# Core K - Substance Use Research Core

> **NIH NIH P30** · MIRIAM HOSPITAL · 2020 · $221,361

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY 
Unhealthy substance use (SU) is a leading cause of death and disability in the US and a common comorbidity 
of people living with HIV (PLWH), among whom it is consistently associated with delays to engagement in HIV 
care, worse retention in care, lower ART adherence, and worse viral and immunologic outcomes. Therefore, HIV 
research must use rigorous methods to account for SU in study designs and analyses and to test SU 
interventions. The Substance Use Research Core (SURC) is an innovative and defining feature of the 
Providence/Boston Center for AIDS Research (P/B CFAR) that will catalyze innovations in SU/HIV research and 
strengthen the P/B CFAR's mission to address HIV in vulnerable populations. To support the development of 
basic, clinical, and translational research that addresses the impact of SU on the HIV epidemic, the SURC has 
the following Specific Aims: 1) To provide CFAR investigators expertise in developing research projects that 
address gaps in SU/HIV priority issues both domestically and globally. The SURC will ensure that CFAR projects 
appropriately consider and incorporate the impact of SU on study outcomes; connect SU investigators and HIV 
investigators through formal and informal opportunities to develop collaborative projects; and work with CFAR 
investigators to formulate innovative and scientifically sound SU/HIV research questions. 2) To support CFAR 
investigators in the conduct of rigorous HIV research that takes SU into account. The SURC will provide services 
to help investigators identify the most appropriate tools to assess consumption, severity, consequences and 
associated stigma of SU as well as provide training on utilization of validated self-report scales, structured 
interviews, laboratory and ecological momentary assessments, and biological tests of SU. The SURC has 
expertise on SU pharmacotherapy, behavioral interventions, mobile health (mHealth) applications, and chronic 
disease management. Core services in this realm will include SU intervention selection and training, fidelity 
assessment techniques, intervention manuals, and adaptation to new populations. The SURC will also review 
relevant IRB protocols and provide guidance on ethical issues of particular importance to SU research, such as 
confidentiality protections and providing compensation to people actively using drugs. The services provided by 
the SURC will ensure that CFAR investigators are optimally equipped to pursue research projects that consider 
and address the major impact of SU on HIV prevention, the HIV Care Continuum, and HIV comorbidities.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9953988
- **Project number:** 5P30AI042853-22
- **Recipient organization:** MIRIAM HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Karsten Lunze
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $221,361
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1998-09-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9953988

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9953988, Core K - Substance Use Research Core (5P30AI042853-22). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9953988. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*