Research Spotlights
Explore the projects helping to make a difference in the opioid crisis.
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![a hand turning over wooden blocks that spell out the words stigma](/files/styles/callout_carousel/public/reframing-stigma.jpeg?itok=ug-ltzKt)
HEAL challenged researchers to consider stigma when planning ways to address the opioid crisis.
March 10, 2020
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![Titanium implant that releases medication treatment for opioid use disorder.](/files/styles/callout_carousel/public/story-naltrexone-device.png?itok=c7Np_Sdj)
The NIH HEAL Initiative® is funding a project to develop a long-lasting implant to release medication for opioid use disorder to help patients stay on treatment and achieve long-term recovery.
March 24, 2020
Topics:
Drug Development
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![Traditional pain scale from 0 to 100, visualized with cartoon faces](/files/styles/callout_carousel/public/predicting-pain-feature.png?itok=Gig9Wo_3)
Doctors can’t predict how much pain a person will feel after surgery, making tailored treatments difficult. One NIH HEAL Initiative researcher hopes to develop a blood test to predict how sensitive people will be to pain.
March 31, 2020
Topics:
Pain Biomarkers
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![The NIH HEAL Initiative’s six research focus areas are grouped in two themes: enhancing pain management and improving treatment for opioid misuse and addiction. Learn more about the NIH HEAL Initiative’s research focus areas.](/files/styles/callout_carousel/public/GeneralizedVisualTreatmentOverall_0401.png?itok=W1Al5Xk0)
The NIH HEAL Initiative® — a research effort led by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) — aims to prevent opioid overdose deaths and improve how we understand and treat both pain and opioid addiction.
April 6, 2020
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![An animation of an African American man in a doctor’s office. He is holding his back and his facial expression shows he is in pain.](/files/styles/callout_carousel/public/Hirsh%20virtual%20patient%20image.png?itok=7NViOi32)
An NIH HEAL Initiative® study is using a computer simulation program with virtual patients to help real doctors understand their biases when assessing their patients’ risk of opioid misuse.
April 15, 2020
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![A smiling woman next to the words, “First, I’ll teach you how pain is affected by — and how it affects — your actions, feelings, and thoughts.”](/files/styles/callout_carousel/public/PainTrainer_VIdeo_ScreenShot%20%281%29.png?itok=uI90hpQ4)
Research funded by the NIH HEAL Initiative® is studying whether a web-based program can help people cope with chronic pain.
April 17, 2020
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![Three women stand next to each other in front of a fence at a horse farm.](/files/styles/callout_carousel/public/wjcoin_cropped%20%28002%29.png?itok=E9N_88CB)
An NIH HEAL Initiative project is studying whether a telemedicine system to connect women with treatment providers and peer support before their release from jail can help the women stay in treatment and recover from opioid use disorder once in the community.
April 29, 2020
Topics:
JCOIN
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![A mother and her newborn baby boy are indoors in a hospital. The mother is holding her baby while laying in the hospital bed. Their doctor is smiling down at the baby.](/files/styles/callout_carousel/public/Woman-Doctor-Baby.jpg?itok=OL0WztcS)
NIH HEAL Initiative study aims to improve outcomes for mothers after cesarean deliveries.
May 5, 2020
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![Illustration depicting the holistic treatment approach of the researchers' project.](/files/styles/callout_carousel/public/20-0483%20HEAL%20Culture%20MAT%20Feature%20Story%20Graphic_dev4-01%20%28002%29.png?itok=fvnfEVoT)
Research explores the integration of medication-based treatment with the healing traditions of American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
May 15, 2020
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![Graphic depicting the Collaborative Care Model process.](/files/styles/callout_carousel/public/Collaborative%20Care%20Model%20%281%29.png?itok=F-jC8XZP)
Can a team-based approach improve treatment for people with both opioid use disorder and mental health conditions?
May 20, 2020
Topics:
Collaborative Care
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