Contact
Professor of Medicine with Tenure, Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics ,
Director, CHAllenges in Managing and Preventing Pain (CHAMPP) Clinical Research Center ,
Associate Director, General Internal Medicine Research Fellowship Program
Dr. Merlin is a Professor with Tenure in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Director of the CHAllenges in Managing and Preventing Pain (CHAMPP) clinical research center. She is a physician and is board certified in internal medicine, palliative care, infectious diseases, and addiction medicine. She is also a PhD-trained behavioral scientist and NIH-funded clinician-investigator. Her large, NIH-funded program of research focuses on the intersection of chronic pain and opioid misuse/use disorder across populations and settings. To that end, among other NIH-funded studies, she is the MPI of the NIH-funded Tailored Retention and Engagement for Equitable Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder and Pain (TREETOP) clinical research center, one of four NIH-funded centers focusing on the intersection of pain and opioid use disorder in the US. Her work is widely published in prominent journals, and she serves as a scientific mentor to many PhD students, post-doctoral fellows, and faculty with similar interests. She is an active clinician and has been recognized nationally with numerous prestigious research, leadership, and mentorship awards.
Dr. Merlin is a native Pittsburgher and is a graduate of Taylor Allderdice High School. She enjoys taking epic road trips with her husband and two children that involve amazing food, friends, and hiking.
Representative Publications
Jones KF, Khodyakov D, Han BH, Arnold RM, Dao E, Morrison J, Kapo J, Meier DE, Paice JA, Liebschutz JM, Ritchie CS, Merlin JS, Bulls HW. Expert consensus-based guidance on approaches to opioid management in individuals with advanced cancer-related pain and nonmedical stimulant use. Cancer. 2023 Dec 15;129(24):3978-3986. doi: 10.1002/cncr.34921. Epub 2023 Sep 11. PMID: 37691479
Jones KF, Joudrey P, Meier D, Meghani S, Merlin J. Juggling Two Full-Time Jobs – Methadone Clinic Engagement and Cancer Care. N Engl J Med. 2023 Nov 30;389(22):2024-2026. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp2310123. Epub 2023 Nov 25. PMID: 38009604
Merlin J, Black AC, Midboe AM, Troszak L, Asch S, Bohnert A, Fenton B, Giannitrapani K, Glassman P, Kerns RD, Silveira M, Lorenz K, Abel E, Becker W. Long-term opioid therapy trajectories and overdose in patients with and without cancer. BMJ Onc. 2023 July 3; 2(1): e000023. doi: 10.1136/bmjonc-2022-000023. PMID: 38259328
Ask me about: eating at restaurants, policy/advocacy