Intern Spotlight: Valeria Arango, Benicio Beatty, Ameya Komaragiri, Carlos Ponce de Leon Mendez, and Ella Salim

I decided to intern through NIDA to learn more about substance use. I encountered situations of substance use in my life, but this was never openly discussed within my household. My first-hand experience with the stigma surrounding substance use led me to seek out more information. I matched with my principal investigator, Dr. Rachel Epstein, because she focuses on substance use and its impact on children and pregnant women. Additionally, I wanted to understand the work that’s currently being done in the Boston community.

This experience provided me with so much academic and professional growth. Getting to know the Syndemics Lab team and learn what they have accomplished in their careers has been the ultimate networking experience. I now have a foundational understanding of hepatitis C (HCV); its treatment, transmission, and risk factors; and how the application of research and computer simulation models can influence policy. This experience has opened a new door for me, giving me new perspectives on substance use, healthcare, and the gaps that need to be addressed.

I worked on two projects focused on HCV. The first project was a systematic literature review that investigates how many patients diagnosed with HCV have been linked to care and receive treatment. This information will be used as a new parameter for an HCV cost-effectiveness microsimulation model. In the second project, which was done alongside the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable, I helped determine the commercial insurance requirements for HCV treatment in five U.S. states to increase transparency for those seeking treatment.

I found SUMR through a few of my fellow undergraduate researchers when I worked at the PolicyLab at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia during the summer of 2022. They were members of last year’s cohort and urged me to apply. The way they talked about Joanne, the SUMR program director, their fellow students in the program, and the LDI community made me eager to apply. After just one day of the program, I knew I had found the perfect place to continue my interests in public health. This summer, I worked on two projects. The first was a meal delivery pilot program based in the PolicyLab, which allows me to spend a second summer conducting mixed methods research in the field of health equity. The second project was with CHERISH (which I’ll talk more about below). I chose to work with CHERISH Dissemination & Policy Core Director Zachary Meisel after taking a course this past spring semester on SUD Treatment, Prevention, and Policy.

I’m confident that the research opportunities of this summer will allow me to delve deeper into the topics of health equity and substance use disorder treatment that I’ve enjoyed studying, as well as introduce me to related areas of study. In addition, I have been excited about the mentorship that I received from the CHERISH team and the UPenn Fellows that spoke to the SUMR Program. I’d love to have them as a resource as I prepare to apply to post-undergraduate programs and beyond.

With Dr. Meisel, I have worked on a number of projects within the realm of substance use treatment. I created literature reviews and briefs for an upcoming conference that explores contingency management as a treatment option for SUDs. In addition, I translated CHERISH-published journal articles into newsletters and blog posts for the organization. Lastly, I became involved in the qualitative analysis for the SPARROw study (Studying the PhilAdelphia Resilience Project as a Response to Overdose), which studies the costs of drug overdoses in the city of Philadelphia.

My past coursework, research, and work allowed me to identify a myriad of problems related to the inequitable delivery of healthcare and the systemic barriers to improving health outcomes. However, as an aspiring practitioner, I started to consider the greater impact I could make at an individual level. Substance use and addiction medicine is a field that requires careful consideration of both systemic and individual decisions and outcomes. I chose to intern at NIDA and match with Dr. Bruce Schackman because understanding health policy and economics is critical to effecting change at both an individual and systems level.

This internship has been a great foundational experience and an opportunity to learn about how research is formulated, conducted, and disseminated. I have had the opportunity to work with and learn from several people with diverse backgrounds, exposing me to the array of people and organizations that must work together to implement changes such as researchers, healthcare providers, policymakers, and government officials. This experience has solidified my interest in medical practice and policy research and evolved my perspective as an aspiring healthcare provider who will look deeper into the psychosocial determinants of health.

I worked on a project on contingency management for stimulant use disorder. For this project, I had to research and put together a briefing document detailing what contingency management is. The brief includes information on its effectiveness in treating stimulant use disorder, federal regulations, funding limits, clinician and public stigma as barriers to implementation of contingency management programs, suggestions for implementation and further research, and states/programs that are currently using this intervention.

I have developed an academic interest in the science of addiction and sought projects related to addiction medicine. I joined the Syndemics Lab at Boston Medical Center because of the way they look at addiction through a public health and policy lens. I aim to understand further the social, economic, and political ramifications of drug use.

This experience has given me perspective on what public health and infectious diseases research entails and helped me understand if that is a career path I want to pursue. In addition, it has been great to connect with highly motivated peers who are advancing their career in healthcare and professionals who are impacting the current public health landscape. Finally, this experience allowed me to gain expertise in areas that will let me start a research career.

I developed an analysis plan for the project, “Clinical Trial of Routine Screening for High-Risk Opioid Use in Clinical Settings.” This research aims to understand the positive (or null) implications of implementing a routine screening policy that measures overdose risk in clinical settings.

Just this year, two of my peers died from a fentanyl overdose. Neither knew the pills they had bought contained fentanyl. Across my school district, nine students have overdosed this year alone. As a member of the Superintendent’s Advisory Council, I have advocated for Narcan to be available and ready-to-use at all school sites. I believe that being a NIDA intern will give me the opportunity to contribute to substance use and addiction research and make a positive change. Prevention is important to me and something that I don’t think our country focuses on. Dr. Sabrina Assoumou’s research stood out to me because of its focus on HIV prevention among people who use drugs.

This experience has shown me that I am interested in research and plan to seek out more research opportunities in the future. On a personal level, I have learned so much from listening to the experiences of people in recovery and the teams that work with them. In particular, I have been reflecting on and growing from my own biases around addiction. People are multi-dimensional, and it is vital to lead and listen with empathy because everyone has a story.

I worked on a commentary about the lessons learned from COVID-19 self-test kits and how we could apply those lessons to HIV self-kits (HIVST) in the population of people who use drugs. I conducted a literature review looking at the barriers to HIVST uptake. I learned how to put a protocol manuscript together and review one.