• Opioid Clinical Decision Support in Primary Care: CTN-0095 webinar June 26, 2024

    Webinar: Opioid Clinical Decision Support in Primary Care: CTN-0095 (1.5 CME/CE; June 26, 2024)

    Join the Western States Node of the CTN and the Northwest and Pacific Southwest ATTCs for their next joint webinar, coming June 26, 2024, 11am-12:30pm PT! In this session, Opioid Clinical Decision Support in Primary Care: CTN-0095, presenters Stephanie Hooker, PhD, MPH (HealthPartners Institute), and Rebecca Rossom, MD, MS (HealthPartners Institute and PI of the CTN NorthStar Node), will discuss the design and implementation of Opioid Wizard, a clinical decision support tool embedded in the EHR for primary care clinicians. The goal of the Opioid Wizard tool is to help clinicians identify, screen, diagnose and treat opioid use disorder (OUD). They will also discuss one of the supplements to CTN…

  • New in the Library

    New in the Library (May – June 2024)

    Here are the latest items added to the CTN Dissemination Library for May – June 2024 (this post will be updated as new items come in): “To prescribe or not to prescribe, that is the question”: Perspectives on opioid prescribing for chronic, cancer-related pain from clinicians who treat pain in survivorship. Bulls HW, et al. Cancer. 2024 Apr 3. doi: 10.1002/cncr.35299. PMID: 38567685. CTN-0115 Substance Use Among Black Adolescents – Maximizing Strengths and Overcoming Barriers in Substance Use Prevention. Aneni K. Youth Special Interest Group (SIG) webinar, May 2024. Wiidookaage’win: Beta-test of a Facebook Group Intervention for Native Women to Support Opioid Use Recovery. Roche AI, et al. Journal of…

  • Protocol Update

    Update on CTN-0082

    The CTN-0082 primary outcomes article was recently featured in the NIDA HIV Research Program email newsletter: What predicts willingness to take PrEP among people who use opioids? A cross-sectional survey developed by NIDA’s Clinical Trials Network was given to 308 HIV-negative people who use opioids (PWUO) across eight Southern cities with high HIV incidence. Half had heard of PrEP, but only 4% had ever taken it. Investigators found that willingness to take daily oral PrEP and willingness to take long-acting injectable (LAI) PrEP were moderately high (69.16% and 62.02%, respectively). Educational attainment and having engaged in condomless vaginal sex predicted willingness to take oral PrEP, whereas only educational attainment predicted willingness to take…

  • Protocol Update

    Update on CTN-0097: Primary Outcomes Article Published!

    The primary outcomes article for CTN-0097, Surmounting Withdrawal to Initiate Fast Treatment with Naltrexone (SWIFT): Improving the Real-World Effectiveness of Injection Naltrexone for Opioid Use Disorder (NIH HEAL Initiative), is now available! Published in JAMA Network Open, the findings from the study suggest that starting people with opioid use disorder (OUD) on extended-release injectable naltrexone (XR-naltrexone) within 5-7 days of seeking treatment is more effective than the standard treatment method of starting within 10-15 days, but requires closer medical supervision. This rapid treatment protocol could make XR-naltrexone more viable as a treatment option for OUD, as the longer waiting period was a significant barrier to implementation of XR-naltrexone for many…

  • Protocol Update

    Update on CTN-0100 (RDD)

    During March, the CTN-0100 Project Team initiated a month-long BINGO challenge with the goal of boosting QA and participant tracking and retention across the 18 study sites. BINGO tasks encompassed completing all scheduled visits for the week, locating a missing participant, performing internal QA, addressing data queries, and conducting street/community outreach for an MIA participant. The Bellevue site of the New York Node (pictured) achieved “BINGO” first, just 18 days into the challenge! By the end of the month, 9 additional sites also achieved “BINGO.” We express our gratitude to all CTN-0100 sites for their dedication to this project. Download a copy of the BINGO sheet here!

  • NIDA CTN Dissemination Initiative

    Bringing the Latest Evidence-based Substance Use Disorder Treatments into Clinical Practice

    The National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network Dissemination Initiative (NIDA CTN DI) promotes the adoption of evidence-based practices and research on substance use disorders into clinical practice.  For one recent project, NIDA CTN DI staff partnered with nationally known subject-matter experts in opioid use disorder (OUD) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to create a four-part podcast series available for continuing medical education (CME) credit. The series, called Buprenorphine Initiation in the Emergency Department: Why, When, and How? takes hospital leaders and emergency department teams through the clinical evidence, the technology, and the community referral networks necessary to implement a successful emergency department-based buprenorphine initiation…

  • New in the Library

    New in the Library (Apr – May 2024)

    ATTENTION! The new CTN Directory is here! Published in April 2024, it has updated contact information for members of all 16 nodes, the Clinical Coordinating Center, and the Data and Statistics Center. You can find a link to it right on the CTN Dissemination Library’s home page as well as RIGHT HERE. Here are the latest items added to the CTN Dissemination Library for April – May 2024 (this post will be updated as new items come in): Rapid Initiation of Injection Naltrexone for Opioid Use Disorder: A Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial. Shulman M, et al. JAMA Network Open 2024;7(5):e249744. Primary Outcomes Article for CTN-0097 Empirically Contrasting Urine Drug…

  • New from NIDA

    NIDA Celebrates 50 Years – Comments from NIDA Director Nora Volkow, MD

    NIDA Director Nora Volkow, MD, has a new commentary piece out in the American Journal of Psychiatry: Drugs and Addiction Science: NIDA Celebrates 50 Years of Research and Looks to the Future (published online May 6, 2024, doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20230880) From the piece: The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)—first established in 1974 as part of the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration and in 1992 becoming part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—is the largest funder of research on drug use and addiction in the world. Over its 50-year history, NIDA’s work has led to tremendous progress in advancing science and improving individual and public health. But the overdose…

  • Node News

    News from the Southern Consortium Node

    On April 29, 2024, the Southern Consortium Node granted the inaugural Outstanding Public Leadership Award to Sara Goldsby, Director of the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services. (Pictured: Drs. Kelly Barth, Kathleen Brady, Connie Guille with Ms. Sara Goldsby.) The award was established to recognize state and local government officials who have made exceptional contributions to the advancement of policy and practice in the field of addiction. Ms. Goldsby has been a tireless advocate for South Carolinians struggling with addiction, leading the state’s response to the opioid crisis and serving as the President of the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors since 2021.…

  • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine & Imaging (AIMI) Symposium 2024 (May 15, Free, @ Stanford and Online)

    Machine learning and artificial intelligence are redefining the boundaries of medicine, unleashing potential like never before to ensure better health for all. Sponsored by the Stanford University Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine & Imagining (AIMI), the FREE AIMI Symposium serves as their flagship annual meeting, focusing on the pioneering developments and significant strides in AI that are shaping the future of healthcare. They will highlight cutting-edge research and methods, showcase current and emerging real-world clinical applications, and address critical issues related to fairness and societal impact.  This symposium serves as a pivotal forum for researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and anyone passionate about the future of healthcare to confront existing challenges,…