What’s New in the CTN?
Updates from the NIDA National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network. Want to share some news about your protocol, node, publications or presentations, or other CTN-related work here and/or in the CTN Bulletin? Email us at ctnlib@uw.edu!
New in the Library (April – May 2026)
Here are the latest items added to the CTN Dissemination Library for April – May 2026 (this post will be updated as new items come in): The community representative council of the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network: Co-design and early impact [commentary]. Moore SK, et al. Journal of Substance Use & Addiction Treatment 2026 (in press). Experiences of pregnant and postpartum people of color engaged in a randomized clinical trial of medication to treat opioid use disorder during pregnancy: A “Positive Outliers” analysis. Wheeler A, et al. Journal…
News from the Health System Node
A recent publication by Health System Node faculty, Stacy Sterling, DrPH, MSW, MPH, was selected as one of the top Quality Improvement/Implementation Science publications in the Journal of General Internal Medicine: A Randomized Trial of Alcohol Telemedicine in Primary Care: Pharmacotherapy and Referral Outcomes. J Gen Intern Med. 2026 Jan;41(1):6-15. Dr. Sterling presents this project in this JGIM webinar (if you’re not already a JGIM/SGIM member, you must register, but it’s straightforward and free). A new study led by Anh Nguyen, PhD, Health System Node faculty and Investigator at the…
CTN Community Representation Council Meeting Summary (April 2026)
The Clinical Trials Network, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, proudly collaborates with its Community Representative Council (CIRCL). Comprised of 16 members, one for each Node of the CTN, the CIRCL meets bi-monthly to courageously share what’s happening in their communities. The Northeast Node is proud to serve as administrative support for this community-led initiative. Questions about CIRCL – or for CIRCL – can be directed to Bethany.M.McLeman@Dartmouth.edu. This brief is an overview of topics discussed at this meeting and is not an exhaustive review. Download a copy of…
News from the Southwest Node: Webinar on CTN-0096 (June 9, 11am EDT)
The Southwest Node is hosting an upcoming webinar, featuring speakers Kamilla Venner, PhD, and Aimee Campbell, PhD, MSW, and reviewing results from CTN-0096. Partnering with Tribal Serving Programs to Enhance Culture in the Delivery of Substance Use Disorder Treatment June 9, 2026 | 11am EDT | Download flyer This project looked at adding culture to care for Alaska Native and American Indian people who had problems with opioid use. The care was medication treatment. We wanted to see if culture would help more people start and stay in treatment. We…
News from the Greater Intermountain Node: Webinar: Psychedelic-Assisted Interventions for Mental Health & SUD (June 16, 12pm MST)
Join the Greater Intermountain Node on June 16, 2026 (12-1pm MST) for their next GIN on the Rocks webinar: Psychedelic-Assisted Interventions for Mental Health and Substance Use: Current Evidence and Emerging Directions Presenter: Yitong Xin, PhD Psychedelic-assisted interventions have gained significant scientific and public attention, yet many researchers and clinicians remain unfamiliar with the current state of the evidence. This presentation will provide an accessible overview of psychedelic science and emerging clinical evidence across depression, trauma, and substance use, with Dr. Xin highlighting her research program’s contributions across multiple populationsand…
CTN T&I SIG Survey of Implementation Research Interests and Training Needs
Members of the CTN Translation & Implementation Special Interest Group (T&I SIG) from the Center for Dissemination & Implementation At Stanford (C-DIAS) invite you to complete a brief, online survey to understand implementation research interests and training needs in the field of addiction research. The survey is confidential and will take about 5 minutes to complete. After completing the survey, you will have an opportunity to enter your email address on a separate form to receive an aggregate summary of survey findings. If you would like to participate, please access the…
CTN Northeast Node Science Series: Injecting Hope: Repurposing GLP-1 Receptor Agonists for Treating SUDs (May 21, 2026, 12-1pm ET)
Join the CTN Northeast Node for the next installment of their virtual Science Series, featuring presenter Joji Suzuki, MD, FACLP, PI of the SuzukiLab at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, speaking about the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists for treatment substance use disorders (SUDs). This 1-hour session on May 21, 2026 (12-1pm ET) will cover the basic pharmacology of GLP-1 receptor agonists and related medications. Then the emerging evidence-base for their use in treating substance use disorders in humans will be reviewed. Finally, the talk will cover the various issues and…
CTN Community Representation Council Meeting Summary (February 2026)
The CTN Community Representative Council (CIRCL) is a collaborative of the national CTN that comes together bimonthly to courageously share what’s happening in their communities. This brief is an overview of topics discussed at this meeting and is not an exhaustive review. Download a copy of the brief. The following themes and discussions were highlighted during this meeting: The thoughts and experiences herein are those of CIRCL members and do not represent the National Institute on Drug Abuse or the Clinical Trials Network. The voices empowered by CIRCL are intended…
News from the New York Node: Dr. Peggy Swarbrick Receives NJAMHAA Trailblazer in Wellness Award!
On behalf of the CTN New York Node and our academic partners, including Dr. Denise Hien at Rutgers University, big congratulations to Dr. Margaret (Peggy) Swarbrick on her New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies (NJAMHAA) Trailblazer in Wellness Award! Dr. Swarbrick is the Associate Director of the Rutgers Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies and a Research Professor at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology. The Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies and the larger Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology community celebrate Dr….
