Spotlight

Clinical Trials and Projects

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Current Studies

The Substance Abuse Treatment to HIV care (SAT2HIV-II) Project
PI: Garner, NIH R01-DA052294 (Start date: 07/15/20)

This project aims to test the effectiveness of two implementation strategies to promote use of substance misuse brief interventions in HIV care settings.

Changes in Gambling Behavior Due to COVID-19
Multiple PIs: Rash/Weinstock, Funded by InChip UConn and Saint Louis University (Start date: 04/15/20)

This project examines changes in gambling behavior in casino and sports-betting problem gamblers in response to a period of forced abstinence due to COVID-19.

Transit and treatment: Creating a culture of health transit, substance abuse and mental health, and public health sectors
Co-PIs: Cohen/Rash, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation- Systems for Action (Start date: 04/01/20

https://today.uconn.edu/2020/06/uconn-researchers-study-whether-reliable-public-transit-improves-substance-use-treatment/

Reward-based Technology to Improve Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Initiation After an ED or Inpatient Medical Acute Care Visit
PI: Boudreaux, Applicant Small Business Concern: Q2i, LLC, NIH R42-DA049448 (Start date: 07/01/19)

This study will evaluate a technology-enabled reward-based intervention to increase adherence to medication assisted treatment of opioid use disorder.

An Online Training Support System to Increase Community Clinic Use of an Evidence-Based Treatment for Opioid and Other Drug
PI: Mulligan-Houston (Co-I: Zajac), NIH R43DA047757 – SBIR (Start date: 07/01/19)

This project aims to develop a cost-effective entirely online training and support system to provide monitoring, support, and coaching needed for counselors and community-based agencies to effectively implement Contingency Management.

Alcohol Research Center: Etiology and Treatment of Alcohol Dependence
Multiple PIs: Hesselbrock/Bauer, NIH P50-AA027055 (Start date: 06/06/19)

Systematic exploration of the alcohol dependence syndrome, its etiology, patterning and treatment.
Major Component Study: Dual Reinforcement Contingency Management for Alcohol Use Disorders. (Major component PI: Alessi)

- This component study aims to assess the combined effects of reinforcing: (1) objective evidence of no moderate to heavy alcohol consumption and (2) outpatient treatment attendance among outpatients, compared to usual outpatient treatment for alcohol use disorders.
- This component study utilizes a relatively new objective and direct biomarker of alcohol that can detect moderate to heavy drinking over 3-week periods – Poshphatidylethanol (Peth).

Promoting Employment in Persons Living with HIV/AIDS
PI: Rash, NIH R01-DA047183 (Start date: 04/01/19)

This project evaluates the efficacy of incentives to promote employment behaviors among PLWHA.
https://today.uconn.edu/school-stories/uconn-empowering-hiv-community/

The Empower Study: A Reinforcement Intervention for Increasing HIV Testing Among At-Risk Women
PI: Zajac, NIH R01-MD013550 (Start date: 09/01/18)

With funding from the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities, this project evaluates whether financial incentives increase HIV testing rates among at-risk women, including African American, Hispanic/Latina, and women living below the poverty line.
Recruitment occurs at our partner agencies in New Britain and Hartford, including Community Health Services, Interval House, The Friendship Center, and the Hospital of Central Connecticut.
Participating women receive education about HIV prevention and risk and are encouraged to be tested for HIV at local free testing centers every 6 months. Half of the participants are randomly assigned to receive a financial incentive for testing to determine whether such incentives increase testing rates.
To read more about this study, go to: https://today.uconn.edu/school-stories/uconn-empowering-hiv-community/

Interventions for Unemployed Hazardous Drinkers
Multiple PIs: Alessi/Rash, NIH R01-AA023502 (Start date: 07/15/15)

This project is designed to reduce hazardous drinking and enhance active participation in job-seeking activities among those with job loss. It will evaluate the independent and combined effects of reinforcing negative breathalyzer samples and job-seeking activities to ascertain the simplest and most cost-effective approach to improving outcomes in this population.
Interested in participating in this study?

Treating Co-Occurring PTSD and Substance Abuse in Emerging Adults
PI: Zajac, NIH K23-DA034879 (Start date: 08/01/14)

This randomized controlled trial evaluates an integrated treatment for substance use and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among emerging adults (ages 18-25)
Emerging adults are recruited from our partner substance use treatment centers or from the community to participate in this trial
The treatment approach integrates contingency management for substance use disorders and prolonged exposure therapy for PTSD
Study ad: Are You Between the Ages of 18 and 25? Are You Struggling with Drug or Alcohol Use?

Completed Studies

CM for Alcohol Use Disorders
PI: Alessi, NIH R01-AA021446

The goal of this study is to use continuous alcohol monitoring technology to rigorously monitor and reinforce alcohol abstinence in alcohol treatment patients, with effects on outcomes compared to usual care without reinforcement examined.

ART Adherence and Secondary Prevention of HIV
PI: Petry (2012-2018), Rash (2018-2019) NIH R01-HD075630

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a cell phone reminder intervention, with and without contingency management, on ART adherence.

Yale Psychotherapy Development Research Center
PI: Carroll, NIH P50-DA092410

Major Component Study: A SMART Design for Attendance-based Prize CM (Major Component study PI: Alessi)
The purpose of this component study was to evaluate attendance-based versus abstinence-based reinforcement procedures for the treatment of cocaine dependence.

Psychotherapy Development Study for a New Addictive Disorder
PI: Petry (2017-2018), Zajac (2018-2020) NIH R21DA042900

A randomized controlled trial comparing a 6-session family-based treatment for Internet gaming disorder to a referral control condition

Prize CM for Cocaine Dependent Methadone Patients
PI: Alessi, NIH R01-DA013444

The goal of this project was to examine the effects of systematically varying two prize-based reinforcement parameters – probability of winning prizes and the number of prize categories available – on outcomes in methadone treatment patients.

Contingency Management for Smoking Cessation in the Homeless
PI: Rash, NIH R21-DA031897

This project evaluates the addition of contingency management to standard treatment to improve smoking outcomes in homeless smokers.

IVR Technology to Mobilize Contingency Management for Smoking Cessation
PI: Alessi, NIH R21-DA029215

The goal of this project is to examine the effectiveness of using interactive voice response technology to remotely conduct contingency management and expired carbon monoxide testing procedures.

Recovery Enhancement with Awards Research Dissemination (REWARD) Center
PI: Petry, NIH P30-DA023918

This Center grant is designed to cross coordinate administrative structure, data management and training and supervision in contingency management treatment trials.