# Research Career Enhancement in Implementation Science to Address Primary Prevention, Harm Reduction, and Evidence-Based Interventions for Opioid Use Disorder from the Emergency Department

> **NIH NIH K02** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $123,930

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The emergency department (ED) has emerged as a critical context from which to address the U.S. opioid
overdose crisis, which in 2021 alone accounted for over 80,000 deaths. This K02 Independent Scientist Award
will enhance my research career with implementation science approaches to address multiple domains of the
HHS Overdose Prevention Strategy from the emergency care setting. During this K02 award, I will augment my
existing clinical expertise in emergency medicine and addiction medicine and current research portfolio
spanning the continuum of opioid use and opioid use disorder with (1) new skills, knowledge, and training in
implementation science, (2) advanced proficiency in clinical trial design, and (3) specialized professional
development in team leadership and management. To accomplish these training objectives, I will leverage my
ongoing R01-funded single site randomized trial evaluating an embedded ED physical therapy intervention as
a non-opioid treatment modality for low back pain (R01HS027426, NCT04921449), which affects nearly 2 in 5
people and is the most common reason for acute and chronic opioid use. Specifically, I will (1) evaluate
implementation outcomes across multiple partners engaged in my ongoing R01 trial, (2) gather qualitative data
on contextual implementation determinants and preferred implementation strategies among current and future
research partners for use in a future multi-site hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial, and (3) conduct a
mixed-methods cost analysis of the embedded ED physical therapy care model to facilitate its scalability and
long-term sustainability. This K02 award comes at an opportune time in my early- to mid-career transition, as it
will provide me with a four-year period of intensive research focus to conduct these training and research
activities, which I could not otherwise accomplish given my current clinical obligations as an emergency
medicine physician. Following completion of this K02 award, I will apply the newly acquired implementation
science expertise to accelerate and catalyze the translation of my research agenda to real-world practice,
including primary prevention, harm reduction, and evidence-based interventions for opioid use disorder from
the ED setting.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10984244
- **Project number:** 1K02DA060357-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Howard S Kim
- **Activity code:** K02 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $123,930
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-06-01 → 2028-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10984244

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10984244, Research Career Enhancement in Implementation Science to Address Primary Prevention, Harm Reduction, and Evidence-Based Interventions for Opioid Use Disorder from the Emergency Department (1K02DA060357-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10984244. Licensed CC0.

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