The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) awarded a $643,978 Project Grant (CFDA 93.279 - Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs) to See Yourself Health LLC, a woman-owned small business, to develop the CHIRON PROJECT - an immersive virtual reality (VR) and telehealth platform. The CHIRON PROJECT aims to address the epidemic of workplace stress and burnout among healthcare workers, which is associated with increased substance use and alcohol consumption. The Phase I project will assess the...
This Project Grant award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), under the Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs (CFDA 93.279), will pilot an innovative digital Contingency Management (CM) treatment delivered via mobile device to Medicaid beneficiaries with co-occurring opioid and alcohol use disorders. The $390,000 award, spanning from September 2024 to August 2027, aims to: 1) identify optimal approaches to engage Medicaid beneficiaries in digital CM through Medicaid claims data...
This Project Grant award, with a total funding amount of $958,629, was awarded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) under the Drug Abuse and Addiction Research Programs (CFDA 93.279). The funding will support the real-world adoption of an innovative digital health therapeutic called KIOS, which uses nonlinear control theory to track multiple symptoms (e.g., craving, mood, pain) and deliver personalized, evidence-based intervention strategies to patients with opioid use disorder...
This federal Project Grant award of $683,611 from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) under the Alcohol Research Programs (CFDA 93.273) supports research to optimize the engagement and clinical outcomes of a "smart" digital therapeutic for alcohol use disorder (AUD). The project aims to embed a machine learning-based lapse prediction model into an existing digital therapeutic called A-CHESS and evaluate how different components of daily engagement messages...
This Project Grant award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), under the Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs (CFDA 93.279), provides $594,122 to Boulder Care, Inc. to develop and test telehealth workflows for delivering buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) in vulnerable settings. The project aims to address barriers to OUD treatment access by providing smartphones and connectivity to individuals in high-risk situations, such as jails/prisons, emergency...
This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242) aims to optimize an automated chatbot to provide efficient, scalable treatment for eating disorders (EDs). The total award amount is $1,682,938.00 with a period of performance from January 20, 2025 to November 30, 2029. The project will build on prior research to test four candidate ED treatment components in an Optimization Randomized Controlled Trial (ORCT)...
This Project Grant award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), under the Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs (CFDA 93.279), aims to develop a novel mobile health intervention to reduce cannabis use among youth aged 13-17. The $280,207 award, with a period of performance from February 1, 2025 to July 31, 2025, will fund the creation of the "Adolescent CLEAR30" mobile program. This digital intervention is designed to work in conjunction with existing support systems,...
This $355,414 federal Project Grant awarded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (CFDA 93.279 - Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs) aims to implement and evaluate a digital therapeutic to address substance use disorders (SUDs), including opioid use disorder (OUD), among incarcerated individuals. The project has two key objectives: 1) to assess attitudes and perceptions of using a digital therapeutic, as well as barriers and facilitators to implementing the Computer-Based Training for...
This $591,032 Project Grant award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), under the Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs (CFDA 93.279), supports the development of a digital therapeutics platform called "COGITO". COGITO is intended to provide a turnkey solution for rapidly developing, evaluating, deploying, and scaling digital therapeutics for the prevention, treatment, and management of a wide range of behavioral health conditions. The grant funding will be used to...
This $680,046 Project Grant award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), under the federal Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs (CFDA 93.279), aims to study how social functioning and engagement behaviors change during opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment. The 5-year study will combine established ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methods with a smartwatch-based application (SocialBit) to assess both subjective self-reports and objective measurements of social behaviors, social...
