Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) awarded $185,571 to the University of Pittsburgh under the Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs (CFDA 93.279) on February 15, 2026, for a K01 Mentored Research Scientist Development Award extending through January 31, 2031. Dr. J. Travis Donahoe, a health economist and assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, will conduct research advancing science on reducing substance use-related harm through policies and interventions. The award supports Dr. Donahoe's development as an independent investigator through three primary research aims: identifying individual and neighborhood-level factors shaping the fentanyl epidemic using linked survey and vital records data; evaluating the effectiveness of demand- and supply-side policies in reducing overdose deaths among high-risk populations using quasi-experimental methods; and co-developing targeted interventions through human-centered design methods in partnership with community experts in high-risk counties in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

The award includes a structured career development plan encompassing training in social and policy drivers of opioid mortality, population health data and methods, and qualitative and community-engaged intervention development. Dr. Donahoe will receive guidance from a multidisciplinary mentorship team including experts in health care delivery for low-income populations, social epidemiology, qualitative research, social demography, and population health. The deliverables include research outputs from the three research aims, training in interdisciplinary methods and approaches, and evidence-based interventions designed specifically for high-risk populations in the Appalachian region disproportionately affected by the opioid epidemic.