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

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

The NY Node held a full-day in-person meeting in New York City on Oct. 17, 2025. The annual meeting brought together more than 90 participants from New York, New Jersey, and Maryland. The goal of the meeting was to understand clinical and research priorities of service providers and public health partners, identify key areas for collaboration, and shape the Node’s research agenda within the national CTN. Attendees represented major health systems and FQHCs, governmental and public health agencies, community-based treatment and low barrier programs, and academic trainees and investigators. The program started with an overview of the NY Node and CTN, followed by three panels: (1) SUD Health Services Perspectives; (2) Low-Barrier Treatment and Research Collaborations; and (3) Research Priorities for Co-Occurring Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders. Afternoon breakout sessions and a large-group discussion focused on research priorities and strategies to improve substance use care. The meeting provided a wonderful opportunity to connect with colleagues and share ideas. We look forward to our 2026 meeting and continuing to build collaborations to advance research within the CTN. Posted December 12, 2025.

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…