New in the Library (March – April 2026)
Here are the latest items added to the CTN Dissemination Library for March – April 2026 (this post will be updated as new items come in): Health plan disenrollment and mortality after initiation of medications for opioid use disorder. Nguyen AP, et al. JAMA Psychiatry 2026 (in press). Comparative effectiveness of social-contextual treatments for improving substance-related problems among Black adults: An individual-level data synthesis. Espinosa A, et al. Addiction 2026 (in press). (CTN-0125) Patient characteristics associated with successful initiation of extended-release naltrexone in the X:BOT trial. Potter K, et al….
University of Cincinnati (Ohio Valley Node) Summer Speaker Series is Back!
Join host Ohio Valley Node PI T. John Winhusen, PhD, this summer for the University of Cincinnati/UC Health Addiction Center’s webinar series! This series will highlight cutting-edge UC addiction research and UC-community collaborations focused on prevention and treatment. Schedule June 10, 2026 | 12-1pm ETBeyond Daily Dosing: Comparing Extended-Release and Sublingual Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder in Pregnancy and Postpartum – Research Evidence and Lived ExperienceT. John Winhusen, PhD (U. Cincinnati) and Kelsie Buchanan (Recovery Advocate) July 8, 2026 | 12-1pm ETCharacterizing Heavy Drinking in Midlife and Older Adults via…
Now in the CTN Library: NIDA CTN Common Data Elements
The NIDA CTN Common Data Elements website has moved to the CTN Dissemination Library! The CTN-CDE portal provides a single source for National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Clinical Trials Network (CTN)-recommended Common Data Elements (CDEs) of Substance Use Disorders for use in clinical trials and electronic health records (EHRs). A “data element” describes the (data base) characteristics for a discrete piece of data that will be collected, stored or exchanged during the course of a study or a health examination, but does not include the collected data. A “common…
CTN Primary Care SIG Webinar: Conducting Substance Use Research in Prison (March 23, 2026, 12pm ET)
The Primary Care SIG aims to engage primary care in research, develop substance use treatment interventions relevant to community-based practice, and promote the transfer of evidence-based results from substance use research into community-based practices. Next SIG Meeting: Conducting Substance Use Research in Prisons Presenter: Helen Jack, MD, Assistant Professor, University of Washington Join Zoom Meeting here Meeting ID: 943 3434 2090 Passcode: 370819 Primary Care SIG Schedule and Leadership The Primary Care SIG is led by Claire Simon, MD, and Sebastian Tong, MD, MPH, and meets every other month on the 4th Monday of the month…
New in the Library (February – March 2026)
Here are the latest items added to the CTN Dissemination Library for February – March 2026 (this post will be updated as new items come in): Randomized controlled pilot trial of extended-release buprenorphine vs. sublingual buprenorphine-naloxone in rural settings (RXR): Study rationale and design. Mooney LJ, et al. Contemporary Clinical Trials 2026;108288 (in press). (CTN-0102-XR) The association between sleep disturbance and stimulant use: A cross-lagged examination. Horigian VE, et al. Addiction 2026 (in press). (CTN-0037, CTN-0048, CTN-0068) Perspectives on clinical champions implementing hospital-based opioid treatment in US hospitals. Peng L,…
News from the Appalachian Node: Brief Report for CTN-0135 Published
New Node Coordinator for the Appalachian Node: The Appalachian Node is excited to welcome Ellen Kline (ellenkline@pitt.edu) as our Node Coordinator. The Brief Report for CTN-0135 has been published: Winstanley EL, Leibschutz JM, Murray-Krezan C, Switzer GE, Nash S, Kawasaki S. Brief Report: Meth, Tranq, Gas Station Heroin & Other Drugs Complicating Addiction Treatment. American Journal on the Addictions 2026, 1-4. DOI: 10.1111/ajad.70151. The report describes the results of a single survey item from a national survey (n=396) that was conducted for CTN-0135 using a random sample of clinicians waivered…
News from the Health System Node: Webinar about Effects of Cannabis Legalization on Mental Health (April 2, 2026, 10am PT)
Join the Health Systems Node for the next installment of their Seminar Series: Effects of Cannabis Legalization on Mental Health and Substance Use in Adults and Thoughts on Future Directions in Cannabis Research Thursday, April 2, 2026, 10am PT / 1pm ET Dr. Christian Hopfer, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and addiction psychiatrist, will briefly review the pharmacology of cannabinoids, present results of a recently completed study on the effects of cannabis legalization on mental health and substance use, and discuss ongoing projects including…
New in the PATHS Toolkit: Workbook on OUD and Pregnancy
The Prenatal Action for Taking Healthy Steps (PATHS) toolkit, developed out of protocol CTN-0080-A3 (led by the Ohio Valley Node), offers evidence-based educational resources about the use of medication to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) during and after pregnancy. Toolkit materials include flyers, info sheets, posters, an education video, social media images and short videos (“Reels”) for download and sharing, and a discussion guide that can be used to direct conversations about MOUD in pregnant/postpartum people either in a group or individual settings, as well as a set of external links…
News from the Pacific Northwest Node: Low-Dose Ketamine Reduces Fentanyl Withdrawal Symptoms
A new Addiction Science and Clinical Practice paper co-authored by Pacific Northwest Node researchers Crystal Smith and Cindy Grande describes a new, reliable strategy that allows fentanyl users to start treatment without prolonged suffering: low-dose ketamine. Fentanyl continues to cause the majority of drug overdoses in the U.S. Buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder (OUD), is effective and saves lives, but people often avoid it for fear of painful opioid withdrawal symptoms that can occur when starting the medication. The paper, published in early February, reports on…