This competing renewal application represents the merger of two of the most productive nodes of the NIDA Clinical Trials Network - the New England Node, led by Yale University's Kathleen Carroll, Ph.D., and the Northern New England Node, led by Harvard University's Roger Weiss, M.D.- to form the New England Consortium Node (NECN). Drs. Carroll and Weiss will both be PIs of the NECN, using the multiple PI mechanism. This proposal to combine these two nodes enhances the strengths of each node by providing broader and deeper scientific expertise and greater diversity of community treatment programs (CTPs). Beyond capitalizing on economies of scale for prudent use of CTN resources, our nodes provide an ideal opportunity for integration, based on 1) geographical proximity, 2) complementary scientific expertise, 3) a history of collaboration, and 4) complementary CTP patient populations. Since joining the CTN, the New England and Northern NE Nodes have been highly productive in all key areas of CTN performance: 1) trial leadership, 2) scientific productivity, including publications and presentations, 3) administrative leadership, 4) excellent trial performance, and 5) dissemination of findings from CTN trials to CTPs. NECN personnel have led 4 highly successful and productive CTN trials and have been leaders in disseminating findings of CTN-tested interventions to the wider drug abuse treatment community, both in New England and nationally. Administrative leadership is exemplified by election by our CTN peers to virtually all major CTN leadership positions. NECN CTPs have adopted a number of evidence- based practices, and have themselves disseminated information about these practices regionally, nationally, and internationally. This proposal highlights the accomplishments of the New England and Northern NE Nodes in their current funding periods and their entire tenure in the CTN. The proposal also describes plans for integration of these two highly successful nodes into a seamlessly integrated combined node. Finally, the proposal will use a number of potential research ideas that are consistent with the evolving mission of the CTN.
The CTN does clinically relevant drug abuse research in real-world settings;the structure of the CTN is designed to maximize the likelihood that treatments found to be successful in CTN trials are then disseminated widely to CTPs nationally, which should help improve the overall treatment of drug abuse and comorbid conditions nationwide.
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