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News from the DSC
The Data and Statistics Center is pleased to share that Kathryn Hefner, PhD, who joined Emmes in May 2019, now serves as a Multi-PI of the DSC, alongside PI Jennifer McCormack. Kathryn’s responsibilities as MPI span a variety of areas, including oversight of the DSC’s DSMB support for the CTN; support and mentorship of the DSC Project Leaders; and scientific oversight of the DSC portfolio which includes consultation on CRF development to ensure data capture is clinically, scientifically, and psychometrically sound, and in line with the scientific aims of the study. In addition to helping to support and manage the DSC program as a whole, Kathryn currently serves as the DSC Project Leader on CTN-0108 and CTN-0132, and is a Co-Lead Investigator on CTN-0126. She has also supported CTN-0097, CTN-0105, CTN-0098A and B, CTN-0107, CTN-0109, CTN-0116, and CTN-0139 as a project leader, providing her with well-rounded familiarity with studies and research teams across the CTN. Kathryn brings to the CTN 18 years’ experience in clinical research in substance use disorder research funded by NIDA, NIAAA and the Veterans’ Health Administration, as well as a background in preclinical behavioral neuroscience and laboratory experimental research (alcohol challenge, psychophysiology/EEG, withdrawal studies) in SUD. As a licensed clinical psychologist, she is thrilled to bring her experiences working with individuals with substance use disorder clinically, and in researching the etiology and treatment of addiction, to her support of the CTN in this role. Posted August 28, 2024
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News from the Appalachian Node
CTN-0139 (Collaborative Care for Polysubstance use in Primary Care Settings (Co-Care) (NIH HEAL Initiative)) held a training for Clinical Champions, Nurse Care Managers, and Health Coaches from July 23-24 in Pittsburgh, PA. We had 4 sites attend in person, and one site joined remotely due to last minute travel delays. Dr. Subramaniam also joined us. Aside from the training, we were able to share a nice meal together at Dr. Park’s house and enjoyed exploring the University of Pittsburgh and the city!
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New in the Library (July – August 2024)
Here are the latest items added to the CTN Dissemination Library for July – August 2024 (this post will be updated as new items come in): Performance of the Tobacco, Alcohol, Prescription Medication, and Other Substance Use (TAPS) Tool in Screening Older Adults for Unhealthy Substance Use. Han BH, et al. Journal of Addiction Medicine 2024 (in press). (CTN-0059) Analyzing Quality of Life Among People with Opioid Use Disorder from the National Institute on Drug Abuse Data Share Initiative: Implications for Decision Making. Patton T, et al. Quality of Life Research 2024 (in press). (multiple protocols) Delivering MOUD to the Underserved: How Can Pharmacies Really Help? Gustafson DH, et al. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 2024 (in press). (CTN-0124 Primary Outcomes) High Suicidality Predicts Overdose Events Among People with Substance Use Disorder: A Latent Class Analysis. Schmidt RD, et al. Frontiers in Public Health 2023;11:1150062. (multiple protocols) Association of Psychiatric and Substance Use Disorders with Cannabis Use and Cannabis Use Disorder During Early Pregnancy in Northern California. Young-Wolff KC, et al. Addiction 2024 (in press). (CTN-0140) Psychosocial Factors Linked to Uncontrolled Infection and Mortality Among People Living with HIV Who Use Substances: A Latent Class Analysis. Schmidt RD, et al. AIDS and Behavior 2024 (in press). (CTN-0049, CTN-0064) Suicide and Cannabis Use Among Youth & Young Adults. Hammond CJ & Hinckley JD. CTN Youth Special Interest Group (SIG) webinar, July 2024 Discriminative Validity of a Substance Use Symptom Checklist for Moderate-Severe DSM-5 Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD) in…
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Primary Outcomes Paper for CTN-0124: Delivering MOUD to the Underserved: How Can Pharmacies Really Help?
