# Gender Disparities in Access and Engagement in Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO · 2022 · $443,849

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 In response to PAR-18-747, Addressing the Challenges of the Opioid Epidemic in Minority Health and
Health Disparities Research in the U.S. (R01), we propose longitudinal analyses of gender difference in entry,
access, and engagement in medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD). Our study
team includes leading experts in gender disparities (Drs. Marsh and Grella), MAT access (Drs. Guerrero and
Hortensia Amaro) and advanced longitudinal approaches (Drs. Kong and Hedeker). We will draw from unique
multiyear, program- and client-level data from before (2011-2013) and after (2015-2017) Medicaid expansion
to detect disparities and examine the role of risks to women, program capacity, and comprehensive services in
eliminating disparities overtime. In Aim 1, we will detect gender differences in trends in treatment entry (clients
with OUD), access (wait time), and engagement (retention and dropout risk) in Los Angeles County from 2011-
2017. This will provide the first-known evidence of gender-based trends in treatment entry, access, and
engagement in MAT in one the largest publicly funded treatment systems in the United States. In Aim 2, we will
seek to understand differences between men and women and among women with OUDs by risk profiles and
program factors across key outcomes of treatment access and engagement. This will provide the first-known
evidence of differential pathways for women and men to access and engage in MAT programs. In Aim 3, we
will examine the effect of Medicaid expansion on women with OUDs, controlling for client risk profiles and
program capacity, across outcomes of treatment entry, access, and engagement. This work will document the
impact of Medicaid expansion on women's MAT entry, access and engagement. Our findings will inform health
care policies and practices and advance systems science and practice guidelines to enhance access to and
engagement in care for women with OUD, one of the most vulnerable populations affected by the current
opioid epidemic.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10378635
- **Project number:** 5R01DA048176-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Erick Guerrero
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $443,849
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-07-01 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10378635

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10378635, Gender Disparities in Access and Engagement in Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder (5R01DA048176-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10378635. Licensed CC0.

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