Drs. Merlin and Kraemer are MPIs for The Tailored Retention and Engagement for Equitable Treatment of OUD and Pain (TREETOP) clinical research center at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt), which is part of the NIH IMPOWR network. TREETOP draws on the NIDA Clinical Trials Network Appalachian (Pennsylvania & West Virginia) and Western States (Oregon) Nodes and the Community-based OUD and Pain Enhanced treatment (COPE) collaborative (Baltimore, Maryland) to develop effective, equitable, and sustainable interventions for chronic pain and OUD. The overall goal is to improve treatment for comorbid chronic pain and OUD across the OUD Treatment Cascade, prioritizing two disproportionately impacted communities for whom equitable implementation of effective interventions can be challenging: rural and Black communities.
(Funding Source: NIH/NIDA, NINDS. RM1DA055311)