Catching Up with Pilot Grant Recipients Bre Biondi and Fiona Gispen
The CHERISH pilot grant application for the 2026-2027 funding period is open. In preparation for this 12th cycle, we invited Breanne (Bre) Biondi and Fiona Gispen, CHERISH pilot grantees from the 2024-2025 cohort, to reflect on their overall experience and share tips on preparing the pilot grant application. CHERISH Pilot Grant Director Brandon Aden, Senior […]
Pilot Grant Analysis Examines Prior Authorization Trends for MOUD in Private Insurance
There is a growing body of research illustrating a movement to remove prior authorization for medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Prior authorization requires providers to request approval from an insurer before providing a medication or service. This process is historically enforced for a wide range of medications, including certain MOUD, and has been found […]
CHERISH Pilot Grantee Highlight Low PrEP Use Among Women
The introduction of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention has been paramount to reducing HIV transmission and improving the lives of people living with HIV. However, trends in HIV cases and PrEP uptake suggest unaddressed opportunities to reach women and other communities at risk of contracting HIV. Cis-gender women represent 20% of new HIV cases […]
Improving Substance Use Treatment Access in Criminal-legal Systems through JCOIN 2.0
On September 29, 2025, the Justice Community Overdose Innovation Network (JCOIN) kicked off Phase II of its new five-year cycle that represents an estimated $33 million in research investments in 2025. Awarded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) as part of the NIH HEAL Initiative, the investments help establish clinical research hubs and […]
Understanding the Costs of Using Implementation Facilitation to Implement Emergency Department-Initiated Buprenorphine
Buprenorphine, when prescribed in the emergency department (ED), increases the chances for treatment engagement and retention among patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). The patient uptake and clinical administration of ED-initiated buprenorphine for OUD, however, has been slow despite evidence of its effectiveness. Implementation facilitation (IF), a strategy that leverages external facilitators and a local […]
Intern Spotlight: Rachel Wang
This summer, we welcomed Rachel Wang, a rising senior at CUNY Hunter College who has plans to become a physician assistant. She joined CHERISH through the LifeSci NYC Internship, a career development initiative spearheaded by the New York City Economic Development Corporation that connects undergraduate and graduate students to the life sciences and biotech sector […]
CHERISH Awarded NIDA Center of Excellence Grant to Address Growing Complexities of Substance Use Disorder, HCV, and HIV
On August 15, 2025, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) renewed CHERISH as a national Center of Excellence, awarding the center $10.9 million over five years to address the epidemics of substance use disorder (SUD), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and HIV. The news comes at a time when the syndemic of SUD, HCV, and […]
Health and Economic Outcomes of Addressing Encampments of Individuals Using Opioids
Lead author Hana Zwick, a research data analyst at the Syndemics Lab, and colleagues published a new simulation modeling study in JAMA Network Open to understand the public health and economic outcomes of strategies that arrest, disperse, or house people who live in encampments and experience high-risk opioid use compared to the encampment status quo. […]
New Rules for Methadone Doses at Home Did Not Increase Overdoses
Methadone is known as the gold standard treatment for opioid use disorder, with some experts calling it a “miracle drug” for its effectiveness in blocking the effects of other opioids and preventing withdrawal. Since 1972, its use has been limited to specialized opioid treatment programs, with patients required to travel to a clinic for daily dosing. This […]
Cost of Implementing Substance Use Disorder Treatment Strategies for Youth in the Legal System
In a new article in the Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, lead author and CHERISH Methodology Core Director Kathryn McCollister and colleagues conducted a cost analysis of implementing evidence-based interventions to improve substance use disorder (SUD) treatment among youth in the legal system (YLS). By analyzing implementation costs, this study offers insights about […]
Announcing the 2025-2026 CHERISH Pilot Grant Recipients
The CHERISH Pilot Grant & Training Core is pleased to support five early-career researchers in their academic journey leading pilot investigations on healthcare utilization, health outcomes, and health-related behaviors related to the care of people who use substances. The funded projects respond to CHERISH’s overall mission and topics of special interest in the call for […]
Health Economic Outcomes of a Minimal Monitoring Approach to Providing HCV Therapy
In a new article in Hepatology Communications, lead author and CHERISH Population Data & Modeling Core Director Benjamin Linas and colleagues report new economic analyses from MINMON, an AIDS Clinical Trial Group (ACTG 5360) study that used a minimal monitoring approach to provide treatment for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV). Findings suggest that the simplified […]
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