The primary outcomes paper for CTN-0124, Assessment and Design of a Cost-Effective Collaborative MOUD Delivery System, is now available! Citation: Gustafson DH, Molfenter T, Kunes T, Langdon L, Koplin M, Parker F, Branny K, Ghitza U, Bart G. Delivering MOUD to the Underserved: How Can Pharmacies Really Help? Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 2024 (in press). What’s the question? Access to treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) is a challenge in rural settings and for communities of color, partly because of the limited availability of healthcare providers equipped and willing to provide medications for OUD (MOUD). Pharmacies have been increasingly proposed as one way to enhance access to MOUD, as they are often more available in rural and other underserved communities than primary care physicians or other prescribers. A key question, however, is whether or not pharmacies are adequately prepared to distribute medications and other resources to people with OUD. This study aimed to answer that question by examining the potential role of pharmacies in MOUD delivery, looking at what barriers exist, and proposing actionable strategies for improvement. How was this study conducted? To address this issue, the CTN-0124 study team developed a 9-month engineering systems analysis, a problem-solving approach that breaks a system into its individual parts, analyzes how well those parts work together to accomplish their purpose, and creates an aspirational design for the future. To perform this analysis, the study team, made up of 5 systems analysis (3 from health care and 2 from…
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CTN Youth SIG Webinar: Falling Through the Cracks: The Struggle of Adolescents with OUD (Sept 20, 11am ET)
The CTN Youth SIG is pleased to invite you to an upcoming presentation/webinar: Falling Through the Cracks: The Struggle of Adolescents with Opioid Use Disorder in the Face of Limited Treatment Options Friday, September 20th, 2024 (11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. ET) Presenter: Sivabalaji Kaliamurthy MDAssistant Professor of Psychiatry, Howard UniversityDirector, Addiction Program at Children’s National, Washington, DC Dr. Kaliamurthy, a physician specialized in pediatric addictions, is board-certified in general psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, addiction psychiatry and addiction medicine. He was pivotal in establishing the Addiction Clinic at Children’s National to treat children with psychiatric and substance use disorders. Dr. Kaliamurthy’s current research centers on evaluating the clinical outcomes associated with the use of medications for opioid use disorder in adolescents. In this presentation, Dr. Kaliamurthy will examine a case involving an adolescent who sought treatment within a pediatric health care system for fentanyl use. The focus will be on the challenges identified in delivering care to adolescents with opioid use disorder. He will also highlight barriers to treatment that must be overcome to deliver the minimum necessary care to ensure engagement in medication treatment for opioid use disorder and reducing overdose risk. Register for the Zoom Webinar Upcoming Youth SIG Seminar Speakers in 2024: November 15 (11am-12pm ET) – Dr. Velma Murry
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News from the New York Node
CTN-0139 (Collaborative Care for Polysubstance use in Primary Care Settings (Co-Care) (NIH HEAL Initiative)) held a national training from July 9-10 in New York City. We had staff from all 5 sites in attendance (Los Angeles, CA; Houston, TX; Vancouver, WA; Lancaster, PA; Bronx, NY) plus Emmes, and Dr. Subramaniam at the training. It was spectacular to be able to meet in person!
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CTN Annual Scientific Meeting: Registration is OPEN! (Oct 21-23, 2024)
The 2024 CTN Annual Scientific Meeting is being held in-person at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia, from October 21–23, 2024. For those unable to attend in person, all plenary sessions and some breakout sessions will be broadcast via Zoom. The level of interaction available virtually will vary by session. Registration is required for both in-person and virtual attendees. Important Links Individuals with disabilities who need sign language interpreting and/or other reasonable accommodations to participate in this event, should contact Sean Randol at (240) 863-0507 or srandol@leedmci.com or through the Federal Relay (1-800-877-8339). Requests should be made at least five business days in advance of the event. Please contact the LMCi Logistics Team at ctnsupport@leedmci.com with questions. We are excited about being in person and look forward to seeing you at this important meeting!
