NorthStar Node of the NIDA Clinical Trials Network

Since joining the NIDA National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN) in 2015, the NorthStar node has made significant contributions to the objectives and priorities of the CTN. The NorthStar node’s experts and partners bring a broad range of research strategies to the CTN including clinical trials, data science, implementation science, digital interventions, innovations such as neuromodulation and psychedelics, and health services research and policy analysis. In this application, the NorthStar node continues to pursue its seven guiding POLARIS (i.e., the North Star) objectives:1) Partner with our communities to meet their needs; 2) address co-Occurring medical, psychiatric and substance use disorders (SUD); 3) use principals of a Learning health system to conduct pragmatic trials; 4) apply Artificial intelligence and other data sciences approaches to enhance SUD research and care; 5) Reach those often left out of SUD research to ensure our research is relevant to as many people as possible; 6) leverage Implementation science to promote integration of evidence-based SUD practices into general medical and other settings; and 7) test innovative Strategies for SUD treatment. Our ability to achieve these objectives is evidenced through our track record of leading 8 CTN studies and serving as study sites for another 12 CTN studies. Funding through other NIH, NIDA, and CDC mechanisms including the Justice Community Opioid Network underscores our skill in working across many settings (e.g., hospitals, FQHCs, emergency departments, primary care clinics, churches, healthcare for the homeless, jails, opioid treatment programs, addiction clinics, pharmacies, and digital spaces). NorthStar’s expertise in workforce development and technology transfer includes multiple NIDA T32 programs, a Learning Health System K12, KL2 programs, the Addiction Technology Transfer Centers, MICares’ national provider training platform, and peer recovery training programs all of which ensure our innovations are disseminated for practice implementation and innovation.