UGA researchers receive $9 million in grants to study barriers to effective addiction...(ritically important that we foster the d...),Health

Roman has observed the evolution of alcohol abuse and drug addiction treatment for over 25 years. New validated treatments available in recent years include FDA-approved pharmacotherapies for the treatment of addiction, psychosocial counseling and behavioral therapies. However, as Romans research has uncovered, individual, organizational and systemic barriers can get in the way of delivering those treatments to substance abusers.

The platform for Romans latest grant was laid in 1999 when the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a division of NIH, launched its Clinical Trials Network (CTN) with the goal of testing scientifically-sound treatment practices in treatment settings to determine whether these practices will work in the real world, and what, if any, modifications may be needed. Beginning in 2001, NIH added funding to Romans research program to examine the adoption of CTN-studied practices within the network of CTN providers and compare them to programs outside the CTN, including public-sector treatment programs where increasing numbers of patients seek treatment. Over 1,350 treatment centers are included in the study.

Complementing his NIH funded-research, Roman also has a $1.9 million grant to evaluate Advancing Recovery, an $11 million national program funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to improve the quality of addiction care by supporting partnerships between treatment provider organizations and states. States are both the largest purchaser of publicly funded treatment services and regulators and licensers of those services. The evaluators will study how these partnerships can reduce barriers to adoption of evidence-based practices, ranging from variability in staff experience and education to purchasing and regulatory practices
'/>"/>