Penn State Health and University of Maryland are two sites selected to work on the HEAL funded study looking at the effectiveness of GLP-1 agonists as adjunctive treatment for OUD, slated to begin recruitment in the Fall.  Site PIs:  Sarah Kawasaki and Aaron Greenblatt/Eric Weintraub. posted on July 5, 2024

CPDD honored Jim Sorensen (who served as an MPI for the Western States Node of the CTN) and made the first James L. Sorensen Distinguished Treatment and Service Mentor award to Jeffery Samet, MD for his scientific leadership and his mentorship of addiction medicine physicians. Dr. Sorensen’s widow (Laurel Koepernik) and Jim’s brothers (Roger and Bryan) hosted a reception to present the award to Dr. Samet. The annual award remembers Jim Sorensen’s contributions to CPDD, his many years of mentoring clinicians and investigators, and his leadership in the development of Addiction Health Services and Implementation Research. Kim Hoffman, Todd Korthuis, Carmen Masson, and Dennis McCarty represented the Western States Node at the reception. Carmen Rosa (from the Center for the Clinical Trials Network) was also present.

The Appalachian Node has two new publications to report: Bulls HW, Hamm M, Wasilewski J, Olejniczak D, Bell SG, Liebschutz JM. “To prescribe or not to prescribe, that is the question”: Perspectives on opioid prescribing for chronic, cancer-related pain from clinicians who treat pain in survivorship. Cancer. 2024 Apr 3. doi: 10.1002/cncr.35299. PMID: 38567685. Jennings LK, Lander L, Lawdahl T, McClure EA, Moreland A, McCauley JL, Haynes L, Matheson T, Jones R, Robey TE, Kawasaki S, Moschella P, Raheemullah A, Miller S, Gregovich G, Waltman D, Brady KT, Barth KS. Characterization of peer support services for substance use disorders in 11 US emergency departments in 2020: findings from a NIDA clinical trials network site selection process. Addict Sci Clin Pract. 2024 Apr 8;19(1):26. doi: 10.1186/s13722-024-00453-x. PMID: 38589934; PMCID: PMC11003047.

CTN-0129 Team presents at National Indian Health Board Conference Investigators and collaborating community partners for CTN-0129 “The Great Plains Initiative” presented a discussion panel about the study at the National Indian Health Board conference on May 22, 2024 in Rapid City, SD. The panel was moderated by Brynn Luger, PhD and included Lead Investigator Donald Warne, MD, MPH, T. John Winhusen, PhD, Gene Tyon, MA of Oaye Luta Okolakiciye, Barbara Dull Knife, BS of Wakanyeia Gluwitayan Otipi, and Ellen Durkin MSW of South Dakota Urban Indian Health. Allison Kelliher, MD joined the panel via Zoom. CTN-0129 Team Dr. Warne CTN-0129 Great Plains Initiative Panel

Greater Intermountain Node (GIN) Medical Clinician, Jasmin Charles, MPAS, PA-C, has been awarded the 2024 Physician Associate (PA) of the Year by the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA). Read the AAPA PA of the Year Award announcement about Jasmin here. The AAPA PA of the Year Award honors PA’s who demonstrate exemplary service to the community; exemplify the PA profession’s philosophy of providing accessible, quality healthcare to all; and furthers the image of the profession in a positive, meaningful way. Jasmin is the Clinical Director of the SUPeRAD (Substance Use & Pregnancy, Recovery, Addiction, Dependence) clinic, Co-Investigator for the ELEVATE Maternal Center of Excellence, a visiting lecturer and lead coordinator for Women’s Health rotations for the University of Utah Physician Assistant Program, and a Medical Clinician on several research projects with the Greater Intermountain Node, including CTN-0080 and CTN-0100. “If we, as providers, would treat individuals as people—not as a condition, status, disease, circumstance, race, religion, or gender—then individuals can start to see past their trauma, begin to see value in themselves. This is why I show up to work every day: so that one by one, voices can be found, and lives can be saved.” – Jasmin Charles Jasmin’s efforts with the GIN, the University of Utah, and our community are unmatched. We are thrilled to see her recognized for all of her stellar work – very well deserved!

