Summer Undergraduate Addiction Research Training Program in Central Appalachia

About This Grant

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The Central Appalachian region is a rural area that has some of the highest rates of opioid related mortality in the U.S. It is essential to fully understand factors contributing to these challenges and identify solutions as the region is heavily burdened with this major public health crisis. The East Tennessee State University (ETSU) Mentored Substance Use Research (EMSUR) program is a collaborative, transdisciplinary program that aims to mentor and train the next generation of researchers and practitioners focused on substance use in Central Appalachia. The EMSUR summer program will train 10 undergraduate students each year over five years through experiential faculty-mentored substance use research, engagement with the proven digital Substance Use Research Education and Training (SARET) curriculum that will include regionally-focused ETSU-developed modules, and participation in dynamic real-world presentations from guests speakers and experts in rural health, treatment and recovery research, and those with lived experience of substance use disorder (SUD). Every attempt will be made to recruit highly qualified students with an interest in living and working in the Central Appalachia region. The goal of the EMSUR program is to increase undergraduate student interest in SUD-related research and practice, thereby increasing the number of trained SUD researchers and practitioners living and working in the Central Appalachian region, that will ultimately be able to find solutions for these SUD related challenges. The EMSUR summer program will be accomplished through three specific aims: 1) Build a robust recruitment pipeline for undergraduate students through collaborations across ETSU and partnering institutions, leveraging faculty, staff, and direct student outreach to promote program awareness and engagement. 2) Train a cohort of 10 undergraduate students per year in a mentored, transdisciplinary summer research experience, fostering critical thinking skills, scientific rigor in addiction research, and practiced-based experiences. 3) Equip trainees for dissemination of their research through both conventional (e.g. poster, oral presentation) and innovative methods (e.g. infographics, data visualization). Program success will be evaluated across recruitment, program completion, and trainees continued engagement in SUD research in the short and long term.