What We Do

Consultation Service

We provide researchers guidance on conducting economic evaluations of interventions for substance use disorder and the care of HCV, HIV, and other substance use-related conditions.

Economic analyses are an important component of substance use research, as demonstrated by NIDA-funded HEAL initiatives, including the HEALing Communities Study (HCS) and Justice Community Opioid Initiative (JCOIN). Economic analyses are also multidisciplinary in nature, requiring a thorough understanding of economic methods, the specific disorder, and the intervention under consideration.

How do we help?

We offer the CHERISH Consultation Service to researchers interested in incorporating economic analyses into their current or future research. We support researchers with the design, implementation, interpretation, dissemination, and translation of economic evaluations alongside observational and interventional studies of substance use disorder and related conditions. Our service provides a maximum of 6 hours of consultation time, free of charge.

Talk to us about:

  • Budget impact and costing
  • Cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit
  • Dissemination science
  • Health economic modeling
  • Health-related quality-of-life
  • Qualitative data collection
  • Statistical analysis/econometrics
Request a Consultation

Who is this for?

For trainees and researchers who are planning to:

  • Apply for a career development award and wish to include training or research in economic methods in their application
  • Conduct a multi-site interventional study, such as a randomized clinical trial, with an economic aim
  • Conduct longitudinal analyses using electronic medical records, claims data, or other health system data
  • Conduct decision analytic modeling that examines economic outcomes

We help with:

  • Analyzing data from an existing study
  • Dissemination planning or execution
  • Planning a study
  • Preparing a grant application
  • Preparing an abstract, manuscript, presentation, or report

What is a session like?

Most sessions are held virtually. Each consultee will receive a maximum of 6 hours of consultation time at no cost. Any collaboration beyond 6 hours would be solely at the discretion of the consultant and consultee.

Upon completion, we ask both consultants and consultees to complete a brief evaluation form. Our team will also contact the consultees at a later date to follow up on consultation-related outcomes.

Ready for a consultation?

Our Consultation Request Form takes approximately 20 to 25 minutes to complete. Our team will determine if the consultation request is appropriate, identify potential consultants within the CHERISH Research Affiliate network, and connect with the consultee to understand the project further. Our goal is to reply within 5 business days.

Submit Request

Consultation Success Stories

03/08/21 Profile Feature

Methodology Consultation Success: Jessica Magidson

South Africa carries one of the largest HIV burdens in the world. On a global scale, nearly 54% of the population living with HIV in low- and middle-income countries reside in eastern and southern Africa, and 13% reside in western and central Africa. The growing prevalence of substance use in South Africa is also associated […]

06/30/20 Profile Feature

Methodology Consultation Success: Dr. Adam Carrico

“Dr. Kathryn McCollister’s input strengthened our application and we look forward to collaborating on this important and timely project that will provide valuable information on both the effectiveness and cost of this mHealth intervention.” Dr. Adam Carrico Approximately 1.6 million US adults used methamphetamine each year from 2015 to 2018, many of whom had co-occurring […]

12/09/19 Research Highlights

Methodology Consultation Success Story: Dr. Ashish Premkumar

The incidence of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), also known as neonatal withdrawal syndrome, increased nationally from 3.4 per 1000 hospital births in 2009 to 5.8 in 2012. Recent estimates of NAS cost $1.5 billion dollars with the majority of the financial burden falling to state Medicaid programs. However, pregnancy offers a unique opportunity for women with […]

06/08/18 Profile Feature

Methodology Consultation Success Story: Dr. Jennifer McNeely

Hospital-based consultation services that link inpatients with opioid use disorders to treatment offer a unique opportunity to narrow the treatment gap that results in only a minority of individuals with opioid use disorders receiving evidence-based treatment.  Dr. Jennifer McNeely recently received R01 funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to study the Consult for […]

05/22/18 Research Highlights

Implementation of a nationwide health economic consultation service to assist substance use researchers: Lessons learned

CHERISH investigators recently published findings and lessons learned from the implementation of CHERISH’s nationwide consultation service. The CHERISH Consultation Service is free to researchers, regardless of affiliation, whose work aligns with CHERISH’s mission and who would like to incorporate an economic analysis into their research. Interested researchers complete and submit a consultation request form online and are subsequently connected […]

04/25/18 Profile Feature

Methodology Consultation Success Story: Dr. Marcus Bachhuber

Between 1999 and 2015, the annual sales of opioid analgesics in the US quadrupled to about $8 billion dollars. In an effort to address over-prescribing of opioid analgesics, Dr. Marcus Bachhuber recently received a career development award (K-award) from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to implement a default opioid prescribing system in the electronic health […]

03/29/17 Profile Feature

Methodology Consultation Success: Bulat Idrisov, MD, MSc

Dr. Bulat Idrisov (above, left) is a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) International Program INVEST Drug Abuse Research Fellow under the mentorship of Dr. Jeffrey Samet, CHERISH HCV/HIV co-director. Dr. Idrisov completed his medical training in pediatrics and internal medicine in Russia and received a Fulbright Scholarship to complete his Master of Science in […]

03/25/16 Profile Feature

Methodology Consultation Success Story: Dr. Alysse Wurcel

Dr. Alysse Wurcel is an infectious disease specialist and faculty member at Tufts University School of Medicine with a focus in HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) infection whose research interests closely align with her clinical work. Dr. Wurcel’s research is focused on the treatment of HCV in people who inject drugs (PWID), people in the criminal […]