Adapting and scaling patient-centered collaborative care delivery models to offer treatment for substance use disorders and hepatitis C

About This Grant

SUMMARY/ABSTRACT BACKGROUND. The candidate Dr. Judith Tsui an Addiction Medicine trained physician-scientist who is a leader and expert in patient-oriented research on innovative models of care delivery to improve access to medications for treating opioid use disorder (OUD) and treating and preventing viral co-morbidities such as hepatitis C. Her research, clinical work, and efforts to educate and mentor trainees are aligned: her clinical work informs her research questions and her research allows her to teach and practice the most “up-to-date” evidence-based care. She is currently a Professor at the University of Washington, in the Department of Medicine, recently promoted in 2022. She has an established track record of productivity, publishing over 180 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals with most recent publications led or co-authored by mentees, and she has been an investigator on 36 NIH grants, 12 of them as PI. Her most recent patient-oriented research has focused on developing and testing interventions (including collaborative care models and mHealth adherence support tools) for patients with substance use disorders to improve health outcomes. MENTORING EXPERIENCE AND PLANNED MENTORING. Dr. Tsui mentors trainees along the spectrum of the clinician- scientist pipeline including through 2 NIDA-funded research training programs (R25 and T32) for which she is PI/MPI. She has mentored >20 early-stage clinician investigators, and currently mentors 4 individuals on NIH K awards. Through this K24 she will expand her mentoring to include more medical residents and fellows. CAREER DEVELOPMENT. The K24 award will support Dr. Tsui in attaining 3 career objectives: 1) to provide tailored, trainee-centered mentoring to individuals at all stages of the physician scientist pipeline; 2) to build her research leadership experience and skills, and support her mentees to pursue leadership opportunities; and 3) to create opportunities and resources for mentorship training to support mentors (“mentor the mentor”) and guide trainees to become effective mentors. These will be accomplished through a combination of formal training, attending conferences and maintaining 1-1 meeting with longstanding and new collaborators and mentors. RESEARCH. The research proposed builds upon a recently funded R01 to investigate how to adapt and scale interventions to achieve broader impact. Aim #1 will apply the “Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications Enhanced” (FRAME) to describe adaptations to the Pharmacist, Physician, Patient Navigator Collaborative Care Model (PPP-CCM) intervention that occur during the R01 study. Aim #2 will conduct landscape analysis to evaluate how to scale PPP-CCM model on a state-level to provide hepatitis C cure to people who use drugs, particularly in rural areas with provider shortages. IMPACT. This K24 will enable Dr. Tsui to broaden her experience as an implementation researcher, expand mentoring, and extend knowledge of how to adapt and scale collaborative care models to improve care for people who use drugs.