PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: The goal of this K23 award is to give the PI the skills and preliminary data needed to improve access to opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment with buprenorphine via telehealth care. Dr. Aronowitz is proposing a research and career development plan that will prepare her to become an independent investigator focused on expanding access to OUD treatment and overdose prevention services via innovative care delivery models. OUD continues to be a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Substantial evidence supports the use of medications for OUD (MOUD) like buprenorphine; however, 80% of people with OUD receive no treatment; of those who receive treatment, only a third receive MOUD. Preliminary evidence suggests that a COVID-era policy change allowing for buprenorphine induction and management via telehealth expanded access. There is little evidence, however, about how to tailor telehealth models to promote accessible and effective OUD care. Providers may hesitate to offer MOUD via telehealth to patients they deem “unstable,” even if these patients lack other treatment options. Given the dearth of accessible treatment options for many individuals, the decision not to offer telehealth may result in a patient receiving no OUD treatment. Therefore, clinicians need evidence to guide how and to whom they deliver telehealth OUD treatment. Dr. Aronowitz will develop and test a telehealth model in partnership with Prevention Point Philadelphia, a harm reduction organization providing MOUD and other services to the most marginalized people with OUD in the city. The specific aims are to: 1) identify components of an effective telehealth intervention and barriers to implementation, 2) partner with an advisory board of OUD treatment stakeholders from different settings to develop a telehealth intervention for OUD treatment with buprenorphine, and 3) conduct a pilot trial of the telehealth intervention for OUD treatment. The mentorship