W. Watson with staff support from the Project Director (Jason McCuller, M.A.), Research Associate (Elena Nieves), Research Nurse (Christina Vazquez, R.N.), Counselor (Ruben Arancibia, M.A.), Physician (Dr. Mark Hrymoc) and a host of other consultants.  The research at the clinic includes outpatient adult stimulant medication development trials, interventions for adolescent substance use, addiction technology transfer to ethnic minority communities, developing congruence between research findings and community practices and evaluation projects.    

The stimulant medication development unit conducts multi-site randomized trials testing the efficacy and safety of stimulant medications.  The staff is conducting a NIDA grant to develop and implement HIV/substance use prevention to adolescent males and females in probation camps in LA County.  The staff is also conducting an UARP grant to deliver HIV Prevention to male adolescents in LA County Probation Camps.  There is also international work being conducted on a NIDA trial to assess the efficacy of three methods to train clinicians in the Republic of South Africa to demonstrate adherence to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques.