# Increasing Women's Engagement in Medication Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder through Digital Intervention

> **NIH NIH K23** · MCLEAN HOSPITAL · 2024 · $187,540

## Abstract

Project Summary
The overarching goal of this Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23) is to
provide Dr. Dawn Sugarman with the training and research activities needed to become an independent
investigator with expertise in using digital technology to increase access to evidence-based treatment for
women with opioid use disorder (OUD). This application outlines an integrated training and research plan that
will provide Dr. Sugarman with the skills needed to achieve her career goal. Under the mentorship of experts in
substance use disorders, OUD, and digital health, Dr. Sugarman’s training will focus on the following key
areas: (1) digital health design and research (Drs. Lisa Marsch and Kathleen Carroll); (2) etiology and
treatment of individuals with OUD (Drs. Shelly Greenfield and Roger Weiss); and (3) statistical methods for
longitudinal data analysis (Dr. Garrett Fitzmaurice). Training in these three areas will be achieved through
didactic and applied activities, participation in national conferences and institutes, and mentoring meetings. Dr.
Sugarman will apply the skills acquired during the training activities to a research project focused on
developing an innovative strategy for increasing initiation in medication treatment for opioid use disorder
(MOUD) in women with OUD. Research shows that MOUD is effective but underutilized. With rising rates of
fatal opioid overdoses in women, it is critical to develop sustainable strategies to engage and retain women in
MOUD. Women with OUD have more medical problems, greater functional impairment, and greater psychiatric
severity than men with OUD. Gender-specific treatments have been developed for women with substance use
disorders and are associated with reduced substance use and increased continuity of care; however,
widespread use has been restricted due to in-person delivery models, and they have not been specifically
adapted to target engagement in OUD treatment. Moreover, there is a lack of research demonstrating effective
strategies to implement this care for women in mixed-gender settings. To address this gap, the proposed K23
research project will utilize a user-centered design process to develop a digital platform to deliver gender-
specific care that addresses the individualized needs of women with OUD in mixed-gender settings. The
central hypothesis is that a gender-specific digital intervention will overcome the barriers of in-person delivery
and will increase women’s initiation in MOUD. This research will address key gaps in treatment for women with
OUD by: (1) developing a gender-specific digital intervention (GSDI) for women with OUD; and (2) conducting
a pilot randomized controlled trial to examine the feasibility of delivering the GSDI to women with OUD during
and immediately after OUD stabilization. Preliminary estimates on the effect of the GSDI on MOUD initiation
will also be examined. These data will inform the design of a larger Stage II efficacy tria...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10852010
- **Project number:** 5K23DA050780-05
- **Recipient organization:** MCLEAN HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Dawn E Sugarman
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $187,540
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-07-01 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10852010

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10852010, Increasing Women's Engagement in Medication Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder through Digital Intervention (5K23DA050780-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10852010. Licensed CC0.

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