Indiana University is investing in reducing racial and ethnic disparities found in substance use disorders and eradicating the racial barriers in substance use research through the funding of 11 research projects.
Awarded through the Responding to the Addictions Crisis Grand Challenge's Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Substance Use Research Fund, the projects address racial/ethnic gaps in postpartum access to opioid use disorder, racial bias in subscribing, inequitable opioid overdose education and response and more.
"This funding accelerates efforts to increase diversity of IU faculty and student researchers that work with Indiana communities to decrease disparities for people with substance use disorders," said Robin Newhouse, the lead investigator for the Grand Challenge and dean of the IU School of Nursing. "The Addictions Grand Challenge is working to promote equity in systems of care, particularly those that focus on underserved communities in Indiana."
Announced in 2017, the Responding to the Addictions Crisis Grand Challenge includes more than 30 interdisciplinary research projects with community partnerships throughout the state.
"These 11 new projects address issues of diversity, equality and inclusion in substance abuse research that have been neglected all too frequently in the past," IU Vice President for Research Fred Cate said. "We are excited about this new work and the positive change to which it can contribute."
Projects awarded through the Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Substance Use Research Fund:
- Investigating Best Practices for Research Recruitment and Retention Among Reproductive Aged Black Women (18-44) With Opioid Use Disorder, Angela Campbell, assistant professor of applied health science in the School of Public Health-Bloomington.
- Engaging College Students of Color as Partners in Research on the Protective Processes in Decisions to Drink Alcohol, Peter Finn, tenured professor of psychological and brain science in the IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences.
- Did the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) Medicaid Continuity Help Reduce Racial/Ethnic Gaps in Postpartum Access to Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder?, Sumedha Gupta, associate professor of economics in the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI.
- Predicting Young Adults' Completion of Substance Use Treatment by Race and Ethnicity: A Machine Learning Approach, Saahoon Hong, assistant research professor of social work in the IU School of Social Work.
- Stigma and Racial Disparities in Neonatal Drug Toxicology Screening, Cydney McGuire, assistant professor in the Paul H. O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
- Addressing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Substance Use through Integration of Motivational Interviewing in Faith-Based Settings,Hope McMinkle, research associate of applied health science in the IU Bloomington School of Public Health.
- Can State-Mandated Information on Prescription History Reduce Racial Bias in Prescribing,Alberto Ortega, assistant professor in the Paul H. O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
- Community Conditions, Practices, and Beliefs Contributing to Inequitable Opioid Overdose Education and Response in Black-dominant Indianapolis Communities,Dong Chul Seo, interim associate dean for faculty affairs and professor of applied health science in the IU Bloomiongton School of Public Health.
- Will Medicare's Recent Coverage of Methadone Help Reduce Racial/Ethnic Gaps in Access to Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder and Health Outcomes?,Kosali Simon, distinguished professor in the Paul H. O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Herman B Wells Endowed professor, Paul O'Neill Chair, associate vice provost for health sciences.
- Motherhood and Substance Abuse: A Comparison of Racial Differences in Access to Treatment in Northwest Indiana,Monica Solinas-Saunders, associate professor at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, IU Northwest.
- Provider and Patient Level Factors and Substance Use Disorder Treatment among Black Adults, Tamika Zapolski, associate professor in the IUPUI School of Science and Virgil Gregory, clinical social worker in the IU School of Social Work at IUPUI.