DEVELOPMENT OF A FULLY-INTEGRATED CHATBOT TO IMPROVE MEMBER ENGAGEMENT IN ONLINE ADDICTION TREATMENT PROGRAMS - PROJECT ABSTRACT HIGH ATTRITION AND LOW ADHERENCE RATES CONTINUE TO HINDER THE EFFICACY OF DIGITAL ADDICTION TREATMENT PROGRAMS. WHEN INDIVIDUALS PREMATURELY DROP OUT OF TREATMENT PROGRAMS, THEY ARE UNABLE TO REALIZE THE NUMEROUS BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH COMPLETING AN ADDICTION TREATMENT PROGRAM, SUCH AS FEWER RELAPSES AND HIGHER LEVELS OF EMPLOYMENT. WORKIT HEALTH IS DEVELOPING A FULLY INTEGRATED CHATBOT TO INCREASE ENGAGEMENT IN DIGITAL ADDICTION TREATMENT PROGRAMS. THE CHATBOT WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE CUSTOMIZED, ACTIONABLE RECOMMENDATIONS TO PROVIDE CARE ADMINISTRATION AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT. THE INTEGRATION OF THIS CHATBOT WILL ALSO PROVIDE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR INDIVIDUALS TO TRACK THEIR PROGRESS, IDENTIFYING BEHAVIORAL PATTERNS, AND INCREMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS. WHILE OTHER MENTAL HEALTH CHATBOT TECHNOLOGIES HAVE BEEN APPLIED MORE BROADLY, OFFERING SUPPORT FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION, OUR CHATBOT WILL BE THE FIRST TO SPECIFICALLY CATER TO INDIVIDUALS STRUGGLING WITH ADDICTION. MOREOVER, OUR CHATBOT WILL BE THE FIRST OF ITS KIND TO BE FULLY INTEGRATED INTO AN ADDICTION TREATMENT PROGRAM, ADOPTING A HYBRID HUMAN-FIRST APPROACH. WHERE OTHER CHATBOTS SEEK TO REPLACE CERTAIN ROLES OF MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS, OUR CHATBOT SEEKS TO IDENTIFY AREAS THAT CHATBOTS CAN SUPPORT AND AUGMENT MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS. WE EXPECT THIS NUANCED DIFFERENCE TO LEAD TO NEW INSIGHTS INTO HOW MEDICAL PROVIDERS CAN COLLABORATE WITH A CHATBOT AND NEW WAYS TO UTILIZE THE TECHNOLOGY. THE LONG TERM GOAL OF THE PROJECT IS TO IDENTIFY NOVEL WAYS TO ENGAGE MEMBERS IN ONLINE ADDICTION TREATMENT PROGRAMS TO INCREASE RETENTION. THIS PROJECT WILL EXPLORE HOW CHATBOTS CAN BE USED TO OFFER PERSONALIZED AND SCALABLE INTERACTIONS WITH INDIVIDUALS IN ADDICTION TREATMENT PROGRAMS. IN PHASE I, WE SEEK TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE CAN ENGAGE MEMBERS TO UTILIZE THE CHATBOT. IN PHASE II, WE WILL FOCUS ON IDENTIFYING THE BEST SCENARIOS FOR A CHATBOT TO RESPOND TO AND HOW TO PERSUADE MEMBERS TO ACT ON RECOMMENDED ITEMS (SUCH AS SCHEDULING AN APPOINTMENT WITH A COUNSELOR OR ATTENDING A GROUP THERAPY SESSION). AS LEADING HEALTH PLANS ADOPT VALUE-BASED CARE MODELS, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT ADDICTION TREATMENT PROVIDERS CAN EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATE THEIR IMPACT THROUGH STANDARD METRICS SUCH AS RETENTION, ADHERENCE, AND APPOINTMENT ATTENDANCE. AS MEMBER ENGAGEMENT INCREASES, WE EXPECT TO SEE IMPROVEMENTS IN THESE STANDARD OUTCOME METRICS, ALLOWING MEMBERS TO MAXIMIZE THE BENEFITS THAT THEY RECEIVE FROM THEIR ADDICTION TREATMENT PROGRAM. THIS PROJECT WILL OFFER INSIGHTS INTO BEST PRACTICES FOR OTHER TREATMENT PROVIDERS LOOKING TO INTEGRATE A CHATBOT INTO MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT PROGRAMS.