Dr. Messmer is an assistant professor at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and is board-certified in internal medicine, pediatrics, and addiction medicine. Dr. Messmer is the clinical lead of the UIC Community Outreach Intervention Projects (COIP) Mobile Medications for Opioid Use Disorder program, which provides low-barrier substance use treatment and primary care via mobile units in Chicago neighborhoods with high overdose rates. This clinical work has inspired Dr. Messmer’s path as a physician-scientist, focusing on implementation science to develop community-based programs that deliver evidence-based addiction treatment and meet people where they are.

In 2024, Dr. Messmer was awarded a HEAL Initiative Career Development Award (K23) in Implementation Science. Her K23 project aims to adapt and pilot contingency management within a mobile, low-barrier substance use treatment program, with the primary goal of improving treatment retention. As a C-DIAS Fellow, Dr. Messmer hopes to deepen her understanding of implementation science methods, explore the policy and financing impacts on the implementation and sustainment of contingency management, and collaborate with her cohort to improve access to evidence-based, equitable substance use treatment.