The scope of the current opioid crisis necessitates a broad-based health system response to addiction that extends beyond the specialty addiction care system. There is a critical need to expand research infrastructure to develop, test, and implement new clinical interventions and evidence-based opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment into diverse clinical settings. We propose the University of Utah?s (UofU) Greater Intermountain Node (GIN) to expand the existing NIH NIDA Clinical Trial Network?s (CTN) infrastructure by developing and testing innovative OUD interventions, expanding the settings for CTN research, and bringing new research acumen to the CTN. The GIN brings expertise in three spheres of OUD research: 1) non-addiction health care settings, 2) large health systems of care, and 3) implementation science. GIN?s sphere of non-addiction specialty care settings research will enable the CTN to continue and further establish these settings for OUD research by leveraging environments where GIN faculty are conducting ongoing research, for example, in primary care, obstetrical, and community pharmacies. GIN?s sphere of health systems of care research will enable the CTN access to Utah?s comprehensive, linked health/social service system databases and the Veterans Health Administration integrated data system in addition to bringing extensive experience in data science and informatics. GIN?s sphere of implementation science will allow CTN to promote and support implementation research proposals, expertise, and environments with a focus on studying/improving implementation of medication treatment for OUD, OUD identification and treatment in rural clinical settings, and improving provider knowledge, attitudes, and clinical behaviors toward patients with OUD. Advancing the work of these targeted spheres will enable the GIN to successfully achieve the following Specific Aims (SA): SA1: Enhance CTN?s ability to conduct research in primary care and non-addiction care settings (e.g. primary care, inpatient, pharmacy); SA2: Enhance CTN?s ability to conduct research within integrated systems of care with ?big data? resources (Utah population-level databases, VA); and SA3: Enhance CTN?s ability to conduct implementation science research to rapidly and effectively integrate and disseminate evidence-based addiction care into diverse non-addiction and health system targets. The GIN?s interdisciplinary leadership team has a proven track record in addiction investigative scholarship. We will leverage a robust institutional commitment and infrastructure, institutional centers focused on addiction-related research, and training programs with strong regional and national connections to clinicians, educators, and community stakeholders.
We propose the University of Utah?s Greater Intermountain Node to expand the existing National Institute of Drug Abuse Clinical Trial Network infrastructure by developing and testing innovative interventions for opioid use disorder, preventing overdose, expanding the settings for Network research, and bringing new research expertise to the Network. This new Node brings expertise in three areas of opioid addiction research: 1) non- addiction health care settings, 2) large health systems of care, and 3) implementation science. We will leverage a robust institutional commitment and infrastructure, institutional centers focused on addiction-related research, and training programs with strong regional and national connections to clinicians, educators, other institutions and organizations, and community stakeholders.
