Funded Projects

Explore our currently funded projects. You may search with all three fields, then focus your results by applying any of the dropdown filters. After customizing your search, you may download results and even save your specific search for later.

Project # Project Title Research Focus Area Research Program Administering IC Institution(s) Sort descending Investigator(s) Location(s) Year Awarded
1RM1DA055437-01
Integrated Care for Chronic Pain and Opioid Use Disorder: The IMPOWR Research Center at Montefiore/Einstein (IMPOWR-ME) Clinical Research in Pain Management Reducing Opioid-Related Harms to Treat Chronic Pain (IMPOWR and MIRHIQL) NIDA ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE STARRELS, JOANNA L (contact); ARNSTEN, JULIA H; GABBAY, VILMA Bronx, NY 2021
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Integrative Management of Chronic Pain and OUD for Whole Recovery (IMPOWR): Research Centers (RM1 Clinical Trial Required)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-21-030
Summary:

Chronic pain and opioid use disorder often occur together, but there are a striking lack of integrated treatments accessible to people in need, particularly Black and Hispanic individuals living and seeking care in under resourced settings. This research will examine multi-modal, evidence-based practices in diverse health care settings and among diverse populations with both chronic pain and opioid misuse/disorder. The first project will examine the effects of yoga and physical therapy onsite at methadone opioid treatment clinics. The second project will test Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and a care-management smartphone app for individuals in primary-care based buprenorphine treatment. The third project will compare microdosing versus standard doses/timing of buprenorphine for hospitalized patients. All three projects will improve access to care for Black and Hispanic individuals in under resourced settings by bringing integrated treatments to them. The interventions have high potential to be used broadly.

1R01DA058620-01
Sequential Trial of Adding Buprenorphine, Cognitive Behavioral Treatment, and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to Improve Outcomes of Long-Term Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain (ACTION) Clinical Research in Pain Management Reducing Opioid-Related Harms to Treat Chronic Pain (IMPOWR and MIRHIQL) NIDA MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA BARTH, KELLY S (contact); BORCKARDT, JEFFREY J Charleston, SC 2023
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Multilevel Interventions to Reduce Harm and Improve Quality of Life for Patients on Long Term Opioid Therapy (MIRHIQL) (R01 Clinical Trial Required)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-23-041
Summary:

There is little evidence available to guide clinical care for patients on long-term opioid therapy for whom risks exceed benefits. Given valid fears about both pain and withdrawal during decreased dosing (tapering), these individuals face challenges, including concerns about being abandoned by providers and uncertainty about the need to discontinue opioids. As such, these patients are hesitant to enroll voluntarily in opioid discontinuation research, further deepening the clinical evidence gap. This project will evaluate three effective and scalable interventions for individuals on long-term opioid therapy: (1) low-dose transdermal buprenorphine (without) of opioid withdrawal, (2) a brief cognitive behavioral intervention for pain, and (3) noninvasive brain stimulation.

1R01DA058694-01
Integrating Tailored Postoperative Opioid Tapering and Pain Management Support for Patients on Long-Term Opioid Use Presenting for Spine Surgery (MIRHIQL) Clinical Research in Pain Management Reducing Opioid-Related Harms to Treat Chronic Pain (IMPOWR and MIRHIQL) NIDA STANFORD UNIVERSITY HAH, JENNIFER Stanford, CA 2023
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Multilevel Interventions to Reduce Harm and Improve Quality of Life for Patients on Long Term Opioid Therapy (MIRHIQL) (R01 Clinical Trial Required)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-23-041
Summary:

Decreasing opioid dosing faster than advised by clinical recommendations often leaves chronic pain unaddressed and may increase the risk of overdose and suicide compared to continuing long-term opioid treatment. Continued, long-term use of opioids after surgery by individuals who use opioids increases the risk of postoperative complications, opioid use disorder, and death. Surgery is a critical point-of-care moment for health care providers to interact with patients who use opioids about continued opioid use when harms outweigh benefits. This project will test of the Motivational Interviewing and guided Opioid Tapering support (MI-Opioid Taper) strategy, with or without a medication that reduces anxiety and relieves pain, at four geographically diverse hospitals across the nation.

