Ohio University researchers earn National Institutes of Health grant for opioid use disorder treatment research

Ohio University’s Berkeley Franz and her team have received a $4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to expand upon their previous successful pilot clinical trial regarding primary care physicians prescribing medications to opioid use disorder patients that can save their lives. The grant will expand the trial to 40 clinics around Ohio and West Virginia and will track patient outcomes over time.

According to an article on Ohio University’s website, Franz, who is the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation Ralph S. Licklider, D.O., Endowed Professor in Community and Behavioral Health and the Co-Director of the Institute to Advance Population Health (ADVANCE), was quoted as saying of the project, “It has been decades since we learned how effective this medication is, but it still isn’t widely prescribed in primary care. We’re not asking whether it works—we’re asking how we get it into routine primary care in a way that’s sustainable. This is about scaling it, supporting providers and making sure patients can access it where they already receive care. We know what works. The challenge now is making sure it actually reaches patients in the places they already go and that providers feel supported enough to do it.”

The expansion of the pilot will bring the project to 40 clinics in partnership with West Virginia Primary Care Association, the Ohio Association of Community Health Centers, and Holzer Health. The project will track the outcomes of patients who have been prescribed lifesaving medications from their primary care providers, instead of being referred to outside sources. 

The study will offer streamlined training for clinicians and mentorship opportunities with prescribers in partnership with Grant Medical Center’s Fellowship in Addiction Medicine.

Also working on the project is Cheyenne Fenstemaker, the project manager. She has worked with a team of 12 research assistants and students at Ohio University, Ohio State University, the University of Southern California, and the University of Wisconsin, helping to train them in qualitative methods and coordinating research workflows. Fenstemaker is a two-time Ohio University alumna and has worked at the university for nine years. Her research includes mental health access in Appalachia and Law, Justice, and Culture.

Speaking of Fenstemaker, Franz said, “Cheyenne has been central to building continuity in this work. She understands the full arc of the project from the earliest interviews to implementation and that kind of experience is exactly what makes large-scale studies like this possible.”

Fenstemaker said of her experience working on the project, “I’ve been fortunate to be involved from the beginning through the end of the pilot work, and now into the expansion. That continuity has allowed me to understand every stage of the research process, which is pretty unique in a project of this scale. The problem we’re solving is that opioid use disorder is common but still vastly undertreated. We have highly effective, evidence-based treatments, but there’s a gap between evidence and practice. In rural Ohio, clinicians told us they often feel isolated and unsupported after training. They’re asking for mentorship and tools that actually fit their reality.”

Speaking specifically of her experience working with students and research assistants, she added, “We’ve been very intentional about the student experience. Students don’t just observe—they help with recruitment, coding, analysis and even manuscript writing. Many of them become co-authors. It’s a really hands-on way to learn how research gets done. Being able to grow within OHIO, from student to researcher to program leadership, has shaped how I approach this work. I’ve had the chance to see projects through from start to finish, and that’s given me a strong foundation for coordinating something as complex as this trial.”

Working alongside Franz and Fenstemaker is former OHIO professor and current Rutgers University faculty Lindsay Dhanani, and other researchers from Ohio State University and the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

For more information about Ohio University, visit the school’s website.