Core C: Translational and Transformative Research

PROJECT SUMMARY Nationally, drug overdose is the leading cause of adult accidental death, claiming more lives every year than every armed conflict since the end of the World Wars. Rhode Island is a state devastated by overdose mortality and morbidity. The enormity and urgency of the opioid crisis call for new, translational approaches and faster dissemination of research and promising interventions to transform the care of opioid addiction and overdose, in Rhode Island and nationwide. To maximize the impacts of such scientific findings on the behaviors of patients, clinicians, healthcare systems, and policy makers, the COBRE on Opioids and Overdose needs concerted efforts and key resources to both generate and execute translational research and to create effective study dissemination tools. Local resources to encourage and nurture translational research in the social and behavioral to clinical sciences are limited, and opportunities for skill acquisition, concept development, simulation, and user testing in translational research are not sustained over time. To better optimize the efficacy and reach of the proposed projects, resources to generate and execute translational research and to create effective study dissemination tools are needed. The Translational and Transformative Research (T2) Core aims to continue to provide expert support and technical assistance to junior investigators and affiliated researchers at Rhode Island Hospital, Brown University, and other area hospitals and academic institutions. The long-term goal of the T2 Core is to establish a regional and national hub of translational and transformative resources capable of supporting junior investigators, COBRE projects, and the broader scientific community as they bridge theory to promising intervention and research to practice and policy change for opioid use disorder and overdose. The Core aims are to: 1) Support the execution of high-quality, impactful translational and implementation COBRE-affiliated studies through expert consultation and data collection support on qualitative research, translating theory into intervention, laboratory testing supports, and technology-driven interventions; 2) Develop a culture of excellence and innovation in translational and transformative training and research on opioid use and overdose by hosting annual meetings and contests and quarterly workshops and trainings; and 3) Promote and support implementation and dissemination of COBRE- affiliated research study findings by assisting with data presentation, plans for dissemination, and study communications, including to vulnerable populations and affected communities. Led by experienced and highly productive researchers with extensive mentoring experience, the T2 Core will inspire innovation in translational and transformative research and provide a valuable resource for the COBRE studies.