Harnessing interpersonal connections for improved patient-oriented research for people who inject drugs (PWID)

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Dr. Meghan D. Morris, PhD, MPH, is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the University of California, San Francisco, with expertise in infectious disease and social epidemiology. Her research program focuses on patient-oriented research with a primary emphasis on addressing health inequities among people who inject drugs (PWID). Her competencies include advanced skills in qualitative, quantitative, dyadic research, and community-engaged research methods. She has a long track record of mentoring scholars across various academic levels. The K24 award provides Dr. Morris with protected time and essential resources to establish a mentorship program and cultivate a new cohort of health equity researchers who will apply dyadic research methods through community-engaged research to enhance the health and well-being of PWID. Dr. Morris's K24 research strategy builds on Dr. Morris’ existing NIH-funded study (R01DA053325) of the Partner Navigation Intervention, a dyadic intervention designed to enhance HCV treatment initiation among PWID by leveraging support within injecting partnerships. Project 1 will examine how racialized discrimination affects treatment initiation and partner support dynamics, generating findings to inform future adaptations using anti-racism principles. Project 2 will pilot an adapted Partner Navigation Intervention session upon HCV treatment completion to promote continued healthcare engagement for comorbid conditions, addressing a critical gap in post-treatment care for PWID. The interdisciplinary mentoring team includes expertise in patient outcomes research, culturally responsive intervention adaptation, dyadic and quantitative research methods, and anti-racism frameworks. The K24 award will enable Dr. Morris to formalize and expand upon the team-mentoring program she has developed and piloted over the past 5 years informed by frameworks from the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) and the Signaling Affirmation for Equity (SAFE) model, utilizing a team- mentoring approach bringing together academic and community members with lived experience of substance use as near-peers. As dyadic research among substance-using populations is an emerging area of study, a national approach to mentorship to promote innovation in patient-centered research is critical.