1RM1DA055301-01
Integrative Treatment for Achieving Holistic Recovery from Comorbid Chronic Pain and Opioid Use Disorder Clinical Research in Pain Management Reducing Opioid-Related Harms to Treat Chronic Pain (IMPOWR and MIRHIQL) NIDA UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO WITKIEWITZ, KATIE A (contact); PEARSON, MATTHEW RYAN Albuquerque, NM 2021
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Integrative Management of Chronic Pain and OUD for Whole Recovery (IMPOWR): Research Centers (RM1 Clinical Trial Required)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-21-030
Summary:

There are a dearth of integrated treatments that simultaneously address the fundamental causes of chronic pain and opioid misuse/opioid use disorder and that focus on well-being among individuals with chronic pain and opioid misuse/disorder. This research will study how to improve the lives of patients with chronic pain and opioid misuse/disorder via tailored interventions that explicitly target increasing quality of life and engagement in valued activities, the cultural centering of interventions to meet the needs of diverse patient populations and reducing stigma of chronic pain and opioid misuse/disorder. Specific research projects will i) test the effectiveness, mechanisms, and implementation of an integrated psychosocial treatment for chronic pain and opioid use disorder among individuals receiving buprenorphine from outpatient treatment clinics, and ii) will use community-based participatory research methods to develop a culturally centered strategy for screening and brief intervention of chronic pain and opioid use disorder among American Indian/Alaska Native patients in primary care settings. This research will shed light on a difficult problem and improve health and wellbeing with a focus on diverse and underserved populations.

1RM1DA055311-01
Tailored Retention and Engagement for Equitable Treatment of OUD and Pain (TREETOP) Clinical Research in Pain Management Reducing Opioid-Related Harms to Treat Chronic Pain (IMPOWR and MIRHIQL) NIDA UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH MERLIN, JESSICA S (contact); HAMM, MEGAN ; KRAEMER, KEVIN L Pittsburgh, PA 2021
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Integrative Management of Chronic Pain and OUD for Whole Recovery (IMPOWR): Research Centers (RM1 Clinical Trial Required)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-21-030
Summary:

The goal of the Tailored Retention and Engagement for Equitable Treatment of Opioid use disorder (OUD) and Pain (TREETOP) research program is to develop effective, equitable, and sustainable interventions for chronic pain and opioid misuse/disorder that improve engagement in medication for opioid misuse/disorder treatment and retention in office-based addiction treatment. TREETOP will prioritize disproportionately affected rural and Black communities. The Engagement research project will investigate whether pain self-management can improve pain and engage primary care patients to seek medication treatment for opioid misuse/disorder. The Retention project will investigate whether pain self-management and/or flexibly dosed buprenorphine/naloxone can improve pain and retention in treatment among patients who have already begun care in office-based addiction treatment programs. With engagement from stakeholders and representatives with varied perspectives and lived experiences, this research will advance the science of sustainably and equitably managing chronic pain and opioid misuse/disorder, prioritizing disproportionately affected communities.

1R01DA058621-01
Optimizing Patient-Centered Opioid Tapering with Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) Clinical Research in Pain Management Reducing Opioid-Related Harms to Treat Chronic Pain (IMPOWR and MIRHIQL) NIDA UNIVERSITY OF UTAH GARLAND, ERIC LEE (contact); COOPERMAN, NINA Salt Lake City, UT 2023
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Multilevel Interventions to Reduce Harm and Improve Quality of Life for Patients on Long Term Opioid Therapy (MIRHIQL) (R01 Clinical Trial Required)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-23-041
Summary:

Decreasing opioid dosing faster than advised by clinical recommendations often leaves chronic pain unaddressed and may increase the risk of overdose and suicide compared to continuing long-term opioid treatment. This project will compare a patient-centered tapering protocol with or without MORE in primary care offices in New Jersey and Utah. The MORE approach integrates training in mindfulness, reappraisal, and savoring to alter behavior away from valuation of drug rewards and toward natural rewards. This research will also identify practices to use MORE in primary care settings.

1R24DA055306-01
Wake Forest IMPOWR Dissemination Education and Coordination Center (IDEA-CC) Clinical Research in Pain Management Reducing Opioid-Related Harms to Treat Chronic Pain (IMPOWR and MIRHIQL) NIDA WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES ADAMS, MEREDITH C B Winston-Salem, NC 2021
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Integrative Management of Chronic Pain and OUD for Whole Recovery (IMPOWR): Coordination and Dissemination Center (R24 Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-21-029
Summary:

The IMPOWR (Integrative Management of Chronic Pain and OUD for Whole Recovery) Dissemination, Education, and Coordination Center (IDEA-CC) will develop infrastructure to amplify and create momentum for the findings of the IMPOWR initiative and other linked research networks. This center will i) rapidly deploy a communication framework to link IMPOWR clinical sites with each other and the larger HEAL research frameworks; ii) develop an educational infrastructure addressing stigma and health disparities in patients with co-morbid chronic pain and opioid misuse/disorder; iii) disseminate research findings effectively to targeted audiences; iv) develop a novel composite screening tool for chronic pain and opioid misuse/disorder; and v) harmonize processes for data collection and common data elements of chronic pain and opioid misuse/disorder measures across the IMPOWR research centers, providing a coordinated platform for gathering data from these studies. This center will rapidly disseminate key findings to stakeholders, clinicians, and patients to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals with co-occurring chronic pain and opioid misuse/disorder.

