Welcome to the CoARS website! This website provides you with updates and information on the growing science on recovery support services.
The Consortium on Addiction Recovery Science (CoARS) is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and coordinated by Dr. Aaron Hogue (PI). It is an example of NIDA’s investment in increasing our understanding of recovery support services. In 2018, NIDA announced a new funding opportunity: RFA-DA-20-014; Research Networks for the Study of Recovery Support Services for Persons Treated with Medications for Opioid Use Disorder.
Five research teams were funded, whose collective mission was to advance the science on recovery support services through research networking, training and mentoring students and early career scientists, and building community partnerships. In 2022, NIDA increased its investment in recovery support science by announcing two new RFAs: (1) fund additional research teams to build research and training infrastructure and (2) fund preliminary studies testing the effectiveness of recovery support services. NIDA also provided three years of funding to CoARS to consolidate the partnership among the eight R24 and three R34-funded research teams. This website is dedicated to sharing information on our progress, and to invite and enable participation.
• Project: Advancing the Science on Recovery Community Centers
• Topic: Recovery community centers
• PIs: Bettina Hoeppner
• Project: The JEAP Initiative
• Topic: Recovery support services for justice-involved and emerging adult populations
• PIs: Ashli Sheidow and Michael McCart
• Project: Studies to Advance Recovery Support (STARS)
• Topic: Recovery support services in rural settings
• PIs: Robert Pack and Kimberly Horn
• Project: Innovations in Recovery Through Infrastructure Support
• Topic: Integrated networks of care
• PIs: Jay Unick and Michelle Tuten
• Project: Collaborative Hub for Emerging Adult Recovery Research (CHEARR)
• Topic: Recovery support services, particularly clinical continuing care, for emerging adults who take or who have taken medications for opioid use disorders
• PIs: Kristyn Zajac
• CHEARR is currently recruiting a post-doctoral fellow! Please see here for more information
• Project: Peer Recovery Innovation Network (PRIN)
• Topic: Build capacity for current and future recovery-related research and provide training and technical assistance to recovery scientists and trainees
• PIs: Jennifer Potter and Robert Ashford
•Join the Recovery Science ECHO learning community! Learn more about this PRIN initiative here.
• Share your perspective on what the future of recovery science should look like: Please see here for more information.
• Project: The Infrastructure for Studying Treatment and Addiction Recovery Residences (I-STARR)
• Topic: Enhancing effectiveness research on recovery housing for persons prescribed medication for opioid use disorder
• PIs: Amy Mericle and Carmen Masson
• Project: Planning Grant for a Multi-Site Trial to Examine the Effectiveness of Recovery Community Centers Serving Black Communities to Support Persons Using Medications for Opioid Use Disorder
• Affiliation: Recovery Research Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital; Our community partners are the Detroit Recovery Project and the Northern Ohio Recovery Association
• PIs: Bettina Hoeppner
• Updates: We are readying study materials for two studies at this time: (1) naturalistic longitudinal study of people using MOUDs with and without RCC support; and (2) survey study of clinics providing MOUDs regarding their interactions with RCCs
• Project: Peer Recovery Support Services for Individuals in Recovery Residences on MOUD
• Affiliation: Maryland Treatment Centers
• PIs: Marc Fishman and Kevin Wenzel
• Updates: TBA
• Project: Development of an Integrated Intervention Involving Recovery Coaching and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Opioid Use Disorder
• Affiliation: Clemson University
• PIs: Alain Harris Litwin and Moonseong Heo
• Updates: TBA
Upcoming seminars:
Upcoming group meetings:
• The FIRST Research Network will be hosting the Diversity and Disparities Meeting every fourth Monday.
• CoARS Measures and Metrics Workgroup: every fourth Tuesday of the month at 10:00 AM EST. Please email Craig Henderson (CEH003@SHSU.EDU) to join!
• The CoARS Showcase will be held every third Wednesday, and will provide a chance for CoARS members to discuss their work and provide collaborative feedback between projects.
• STARS will be holding a Peer Support SIG meeting every first Thursday of the month at 4:00 PM EST.
