-
News from the Appalachian Node: GLP-1s for Addiction
Sarah Kawasaki, MD, Co-Investigator of the CTN Appalachian Node was quoted in a recent New Yorker article entitled, “Can Ozempic Cure Addiction?“ GLP-1 medications like Ozempic mimic a naturally occurring hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1, which scientists have historically associated with digestion. But it’s increasingly clear that GLP-1 affects much more than eating, and these medications are now being studied as potential treatments for a number of conditions, including addiction. (There are currently two CTN trials involving GLP-1 medications: CTN-0152 and CTN-0153.) Sarah Kawasaki, chief of addiction services at Penn State Health, collaborated on a human trial for opioid addiction in which a GLP-1 was being tested on 20 people at a residential treatment center. The results were promising: 10 people received the medication and 10 received a placebo; people on the GLP-1 medication (liraglutide) reported 40% fewer cravings. Now Kawasaki is helping lead a trial of hundreds of people with opioid addiction, living in a community rather than a treatment center, and they are on multiple medications: semaglutide (a GLP-1), as well as either methadone or buprenorphine. Check out the complete New Yorker article here! (free version for non-subscribers) Posted on February 18, 2026
-
REGISTER NOW! CTN Annual Steering Committee Meeting, April 13-15, 2026 (Bethesda, MD)
The National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN) Annual Scientific and Steering Committee Meeting will take place Monday–Wednesday, April 13–15, 2026. The meeting will be held in person at the Natcher Building on the NIH Campus in Bethesda, Maryland. For those who are unable to attend onsite, all plenary sessions and select breakout sessions will be available virtually. Please note that the level of interaction for virtual attendees will vary by session. Find meeting details and registration information here! Poster submissions Sharing results, experiences, techniques, and insights from our work is a vital and rewarding part of the CTN community. CTN members are encouraged to submit posters for the 2026 CTN Annual Scientific Meeting Poster Session. Poster submissions should be relevant to the CTN, either directly (for example, reporting on CTN studies or data) or indirectly (such as work that informs potential future CTN projects). As in previous years, we welcome both new posters and posters that have been presented at meetings within the past year. Poster deadline is March 16, 2026. Find more information about posters and submission instructions here! Posted on February 18, 2026
-
Assistant Professors & Post-Doc Scholars: Apply for the LEAD Program! (Deadline March 31, 2026)
The Learning for Early Careers in Addiction and Development (LEAD) training program was developed to support the efforts of assistant professors and post-doctoral scholars from all backgrounds to receive funding from NIH as independent scientists and make the transition to leading scholars in the field. The LEAD Program is integrated within the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Clinical Trials Network (CTN) and uses a team mentoring approach: each LEAD Program scholar works with a CTN primary mentor, while also receiving guidance from a UCSF mentor and a nationally regarded career development mentor. The LEAD training program also includes a funded four-week intensive program at UCSF each summer where scholars in all stages of the program participate in grant writing and manuscript development workshops to help them obtain grant funding. Other career development workshops might touch on topics that the researchers may encounter later in their careers, such as laboratory management, research leadership, and advanced statistical methods. Find out more about the program and apply here! Posted February 18, 2026
-
New in the Library (January – February 2026)
Here are the latest items added to the CTN Dissemination Library for January – February 2026 (this post will be updated as new items come in): Keepin’ it real: A school-based substance use prevention intervention. Marsiglia F & Kulis S. Youth Special Interest Group (SIG) webinar, January 2026. Emergency department-initiated buprenorphine for opioid use disorder: A randomized clinical trial. D’Onofrio G, et al. JAMA 2026 (in press). (Primary outcomes for CTN-0099) Investigator- and site-level outcomes of participation in an ED-based clinical trial [commentary]. Carpenter JE, et al. JAMA Network Open 2026;9(2):e2555847. (CTN-0099) Association between pregnancy intention and postpartum contraceptive interest among pregnant people with opioid use disorder. Schiff DM, et al. Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment 2026 (in press). (CTN-0080) Posted on February 3, 2026, updated February 11, 2026
-
Western States Node Webinar: Problems Initiating Buprenorphine Treatment Among Patients Using Fentanyl (Feb 25, 2026) CME available!