On April 29, 2024, the Southern Consortium Node granted the inaugural Outstanding Public Leadership Award to Sara Goldsby, Director of the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services. (Pictured: Drs. Kelly Barth, Kathleen Brady, Connie Guille with Ms. Sara Goldsby.) The award was established to recognize state and local government officials who have made exceptional contributions to the advancement of policy and practice in the field of addiction. Ms. Goldsby has been a tireless advocate for South Carolinians struggling with addiction, leading the state’s response to the opioid crisis and serving as the President of the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors since 2021. She has also been at the forefront nationally in forging effective partnerships between our state’s government and local universities, most notably through the establishment of the South Carolina Center of Excellence in Addiction in 2022, which is leveraging the strengths of the state’s public universities to advance data-driven, evidence-based solutions to its most pressing needs. During her leadership in the state, Ms. Goldsby has been an important champion for research, engaging in numerous partnerships with the CTN to advance innovative science to treat addiction in South Carolina and beyond. · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · The South Carolina Governor’s Opioid and Addiction Summit was held in Columbia, SC on April 29-May 1 and provided an excellent forum for dissemination of Clinical Trials…

IMPROVE Studies in Progress!  In October 2023 the NIH IMPROVE initiative approved funds to conduct four projects under the overall leadership of Dr. John Winhusen, current Lead Investigator of the CTN 0080 MOMs study.  CTN investigators are preparing to conduct three research studies and one dissemination activity, described below:  CTN 0150: Personally-Tailored Opioid-overdose and Medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) Education (TOME; LI – Winhusen, OVN): This study is an intent-to-treat, open-label, randomized controlled trial planning to (1) evaluate the ability of TOME to increase MOUD and opioid-overdose knowledge in Pregnant and Post-partum (PP) persons; and (2) evaluate the ability of TOME to decrease MOUD-related internalized stigma and expected difficulty in avoiding drug use.  CTN 0080 A-1: Successful Recruitment And Retention In A Randomized Controlled Trial Of Pregnant and Post-Partum People With Opioid Use Disorder (SUCCESS Study; LI – Smid, GIN). This ancillary study plans to perform qualitative interviews to identify successful strategies, facilitators, and barriers to recruiting pregnant individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) and retaining them through the first year postpartum in the MOMs trial..  CTN 0080 A-2: Promoting Research with Mothers receiving OUD Treatment; a focus on Equity (PRoMOTE; LI – Schiff, NEC Node). This ancillary study plans to apply mixed-methods to investigate facilitators and barriers to treatment initiation of medications to treat opioid use disorder (MOUD), trial engagement, and study retention in CTN-0080, with a focus on race and equity.   CTN 0080 A-3: Improved Messaging Strategies for MOUD For Underserved Populations Of Pregnant And Postpartum…

Members of the Appalachian Node co-authored a manuscript with other CTN members that was published in the journal of Addiction Science & Clinical Practice. The title of the paper is “Characterization of Peer Support Services for Substance Use Disorders in 11 US Emergency Departments in 2020: Findings from a NIDA Clinical Trials Network Site Selection Process.” Authors are Lindsey Jennings; Laura Lander; Tricia Lawdahl; Erin McClure; Angela Moreland; Jenna McCauley; Louise Haynes; Timothy Matheson; Richard Jones; Thomas Robey; Sarah Kawasaki; Phillip Moschella; Amer Raheemullah; Suzette Miller; Gina Gregovich; Deborah Waltman; Kathleen Brady; Kelly Barth. This CTN collaboration looked at site surveys collected from 11 sites across the county with Emergency Department based Peer Support Services (PSS). There were important themes and similarities found among the 11 sites. First, at all but one site, PSSs remained available to patients in the ED, either in-person, virtually, or both, during the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting their important integration as front-line health care workers, especially during the peak of the pandemic. PSSs were typically integrated into the medical care team, evidenced by a large majority of PSSs having access to the hospital EMR. These steps of integration of the PSS workflow into the medical team and medical record is an important step for efforts to advance PSS billing and reimbursement for services supported at the Federal level by the Medicaid 1115 Waiver. Secondly, PSSs at most ED sites initiated some contact with patients after ED discharge, suggesting that communication with patients outside of the…