UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute (SSRI), in collaboration with the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) has awarded over $200,000 in funding to support 10 new interdisciplinary teams of Penn State researchers whose work is aimed at combating the opioid epidemic.
“These teams are developing novel translational research programs to advance solutions to the opioid crisis, from discovery-oriented research to dissemination and implementation science,” said Susan McHale, SSRI director and associate director of the CTSI.
The funded projects and research teams are:
— "'Alexa, I’m in pain!' A Real-Time Mindfulness Intervention to Control Pain: Delivery Through a Conversational Agent" — Saeed Abdullah, College of Information Sciences and Technology; Stephanie Lanza, College of Health and Human Development; Sebrina Doyle, College of Health and Human Development; Robert Roeser, College of Health and Human Development; and David Almeida, College of Health and Human Development.
— "Predicting spatial-temporal patterns of opioid use with criminal and overdose data in Pennsylvania" — Qiushi Chen, College of Engineering; Conrad S. Tucker, College of Engineering; Glenn Sterner, Penn State Abington; and Joel Segel, College of Health and Human Development.
— "Using Integrated Databases to Examine Patient Outcomes in Children with a History of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome" — Tammy Corr, College of Medicine; Max Crowley, College of Health and Human Development; Douglas L. Leslie, College of Medicine; Jeffrey R. Kaiser, College of Medicine; Paul L. Morgan, College of Education; and Guodong Liu, College of Medicine.
— "Opioid Prescription Practices and Risk Factors for Persistent Use After Childbirth" — Danielle Downs, College of Health and Human Development; Lisa Bailey-Davis, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine; Tammy Corr, College of Medicine; Timothy Deimling, College of Medicine; Richard Legro, College of Medicine; Dhanya Mackeen, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine; Jaimey Pauli, College of Medicine; and Mark Stephens, College of Medicine.
— "Perinatal Opioid Use and Maternal Nutrition and Health Status" — Emily Hohman, College of Health and Human Development; Sarah Kawasaki, College of Medicine; Tammy Corr, College of Medicine; Jennifer Savage Williams, College of Health and Human Development; and Danielle Symons Downs, College of Health and Human Development.
— "The influence of adolescent social stress on morphine behaviors" — Helen Kamens, College of Health and Human Development; Sonia Cavigelli, College of Health and Human Development; and Patricia Sue Grigson, College of Medicine.
— "An Innovative Approach to Tackle the Opioid Epidemic: Utilizing Twitter Data and Integrating Big Data Analytics and Spatial and Social Network Analyses" — Zhen Lei, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences; Guangqing Chi; College of Agricultural Sciences; Cynthia Chuang, College of Medicine; Glenn Sterner, Penn State Abington; Ashton Verdery, College of the Liberal Arts; and Junjun Yin, Social Science Research Institute.
— "Neural mediators and moderators of mindful yoga practice in opiate-dependent individuals" — Emma Rose, College of Health and Human Development; Diana H. Fishbein, College of Health and Human Development; Robert W. Roeser, College of Health and Human Development; Scott Bunce, College of Medicine; and Sarah Bowen, Pacific University – Oregon.
— "Linking accidental overdoses to medical professionals and pharmacies: A population-based social network analysis" — Glenn Sterner, Penn State Abington; Oren M. Gur, Penn State Abington; and Sabahattin Gokhan Ozden, Penn State Abington.
— "PROSPER PLUS: Combining Effective Prevention Education with Supply Side Interventions to Reduce Opioid Misuse" — Janet Welsh, College of Health and Human Development; Daniel Perkins, College of Agricultural Sciences; Derek Kreager, College of the Liberal Arts; and Glenn Sterner, Penn State Abington.
For more information on seed grant funding and other opportunities available through SSRI, visit the Funding Mechanisms website.