Posts by Cory
Not Just for Snacks – Vending Machines as a Low-Barrier Harm Reduction Access Method
Alice Zhang, MD, MPH | January 6, 2026 : Harm reduction-focused vending machines, delivering naloxone, fentanyl test strips, and other public health items, represent a potential non-stigmatizing, low-barrier approach to harm reduction that may increase access and engagement with underserved populations, reduce overdoses and related public health conditions, and health disparities in substance use disorder.…
Read MoreFellow Spotlight: Enya Vroom, PhD
If you ask Dr. Enya Vroom what makes her unique, she might skip the professional milestones and offer something lighter: she, her sister, and her brother all share the same birthday — same day, different years. “We’re not triplets,” she’ll assure you. “Just a statistical anomaly.”
Read MoreFall C-DIAS 2025 Newsletter
Welcome to this issue of the C-DIAS newsletter!
Read More“Beyond the False Dichotomy” Bridging the MOUD-Mutual Help Group Divide
Wayne Kepner, PhD, MPH | November 18 2025 : A significant barrier to addressing the opioid crisis is the “false dichotomy” between two of our most effective strategies; medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and 12-step mutual help groups (MHG). MOUD is the most effective pharmacological treatment to reduce mortality, while MHGs provide invaluable access…
Read MoreFellow Spotlight: Crystal Lederhos Smith, PhD
Dr. Crystal Smith’s path into addiction science didn’t begin in a lab or clinic. It began in a rural logging town in northern Idaho, a community shaped by poverty, limited opportunity, and the kinds of challenges that can derail a young person before adulthood. Smith understands this firsthand.
Read MoreHow to Work Your Data Project into a Health Care System: An HD2A Story
Niranjan S. Karnik, M.D., Ph.D. | November 4, 2025 : Translating data science innovations into real-world clinical impact remains a critical challenge in healthcare. This talk presents the story of C-DOSETaP (Chicago Data-Driven OUD Screening, Engagement, Treatment and Prevention) project, a NIDA-funded initiative under the Helping to End Addiction Long-term Data to Action (HD2A) program.…
Read MoreFellow Spotlight: Sarah Messmer, MD
When Dr. Sarah Messmer moved back to her hometown of Chicago after medical training at Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital, she didn’t plan to spend her career working out of a van. But it didn’t take long for her to realize that was exactly where she needed to be.
Read MorePragmatic and Innovative Approaches to Evaluating Implementation Costs
Hannah Cheng, MS and Todd Wagner, PhD | October 21, 2025 : This presentation highlights practical and innovative approaches to economic evaluations in implementation endeavors. Part I provides an overview of Delivering Implementation Strategies Cost (DISCo), a pragmatic micro-costing tool that separates delivery and participation costs while outlining practical considerations for measuring implementation costs. Part…
Read MoreSpotlight on C-DIAS Fellow Ximena Levander, MD, MDCR
Dr. Ximena Levander has built her career at the intersection of addiction medicine and women’s health, focusing on perinatal substance use disorders—when pregnancy, parenting and recovery overlap.
Read MoreImplementing Collaborative Care at Scale: Insights from a Hybrid Trial and Rapid Expansion
Allison Carroll, PhD, Meredith Boyd, PhD, Emily Fu, PhD, MPH | October 14 2025 : The Collaborative Care Model (CoCM) is an evidence-based intervention to treat mild to moderate mental health conditions in primary care settings. Although the effectiveness of CoCM has been extensively researched, less is known about the strategies needed to successfully implement…
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