About the Center

Initially funded in 2024 through a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant, The Community Action in Research to Eliminate Substance Use Disorder (CARES) Center" represents a groundbreaking effort to address the significant gaps in research related to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and care. The CARES Center was funded as a Patient Engagement Resource Center (PERC) and takes on the challenge to reshape the existing research paradigm by making our research patient-centered through including patients, caregivers, healthcare providers, and those with lived experience of SUD as co-developers of projects. As with all of the work done at the Patient Engagement Studio, the CARES Center aims to elevate patient perspectives and priorities to make equitable, responsive, and meaningful contributions to research.

The overarching focus of the project is to address the need for research and innovation in SUD treatment and care and structured into three aims.

• Aim 1 – Engagement Panel: Build research capacity by establishing a Virtual Patient Engagement Panel (ViP Panel) of those who have experienced or care for those with lived experience with SUD. To date, we have trained one group of Patient Experts and are in the process of training more Patient Experts for this panel.
• Aim 2 – Research on Patient Experiences: Collaborate with patients and providers to conduct a mixed-methods study exploring SUD treatment experiences and preferences. This aim is guided by research questions created in collaboration with the ViP Panel.
• Aim 3 – Pilot Research Projects: The CARES Center will fund four (4) pilot projects that address patient-centered priorities in relation to SUD treatment and care.

Want to get involved with the CARES Center?

• Patients – If you are someone who has been treated for SUD and are interested in sharing your experiences, please visit this link to apply. We are looking for people who are 18 or older, willing to share experiences with getting and staying in treatment, and willing to participate in an individual interview or focus group. For more information, please read this flyer and apply via this survey.
• Providers - We are looking to conduct one-hour interviews with providers who directly or indirectly offers care for those with SUD, including but not limited to those providing primary care, behavioral health services, addiction services, peer and recovery support, and telehealth and care coordination. For more information, please read this flyer and apply via this survey.
• Researchers - If you are a researcher that would like to work with the CARES Center to get feedback on your research from our Patient Experts, please complete this form. Our CARES Center Coordinator, Destiny Jordan will be in contact with you after your completed form is received.

Project Information

• Project Number: 5R24DA061190-02
• Contact PI/Project Leader: Nabil Natafgi, nnatafgi@mailbox.sc.edu
• Other Principal Investigators: Ann Blair Kennedy and Jaime Fivecoat
• For more detailed information on the project, including a more detailed project abstract and public health relevance statement, please visit the CARES Center page on the NIH RePORTER.