FILE PHOTO: In this Nov. 11, 2020 file photo, jars of marijuana are seen on display at Montana Advanced Caregivers, a medical marijuana dispensary, in Billings, Mont. The Montana Senate on Friday, April 23, 2021, passed a bill to implement a recreational marijuana program in the state, which would reserve tax revenue from sales for addiction treatment and statewide conservation efforts. Voters approved a ballot measure last year to legalize recreational marijuana sales. The ballot measure also sought to divert a significant portion of tax revenue toward conservation efforts.
Asia Tabb is the Host and Producer for WITF’s The Spark.
She began her start in radio when she joined legendary radio/ host producer, Doc Christian. She worked closely with Doc for her role on “The Gospel Express, on WHOV 88.1 FM and was a host for “Unrestricted Praise” at Praise FM.
Previously she was an anchor in Shreveport, Louisiana at KTAL/KMSS. Asia also worked as a Multi-Media Journalist at WHP-TV here in Harrisburg, PA.
Asia got her break into news at KTVO in Ottumwa, Ia. While the 2020 caucuses were gearing up. Asia followed many candidates through their campaign trail from Senator Cory Booker, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, and 46th President of the United States Joe Biden.
Asia was born and raised in Norfolk, Va. She graduated from Old Dominion University in 2018 with a major in Communications.
Asia is extremely friendly so don’t be afraid to say hi if you see her out and about.
Matthew Brown / AP Photo
FILE PHOTO: In this Nov. 11, 2020 file photo, jars of marijuana are seen on display at Montana Advanced Caregivers, a medical marijuana dispensary, in Billings, Mont. The Montana Senate on Friday, April 23, 2021, passed a bill to implement a recreational marijuana program in the state, which would reserve tax revenue from sales for addiction treatment and statewide conservation efforts. Voters approved a ballot measure last year to legalize recreational marijuana sales. The ballot measure also sought to divert a significant portion of tax revenue toward conservation efforts.
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Nearly four decades after overcoming her own struggles with addiction, Bucknell University Professor Judy Grisel has dedicated her life to understanding why some people become dependent on drugs — and how the brain plays a role in that process. But as Grisel told The Spark’s Asia Tabb, her journey toward becoming a neuroscientist began for a very personal reason.
“I hit my own bottom with excessive drug use in my early 20s,” Grisel said. “When I learned that it was killing me and I had a disease and needed to be abstinent, I thought, no way. I need another back door. So I decided to become a neuroscientist to cure myself so I could use drugs without self-destructing.” What started as what she calls “a nutty idea” became a lifelong mission to understand the biology of addiction — and eventually to help others find recovery.
In treatment at just 23 years old, Grisel said she was “a pretty big mess,” but her determination pushed her toward science. “I thought there was something different about my brain than other people’s,” she said. “So I turned where I used to spend a lot of time scoring chemicals into making flashcards and trying to pass tests. It was something to do — challenging and exciting.”
Now a behavioral neuroscientist, Grisel’s research explores addiction as a brain-based disease — one that’s far more complex than most people realize. “There are different genes that have influences, different neurochemicals and circuits in the brain that get over or under activated as people go from casual users to addicted,” she explained. “We know recovery reverses some of that — but not all. If we really understood the problem, we’d have fixed it by now.”
Through her teaching, bestselling book Never Enough: The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction, and her new TrueDrugs initiative, Grisel continues to bridge the gap between research and real-world understanding — helping others see that addiction isn’t just a matter of willpower, but of science, survival, and hope.
