CTN-0151 at AMERSA 2025 CTN-0151 was featured at the Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance Use and Addiction (AMERSA) 2025 conference with the poster: “Stakeholder Perspectives on Community Pharmacists’ Prescribing and Management of Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder Under a Collaborative Pharmacy Practice Agreement,” presented by Greater Intermountain Node Clinical Research Coordinator, Melissa Tysko. The poster highlighted CTN-0151’s goal to develop a model for community pharmacist-managed buprenorphine for opioid use disorder. As part of the study, researchers conducted qualitative interviews with stakeholders in community pharmacy and MOUD treatment—including pharmacists, physicians, patients, recovery support organizations, and payors. Interviews were analyzed using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Findings showed strong support across stakeholder groups for this model of care, emphasizing its potential to reduce provider workload and improve patient access to treatment. Key considerations for implementation included adaptability, integration into existing pharmacy workflows and technology, and strategies to measure performance and care quality. Let’s Talk About Drugs in the Intermountain West Podcast Our node’s umbrella program, the Program of Addiction Research, Clinical Care, Knowledge, and Advocacy (PARCKA), hosts a weekly podcast: Let’s Talk About Drugs in the Intermountain West (LTAD). Each episode offers fresh conversations about addiction and highlights efforts to address substance use disorders in the Greater Intermountain West. Starting January 7, 2026, LTAD will launch a special 12-week series titled “Use With Care,” focused on overdose prevention and harm reduction. This series will feature local experts and advocates discussing topics such as harm reduction 101, safer…

Long-time Pacific Northwest Node member Andy Saxon, MD is the recipient of the 2025 Outstanding Achievement and Service Award from the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP). This honor is presented to an outstanding member of the community who works in the field of addiction and who has contributed significantly to the science, teaching, treatment, and/or advocacy related to substance use disorders and co-occurring mental illness. Before his entry into psychiatry, Dr. Saxon completed an internal medicine internship and worked for four years as an emergency room physician. Following a general psychiatry residency at UW, Dr. Saxon has more than four decades of experience as a clinical and research addiction psychiatrist. He sits on the editorial boards of the journals, Drug and Alcohol Dependence and General Hospital Psychiatry. He is a lifetime Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, where he served as the chair of the Council on Addiction Psychiatry from 2017-2019. He’s a fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, as well as a member of College on Problems of Drug Dependence and of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry. He has given numerous presentations at conferences and has more than 200 papers published in peer reviewed journals. Congratulations, Dr. Saxon!

CTN-0082 update CTN-0082 had another paper published: Predicting Willingness to Use MOUD: An Application of the Theory of Reasoned Action and Theory of Planned-Behavior. Lancaster C, et al. Journal of Drug Issues 2025 (in press). The paper reports on a study that used the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to assess willingness to use 3 medications (methadone, buprenorphine, naltrexone) for opioid use disorder (MOUD) among people who use opioids (PWUOs). Findings partially supported the TRA but not TPB, with positive attitudes associated with greater willingness to use all three types of MOUD, pointing to the value of syringe services programs as a low threshold hub for treatment engagement. CTN-0102-XR update Providence Northeast Washington Medical Group – Colville finished all participant involvement in CTN-102-XR ending with an unheard of 100% retention rate! We want to send a huge congratulations to the team in Colville for their excellent work engaging participants and providing top notch care!

Join the Health Systems Node on December 4 for this virtual seminar: The Right Support at the Right Time: Just-in-Time Adaptive Interventions (JITAIs) for Substance Use with Dr. Kristina Phillips December 4, 2025 10 am – 11 am PT Just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAIs) represent a cutting-edge approach to promoting healthier behaviors, including the reduction of substance use. By delivering personalized, real-time support precisely when individuals need it most, JITAIs have the potential to transform the landscape of mobile health (mHealth). In this seminar, Dr. Kristina Phillips will introduce the conceptual and methodological foundations of JITAIs, including a focus on intensive longitudinal data collection. Key challenges related to privacy and sustained engagement will be addressed, alongside a review of experimental designs commonly employed to optimize JITAIs. The talk will conclude with an example from an ongoing clinical trial evaluating the preliminary efficacy of a novel JITAI targeting young adults who co-use cannabis and alcohol, illustrating the practical application of these methods. Website/link to join:Join the meeting nowMeeting ID: 250 658 877 216 6Passcode: B8jq2m9A Posted on November 19, 2025.