Join the CTN Western States Node and the Northwest and Pacific Southwest Addiction Technology Transfer Centers (ATTCs) for their next joint webinar, February 25, 2026, 11am-12:30pm PT! In this session, Erin Winstanley, PhD (CTN Appalachian Node), will describe a NIDA Clinical Trials Network study, CTN-0135, examining clinician-reported challenges with initiating buprenorphine for people using fentanyl, including precipitated or prolonged withdrawal, patient reports that buprenorphine was ineffective, and patient preference for methadone. In response to these challenges, most clinicians surveyed reported modifying their standard induction protocols or patient counseling approaches. Clinicians treating larger patient volumes, seeing a high proportion of patients using fentanyl, or initiating treatment in non-inpatient settings were more likely to report difficulties starting patients on buprenorphine. Dr. Winstanley will present the study results and discuss their implications. 1.5 CME/CE available! For information about credit types and accreditation, as well as learning objectives for this session, download the webinar flyer. Register for the webinar here! Posted on February 11, 2026
-
Postdoc Fellowship Openings for Psychedelic/Cannabis Research at Johns Hopkins Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit (BPRU)
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine invites applications for postdoctoral research fellowships at the Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit (BPRU) within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences with a special focus on research related to psychedelics and/or cannabis. BPRU Fellows: Areas of Interest: Opportunities include research related to a variety of psychoactive drug classes, but the current position would be predominantly focused on research related to psilocybin, psychedelics, and/orcannabis/cannabinoids. Research projects include human behavioral pharmacology studies that utilize a variety of research methodologies including acute drug administration, cognitive and psychomotor performance, simulated driving, regulatory science, observational and naturalistic studies including ecological momentary assessment (EMA), biomarkers, and clinical trials. Funding for the position is supported by a NIDA funded T32 training grant. Eligibility: Eligible applicants for T32 slots must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. All applicants must have completed doctoral degree requirements (e.g., PhD, MD, DO, PsyD) prior to starting at the BPRU. Many training backgrounds are appropriate, including experimental or clinical psychology, pharmacology, toxicology, preclinical science, psychiatry or other medicine, neuroscience, nursing, public health, and social work. Prior experience with clinical trials is preferred. The BPRU is particularly interested in candidates who can contribute to the excellence of our research program. Applications from persons with disabilities, protected veterans, and persons underrepresented in science are strongly encouraged. Start date: Ideal candidate will be able to start by June 30th 2026, but other applicants will be considered. Email: BPRUpostdocprogram@jh.edu and copy Albert Garcia-Romeu (AGarci33@jhmi.edu) Posted on February 11,…
-
News from the Northeast Node: Innovations in OUD Treatment webinar (Feb. 26, 12pm ET)
Join the CTN Northeast Node for the next installment of their long-running Science Series: Innovations in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment February 26, 2026, 12-1pm ETPresenter: Sarah Wakeman, MD This session will review changes in the opioid overdose crisis and innovations in opioid use disorder treatment, including novel approaches to initiating buprenorphine, use of long-acting injectable buprenorphine, and strategies for methadone initiation in general medical settings. Register for the Science Series session here! Posted on January 27, 2026
-
WATCH THE RECORDING: T&I SIG Meeting: Scoping Review of Implementation Strategies to Reduce Stigma in Healthcare Settings (Jan 20, 2026, 9am PT)
The recording from the CTN Translation & Implementation (T&I) SIG meeting on January 20, 2026 (9-10am PT), featuring guest speakers Camille Cioffi, PhD (Oregon Research Institute, University of OR), and Bryan Hartzler, PhD (Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute, University of WA), is now available! Stigma toward people with substance use disorders (SUD) remains a major barrier to care. In their session, titled, “A Scoping Review of Implementation Strategies to Reduce Stigma Toward People Who Use Substances in Healthcare Settings,” Drs. Cioffi and Hartzler described the methods, results, and implications of a scoping review completed by the CTN T&I SIG Implementation Strategies Workgroup to identify and describe implementation strategies used to reduce stigmatizing attitudes toward people with SUD in healthcare settings. Watch the recording! Posted on December 12, 2025, updated January 21, 2026
-
News from the Appalachian Node
The CTN-0135 Aim 2 manuscript has been published in JAMA Open Network: Kawasaki SS, Liebschutz JM, Murray-Krezan C, Switzer GE, Nash S, Jeong K, Winstanley EL. Barriers to Buprenorphine Initiation in Patients Using Fentanyl. JAMA Netw Open 2026 ;9(1):e2552136. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.52136. PMID: 41490107; PMCID: PMC12771233. Find it in the CTN Dissemination Library The Appalachian Node will be facilitating a symposium at the 2026 annual meeting of the College on the Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) [June 13-17 in Portland, Oregon] on science communication. Our symposium will summarize multimedia strategies we are using to effectively disseminate scientific findings and to engage communities. This will include the results of an evaluation of a data dashboard developed to visualize the results of CTN-0135 (Aim 2 survey). Posted on January 21, 2026
-
New in the Library (December 2025 – January 2026)
Here are the latest items added to the CTN Dissemination Library for December 2025 – January 2026 (this post will be updated as new items come in): A scoping review of implementation strategies to reduce stigma toward people who use substances in healthcare settings. Cioffi C & Hartzler B. Webinar from the CTN Translation & Implementation SIG, January 2026. There and back again: Continuing efforts via regional partnership to promote workforce awareness of scientific advancements in addiction care [commentary]. Hartzler B, et al. Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment 2026 (in press). Exploring the use of telemedicine to expand addiction and recovery resources in Great Plains Tribal Communities. Harding MC, et al. Journal of Rural Health 2026;42(1):e70113. (Outcomes for Aim 2 of CTN-0129) Factors associated with opioid-involved overdose: Descriptive data from a randomized controlled trial evaluating extended-release buprenorphine for perinatal opioid use disorder. Witcraft SM, et al. Substance Use & Addiction Journal 2026 (in press). (CTN-0080) Cigarette use and smoking cessation goals among pregnant women with opioid use disorder. Krans EE, et al. Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment 2025 (in press). (CTN-0080) A community-driven approach to address substance use and create a Great Plains American Indian addiction and recovery research agenda. Luger B, et al. American Journal of Community Psychology 2025 (in press). (Outcomes for CTN-0129) Barriers to buprenorphine initiation in patients using fentanyl. Kawasaki SS, et al. JAMA Network Open 2026;9(1):e2552136. (Outcomes for CTN-0135) Posted on January 9, 2026, updated January 21, 2026