1U24DA058606-01
MIRHIQL Resource Center (MRC) for Improving Quality of Life with Chronic Pain Clinical Research in Pain Management Reducing Opioid-Related Harms to Treat Chronic Pain (IMPOWR and MIRHIQL) NIDA WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES ADAMS, MEREDITH C B (contact); HURLEY, ROBERT WILLSON Winston-Salem, NC 2023
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Multilevel Interventions to Reduce Harm and Improve Quality of Life for Patients on Long Term Opioid Therapy (MIRHIQL): Resource Center (U24- Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-23-042
Summary:

Decreasing opioid dosing faster than advised by clinical recommendations often leaves chronic pain unaddressed and may increase the risk of overdose and suicide compared to continuing long-term opioid treatment. Clinical and research communities are uncertain about how to assess and manage long-term opioid therapy, despite having diagnostic and treatment frameworks for chronic pain and opioid use disorder. Because of this undefined space, health policy, institutions, and practitioners lack clear advice on long-term opioid prescribing in chronic pain. The goal of the MRC is to provide infrastructure support for the network; create a risk-benefit decision tool to assist providers in determining when opioids should be continued as prescribed, tapered, or tapered/discontinued; and develop and validate a clinical definition for this population (name, identifying associated symptoms/behaviors, and generating a screening tool). This project will leverage big data analytics in administrative datasets, natural language processing approaches in electronic health records, and cohort modeling techniques to accomplish these key responsibilities. These efforts will complement the qualitative data collection approaches in the Becker Resource Center. 

1RM1DA055310-01
HEAL Initiative: Integrative Management of Chronic Pain and OUD for Whole Recovery (IMPOWR): Research Centers Clinical Research in Pain Management Reducing Opioid-Related Harms to Treat Chronic Pain (IMPOWR and MIRHIQL) NIDA YALE UNIVERSITY BECKER, WILLIAM C (contact); BARRY, DECLAN T; FIELLIN, DAVID New Haven, CT 2021
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Integrative Management of Chronic Pain and OUD for Whole Recovery (IMPOWR): Research Centers (RM1 Clinical Trial Required)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-21-030
Summary:

Health care services for patients with both chronic pain and opioid use disorder are fragmented in the United States. To develop effective and feasible interventions for chronic pain and opioid misuse/disorder that can be implemented in both general medical and addiction treatment settings, this research examines two different care-delivery strategies. The first project will compare the effectiveness of a pharmacist-led, collaborative care approach for patients prescribed long-term opioids who have chronic pain and  opioid misuse/disorder compared to a pharmacist program with a cognitive behavior therapy-based pain self-management program. The second project will examine the effectiveness of a multimodal, interdisciplinary chronic pain management program that includes cognitive behavioral therapy, exercise, and stress management. With input from stakeholders and individuals with lived experience, this research has the potential to generate novel, reproducible, and scalable findings that addresses fragmented care delivery for co-occurring chronic pain and opioid misuse/disorder.

1U24DA058673-01
Multilevel Interventions to Reduce Harm and Improve Quality of Life for Patients on Long-Term Opioid Therapy - Yale Resource Center (MIRHIQL-YRC) Clinical Research in Pain Management Reducing Opioid-Related Harms to Treat Chronic Pain (IMPOWR and MIRHIQL) NIDA YALE UNIVERSITY BECKER, WILLIAM C (contact); BLACK, ANNE C; DEBAR LYNN L; EDMOND, SARA; ESSERMAN, DENISE New Haven, CT 2023
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Multilevel Interventions to Reduce Harm and Improve Quality of Life for Patients on Long Term Opioid Therapy (MIRHIQL): Resource Center (U24- Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-23-042
Summary:

Decreasing opioid dosing faster than advised by clinical recommendations often leaves chronic pain unaddressed and may increase the risk of overdose and suicide compared to continuing long-term opioid treatment. The MIRHIQL Resource Center will provide infrastructure support for the network as well as create a risk-benefit decision tool to help providers determine when opioids should be continued as prescribed, tapered, or tapered/discontinued. The center will first develop and validate a clinical definition for individuals who take long-term opioids, then study long-term outcomes in participants who receive treatment in primary care settings. This research will partner with many groups including individuals with lived experience, community health care providers who treat such individuals, research scientists, bioethicists, and professional societies