Stacy Sterling, DrPH, MSW, MPH, and Derek Satre PhD, Health System Node faculty, hosted the International Network on Brief Intervention for Alcohol or Other Drugs (INEBRIA) conference in San Francisco, CA on September 24-26, 2025.  INEBRIA is dedicated to evaluating the effectiveness of brief interventions in different settings with different types of patients. A great turn out, with more than 130 researchers from around the world in attendance. Research by Kelly Young-Wolff, PhD, MPH, Health System Node faculty, and Research Scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research, was highlighted in the new ACOG guidelines on prenatal cannabis use. Upcoming online seminar The new Health Systems Node Seminar Series presents Lessons Learned About Treating Co-occurring Conditions Among Adults Receiving Substance Use Disorder Treatment with Dr. Mark Ilgen, PhD. Join us for online seminar on November 6, 2025 @ 10 am PT. No registration required. Contact Morgan Ford for more information: morgan.ford@kp.org. Website/link to join:Join the Microsoft Teams Meeting hereMeeting ID: 250 658 877 216 6Passcode: B8jq2m9A Description: Co-occurring mental health and physical problems are common among patients receiving treatment for substance use disorders. When present, these issues typically predict poorer functional and substance-related outcomes following treatment. This suggests that addressing co-occurring problems during an episode of substance use disorder treatment could significantly improve a wide range of outcomes. However, prior studies have yielded somewhat inconsistent results regarding the additional and/or synergistic benefits of treating co-occurring mental health and physical problems beyond the standard effects of substance use…

The Greater Southern California Node has a new publication out about CTN-0143 (Social Determinants of Health: Needs and Consequences Associated with Substance Use Disorders): A scoping review of interventions addressing social determinants of health and their influence on opioid use disorder outcomes. Cousins SJ, et al. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 2025;276:112858. Over the past decade, opioid overdose deaths have risen sharply. The Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) framework can guide interventions to improve opioid use disorder (OUD) outcomes. Understanding which SDOH-focused interventions work — and how they affect OUD — can help meet the needs of people at risk or living with OUD. This scoping review looked at SDOH interventions and their impacts on OUD outcomes across five domains. Most focused on the healthcare system (37%), improving provider training, access, and care quality. Others addressed community and social context (30%) through support programs and coalitions; economic stability (16%) via employment and financial incentives; neighborhood environment (9%) through Housing-First models; and education (2%) with early prevention programs. These efforts generally reduced opioid use, overdoses, and stigma. However, inconsistent SDOH definitions and limited rigorous evaluation hinder clear conclusions. Strengthening study design and measurement is crucial to advance effective SDOH-based OUD interventions. Read the full paper here! (free full text) Posted on October 14, 2025

Dr. Kathleen Brady, principal investigator of the CTN Southern Consortium Node, was recently named one of the top most influential people in Charleston, South Carolina, by Charleston Magazine! From the article: The Researcher: Kathleen Brady, MD Medical research is that nerdy enterprise most of us don’t pay attention to, until we need it. Given that nearly 17% of Americans over age 12 faced a substance [use] disorder in the last year, chances are you’ll need it. Enter Dr. Kathleen Brady, vice president for research and distinguished professor and MUSC [Medical University of South Carolina], where for more than three decades, she’s led the charge for evidence-based treatments, studying how anxiety, affective disorders, and PTSD affect addiction, particularly in women. Brady has been the top NIH-funded investigator at MUSC and in the top five percent nationally for over a decade, receiving the SC Governor’s Award for Excellence in Science for her contributions, including ensuring clinical trial discoveries reach frontline providers. “I’m committed to science and research, but my interest lies in how these improve the lives of patients,” the Betty Ford Award recipient said. That bridge proved vital when the opioid crisis hit South Carolina. Brady’s work has expanded treatment capacity, including telehealth, screening, and ER intervention for opioid addiction throughout the state, saving countless lives. Congratulations, Dr. Brady! Read the piece from Charleston Magazine here (Dr. Brady is #43 in the list) Posted on October 13, 2025

The CTN Pacific Northwest Node team took some time out on October 2nd and 3rd to do some goal-setting for the coming year. As a reward for all their hard work, they participated in a Paint and Sip at Canvas in Redmond, funded by a University of Washington School of Medicine Well Being grant! Check out the incredible artwork of this multi-talented Node team! Pictured: (Back, left to right) Kai Orozco, Brenda Stuvek, Michelle Ingalsbe, Mary Hatch(Front, left to right) Tanja Laschober, Sharon Garrett Posted on October 13, 2025