# Reducing Opioid and Other Drug Use in Justice-Involved Emerging Adults using Paraprofessional Coaches (with and without Lived Experience) to Deliver Effective Services in a Non-Treatment Setting

> **NIH NIH K23** · OSLC DEVELOPMENTS · 2021 · $187,059

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The ultimate goal of this Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23) is to develop
the applicant into an independent investigator prepared to lead ethical, large-scale, and rigorously designed
health services research focused on high-risk emerging adults (EAs; aged 18-25). Specifically, the applicant will
focus on improving access to and engagement in evidence-based practices (EBPs) for EAs with opioid and other
substance use (SU) and co-occurring justice system (JS) involvement, via use of paraprofessional coaches. The
proposed career development and research plan builds on the applicant's prior training in clinical and
developmental psychology, EBPs, and SU. Through the proposed training plan, the applicant will: (1) gain direct
experience conducting ethical health services research with vulnerable populations; (2) attain knowledge and
skills for measurement, methodologies, and the interplay of key developmental outcomes in EAs with opioid and
other SU problems; (3) advance expertise in the complex statistical methods required for health services
research, including mixed methods research, and (4) facilitate professional development as an independent
health services researcher focused on EAs with opioid and other SU problems via extensive training in grant
writing, grants management, and development of a health services program of research. Training activities will
include formal training and mentorship from a team of experts in the fields of SU, randomized clinical trials, EA
peer support, bioethics, justice, implementation, and advanced health services statistical methods; intensive
training in conducting ethical research with high-risk populations; coursework and lectures on implementation
science, qualitative research methods, statistics, and protection of human subjects; and participation in scientific
workshops and conferences. The applicant will apply these skills to pilot research aimed at using
paraprofessional coaches to increase engagement and access to EBPs (i.e., contingency management for SU
and vocational/educational coaching) for EAs with SU and JS involvement. In partnership with parole and
probation, EAs with SU will be randomized to work with paraprofessional coaches either with or without lived
experience (i.e., successful SU recovery). Although using peer paraprofessional coaches (those with lived
experience) is becoming more popular and supported at the federal level, the outcome of this work on the
paraprofessional coaches themselves, especially for EAs, is largely unexplored. The proposed study will use
both quantitative and qualitative methods to gain a better understanding of the impacts on both the coaches and
their EA clients using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Given the high rates
and particularly detrimental effects of SU for EAs with JS involvement, the goals of this project have the potential
to address an important and costly public...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10137211
- **Project number:** 5K23DA048161-02
- **Recipient organization:** OSLC DEVELOPMENTS
- **Principal Investigator:** Tess K. Drazdowski
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $187,059
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-04-15 → 2025-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10137211

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10137211, Reducing Opioid and Other Drug Use in Justice-Involved Emerging Adults using Paraprofessional Coaches (with and without Lived Experience) to Deliver Effective Services in a Non-Treatment Setting (5K23DA048161-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10137211. Licensed CC0.

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