Funded Projects

Many people intending to take medications for opioid use disorder, including buprenorphine, as part of their recovery pathway do not stay in treatment long enough to reduce risk for overdose. These individuals also often continue to use one or more other drugs during treatment, which may further raise their overdose risk. This project will develop and conduct a preliminary test of an innovative integrated intervention that combines buprenorphine treatment with recovery coaching and online cognitive behavioral therapy. This research will assess whether the approach reduces drug use during buprenorphine treatment and helps people stay in treatment longer.

People who take medications for opioid use disorder as part of their recovery pathway need to take these medications for extended periods of time to reduce risk of overdose. Recovery community centers, which provide a range of recovery-oriented and peer-delivered services in a welcoming environment, may be an important asset for these individuals. This project joins two recovery community centers that serve Black communities with an academic research team to inform the design of a rigorous, large-scale clinical trial to determine if clinical referral to recovery community centers improves long-term recovery outcomes.

About 23 million Americans identify as being in recovery from opioid and other substance use disorders. While recovery support services are an established best practice to support people in recovery, there is little scientific evidence to support the efficacy and implementation of peer recovery support services, training approaches, and delivery models. Recovery support services are particularly lacking in the U.S. Southwest and for individuals who choose to take medications for opioid use disorder as part of their recovery pathway. This project will establish the Peer Recovery Innovation Network to address research gaps. This research will incorporate input from people with lived experience in all stages of the recovery process – toward helping to set the research agenda and conducting the research, as well as enhancing infrastructure for peer recovery support services research.

Safe and stable housing is widely considered to be critical to recovery from alcohol and drug use disorders. Therefore, providing dedicated safe and substance-free housing options for individuals in recovery (recovery housing) may be an essential component of a comprehensive response to the current opioid crisis. However, there is limited evidence about effective recovery housing practices for individuals choosing treatment with medications for opioid use disorders as part of their path to recovery. This project will enhance the infrastructure necessary to study the effectiveness of recovery housing for these individuals. It will develop a national multi-stakeholder network, host webinars for researchers and recovery housing providers, and support mentored pilot studies for new researchers seeking to study recovery housing.

Central Appalachia has been devastated by opioid use disorder and overdose deaths for decades. Treatment access is improving across that region, yet few individuals successfully remain on treatment with medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Peer recovery support services can be highly effective in improving treatment outcomes and recovery, but there is limited evidence of how they can be implemented and used most effectively, particularly for individuals receiving MOUD. This project will create the Studies To Advance Recovery Supports (STARS) Network that aims to expand the infrastructure necessary to implement and evaluate peer recovery support services for these individuals. It will build research capacities at universities and health partners, enroll MOUD clinics and peer recovery support professionals, and promote data harmonization across network partners.

The opioid epidemic in the United States is associated with alarming rates of overdose and overdose deaths. Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), in combination with psychosocial intervention, is the most effective treatment for OUD; however, many individuals are unable to access treatment, are not sufficiently retained in treatment, or experience barriers that prohibit their participation in treatment. A multipronged approach is needed that includes 1) development of integrated networks of care, both formal and informal, to better address the needs of individuals with OUDs and 2) measures of the efficacy of these integrated networks for addressing the needs of individuals with OUD. This project will build a learning collaborative to address gaps in knowledge about the delivery, sustainability, and assessment of recovery service for individuals on MAT. The collaborative will foster collaboration and communication between stakeholders and with the larger community of research and providers interested in improving the delivery of OUD recovery support services. This community-academic partnership will address the lack of evidence regarding effective recovery support services.