CTN Trial Progress

Randomizations for Active Studies as of the December 18 Trial Progress Report.

CTN-0080 - Enrolled 140

CTN-0096 - Enrolled 37

CTN-0098 - Enrolled 198

CTN-0099 - Enrolled 1769

CTN-0100
Discontinuation - Enrolled 214
Retention - Enrolled 983

CTN-0101 - Enrolled 202

CTN-0107 - Enrolled 150

CTN-0108 - Enrolled 119

CTN-0109 - Enrolled 103

CTN-0110 - Enrolled 18

CTN-0116 - Enrolled 143

CTN-0126 - Enrolled 24

News from the Nodes

Appalachian Node

On October 25, 2023 and as part of the annual Appalachian Node, WVU hosted a meeting entitled “Building a Healthier Appalachia: Collaborative Solutions to Substance Use Disorders Across the Region” at the WVU Alumni Center (Morgantown, WV).

The conference was co-facilitated by the WVU Research Office and brought together policy makers, community leaders, treatment providers, trainees and local as well as national researchers (~60 attendees not affiliated with the node). The goal of the conference was to advance knowledge of empirically based interventions for individuals with substance use disorders and to improve community collaboration to improve outcomes.

The conference included nationally renowned speaker Dr. Frances Levin from Columbia University who spoke on research and state-of-the-art treatments for patients with ADHD and co-occurring SUD. Carmen Rosa and Dr. August Holtyn (CCTN) spoke about the role of the NIDA CTN in translating research into practice. Quandra Blackney (NIDA) and Andrew Wilson (Central East ATTC) shared dissemination and implementation resources. Dr. Jane Liebschutz and Donna Beers shared their evidence-based model of collaborative care for patients with SUDs. There was also a community panel, flash talks from researchers at UPIT and WVU, and a poster presentation and networking session. The lunch was provided by Healthy Kids, which is a local non-profit that provides meals for individuals in recovery housing, and they have developed a job-training program for individuals in recovery from SUDs.

During the conference registration process, attendees were asked to report on the most important drug use/SUD in their communities. This content was reviewed and then integrated into a human-centered design activity (facilitated by Dr. Megan Hamm) that occurred during lunch. Individuals were assigned to lunch tables, strategically assembled to facilitate new connections and diverse perspectives, and they need to identify innovative solutions to problems facing our communities today and potential research opportunities.

New England Consortium

E. Jennifer Edelman, MD, MHA, was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI). The ASCI is a prestigious honor society for physician-scientists. Founded in 1908, the ASCI is one of the nation’s oldest medical honor societies and is among the few organizations focused on the special role of physician-scientists in research, clinical care, and medical education, as well as leadership positions in academic medicine and the life sciences industry.

Roger Weiss, MD, delivered the Eric D. Hadar Distinguished Lecture in Psychiatry at Columbia University on 11/15/2023 on “Integrating Pharmacotherapy and Behavioral Therapy in Treating Patients with Substance Use Disorders.”

Roger Weiss, MD, received the Founders Award from the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP) on 12/8/2023. The AAAP Founders’ Award is presented by the organization to an outstanding member of the community who works in the field of addiction and who has contributed significantly to the science, teaching, treatment or public policy in the addictions. Shelly Greenfield, MD, MPH, was the recipient in 2022, and she presented the award and interviewed Dr. Weiss in a “fireside chat.”

Photo: Front and center are Dr. Greenfield and Dr. Weiss with current and former MGB addiction psychiatry fellows (and some former MGH/McLean residents) who trained with them.

[view a larger format version of this photo]

Greater Southern California Node

Awards:

Congratulations to Dr. Lillian Gelberg, Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Health Policy and Management, UCLA, for receiving the 2023 Maurice Wood Award for Lifetime Contribution to Primary Care Research! The Wood Award is given annually to honor a researcher who has made outstanding contributions to primary care research. 

Among Gelberg’s achievements are her pioneering research on health disparities, including work that helps people who are experiencing homelessness, as well as her efforts to integrate behavioral health into primary care, such as patient-centered approaches to prevent substance use disorders in low-income patients of federally qualified health centers.

Publications:

• Co-occurring substance use disorders among patients with opioid use disorder in rural primary care clinics. Zhu Y, et al. Journal of Substance Use & Addiction Treatment 2023;158:209269. CTN-0102-Phase One Feasibility Study

• Social determinants of health and continuity of medications for opioid use disorder among patients receiving treatment in rural primary care settings. Pham H, et al. Journal of Addiction Medicine 2023 (accepted for publication). CTN-0102-Phase One Feasibility Study

New from the ATTC Network

Study identifies a more effective way to care for newborns exposed to opioids, by the Addiction Policy Forum. ATTC Messenger, December 2023.

NIATx: The Intersection of Behavioral Health and Systems Engineering -- A Conversation with David H. Gustafson. ATTC|NIATx Service Improvement blog.

New in the CTN Dissemination Library

CTN Webinar: Addictions Research Meets Lived Experience: Lessons Learned, Opportunities, and Challenges. Barth K, et al. Produced by the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network's Clinical Coordinating Center, October 2023.

Parent-to-Parent Community Support: Helping Families Come Into Contact with Evidence-Informed Concepts and Strategies in the Context of Shared Lived Experience. Carpenter KM.  Youth Special Interest Group (SIG) webinar, November 2023.

Research Priorities to Improve Treatment of Patients Exposed to Xylazine-Fentanyl: Rapid Communication from a National Institute on Drug Abuse Center for the Clinical Trials Network Meeting. Haroz R, et al. Journal of Addiction Medicine 2023 (in press).

Managing Patients Taking Xylazine-Adulterated Opioids in Emergency, Hospital, and Addiction Care Settings. D’Orazio J, et al. Virtual workshop presented by the NIDA Center for the Clinical Trials Network, June 14, 2023

Co-occurring Substance Use Disorders Among Patients with Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Primary Care Clinics. Zhu Y, et al. Journal of Substance Use & Addiction Treatment 2023 (in press). CTN-0102

New from NIDA

Reported drug use among adolescents continued to hold below pre-pandemic levels in 2023: New data show relatively low use of illicit substances, yet overdose deaths among teens have risen in recent years. December 13, 2023 NIDA News Release.

Researchers identify brain network that is uniquely activated through injection vs. oral drug use: NIH study suggests the brain's "salience network" is important for understanding substance use disorder, could be a future therapeutic target. November 8, 2023 NIDA News Release.

Upcoming Events

5th Annual NIH HEAL Initiative Scientific Meeting (Bethesda, MD)
February 7-8, 2024

American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) Annual Conference (Grapevine, TX)
April 7-8, 2024

CPDD 2024 (Quebec, Canada)
June 15-19, 2024

For more upcoming events, check out the Event Calendar on the CTN Dissemination Library website.