Upcoming conference:
• Please see here for a recap of key takeaways from the JEAP Initiative’s Forum Series on Exploring Barriers and Facilitators to the Use of Medications for Opioid Use Disorders (MOUD)!
• The JEAP Initiative is currently recruiting individuals living with a pain condition or in recovery from an opioid use disorder for a Lived Experience Panel to help identify ways to better share and utilize research findings to address opioid use disorder and improve pain management!
• The Center for Dissemination & Implementation at Stanford (C-DIAS) is currently recruiting for a Fellowship in Addiction Dissemination & Implementation (D&I) Science!
• The Peer Recovery Innovation Network (PRIN) is currently recruiting for a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in substance use recovery research!
• The Collaborative Hub for Emerging Adult Recovery Research (CHEARR) is currently recruiting for a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in substance use recovery support services research!
Gilgoff, J. N., Park, E., Price, J., Scott, T., Moyd, T., Rouse, K., Knighton, G., Frey, J. J., Mattocks, N., Shook, E., Tuten, M., Unick, J.,& Wagner, F. A. (2022).
Building equitable community-academic partnerships for opioid recovery research: Lessons learned from stakeholder engagement with peer and
provider organizations. Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship, 15(1), 479. doi: 10.54656/jces.v15i1.479
Hogue, A., Becker, S. J., Fishman, M., Henderson, C. E., & Levy, S. (2021). Youth OUD treatment during and after COVID: Increasing family involvement across
the services continuum. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 120, 108159. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2020.108159
Hogue, A., Becker, S. J., Wenzel, K., Henderson, C. E., Bobek, M., Levy, S., Fishman, M. (2021). Family involvement in treatment and recovery for substance
use disorders among transition-age youth: Research bedrocks and opportunities. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 129, 108402. doi:
Hogue, A., Bobek, M., Levy, S., Henderson, C. E., Fishman, M., Becker, S. J., Dauber, S., Porter, N., & Wenzel, K. (2021). Conceptual framework for telehealth
strategies to increase family involvement in treatment and recovery for youth opioid use disorder. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 47(2), 501-
514. doi: 10.1111/jmft.12499
Hogue, A., Bobek, M., Porter, N., MacLean, A., Wenzel, K., Fishman, M., Coatsworth, J. D., & Langer, D. A. (2023). Launching relationship-oriented behavioral
services for youth opioid use disorder: Innovations in medication decision-making and adherence planning. Child & Family Behavior Therapy. doi:
Job Title: Scientific Grants Administrator
The Lighthouse Institute at Chestnut Health Systems has a new job opportunity! We are currently hiring for a Scientific Grants Administrator. This is a full-time and benefited remote position that offers the chance to contribute to scientific research initiatives while working with an excellent team of passionate individuals. In terms of qualifications, this position requires a bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 10 years of experience OR a master’s degree or higher with a minimum of 5 years of experience, encompassing administrative responsibilities and exceptional organizational skills. You can read more about the position here.
Job Title: Research Intern – Remote (JEAP Initiative)
Join a team at the JEAP Initiative , a project funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which aims to advance research on recovery support services for substance use disorder. Interns will support research projects, receive training and mentoring, and participate in informational interviews to learn about different career paths. We value lived experience, and thus there is a preferred qualification for individuals with lived experience with recovery from substance use or the justice system. This is a remote internship.
Application Deadline for either internship: Friday, February 2
Learn more here: https://www.jeapinitiative.org/internships/
Spring 2024 Internship:
In this part-time, unpaid internship, you’ll assist with several research projects related to evaluating the cost-effectiveness of recovery support services and identifying how peer support workers can be better supported in their roles to stay in the workforce long-term. This internship is for a minimum of 12 weeks and the start date is flexible.
Summer 2024 Internship:
Our summer internship will be through the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Summer Research Internship Program. This program supports undergraduate students with a focus on increasing underrepresented populations in substance use and addiction research. Through this program, students participate in full-time, paid research internships for eight weeks during the summer (dates are flexible).