The Southern Consortium Node (SCN) has been an integral part of the NIDA-funded Clinical Trials Network (CTN) consortium since 2000, evolving to meet changing CTN needs and leading and contributing to a portfolio of compelling addiction science and treatment research projects with outstanding performance metrics. We have expanded our network throughout the Southeast and established close and collaborative working relationships with a diverse and geographically dispersed group of programs including primary care and medical specialty practices. We have a cost-effective system for accessing specialized expertise for specific CTN trials. We have solid collaborative relationships with community substance use disorder (SUD) treatment programs, primary care providers and governmental agencies that facilitate research, implementation and dissemination efforts. Our CTN efforts are complemented and enhanced by our statewide CTSA infrastructure, creating a research capacity that extends far beyond our academic home. For this renewal, we propose to further expand our network to include six rural states in the Southeast with a research agenda focused on best practices for bringing evidence-based care to underserved rural populations across the full continuum of care. We will develop a Health Technology Core to facilitate exploration of the use of technology to address health disparities in SUD treatment. We will develop an Implementation Science Core and employ Learning Health System principles to move positive findings into our partnering practice systems, fulfilling the core CTN mission of moving evidence-based treatment beyond academic settings. In sum, the SCN has demonstrated remarkable flexibility, creativity and the collaborative and innovative spirit required to meet new challenges and take advantage of growing CTN opportunities. We have gathered a multidisciplinary team with expertise in addiction psychiatry, clinical research, informatics, analytics, healthcare technology, dissemination and implementation science. We will employ our resources and expertise in innovative areas to address identified gaps in access, engagement and retention in treatment for individuals with SUDs. The SCN team looks forward to continued participation in the CTN consortium.
The Clinical Trials Network (CTN) is a cooperative agreement between NIDA, treatment providers, and researchers throughout the nation in which science is being utilized as a vehicle to improve the treatment of substance use disorders. It is the goal of the Southern Consortium Node (SCN) to work collaboratively with the CCTN, the NIDA-contracted coordinating and data centers, and other CTN Nodes in conducting and directing multi-site clinical trials, implementation and dissemination efforts.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 33 publications
