Opioid Crisis Response

The Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research’s response to the opioid crisis was first stimulated by Christopher Austin, MD, Director of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), during the October 2017 meeting of all Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Program hubs in Washington, DC. Dr. Austin made a call-to-action to address the opioid crisis and develop potential strategies that maximize the special capacities at each CTSA Program hub and of the overall CTSA Program network.

In response, the Irving Institute began an extensive internal environmental scan and brainstorming process and in December 2017, convened a group of over 60 Columbia University experts across the spectrum of opioid research ranging from the mechanisms of pain to community interventions, drug abuse treatment research, neuroscience, implementation research, and education. Multiple schools and departments throughout Columbia University have been engaged including engineering, nursing, dentistry, social work, psychology, business, and chemistry, as well as Columbia University Irving Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and New York State Psychiatric Institute.

Four working groups developed through the brainstorm and a steering committee was formed and convened in 2018. These efforts have fostered new collaborations among researchers, industry partners, and the community to address the opioid crisis. These new partnerships will facilitate response to future funding opportunities and implementation of new strategies.

Read our white paper (link is external and opens in a new window)for more details on how we are responding to the opioid crisis.

Current Work

Starting in 2020, the Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, along with other Columbia University researchers, the School of Social Work and the New York State Psychiatric Institute’s Division on Substance Use Disorders launched the new Center for Healing of Opioid and Other Substance Use Disorders-Enhancing Intervention, Development and Implementation (CHOSEN). This multidisciplinary center will combat the growing crisis of opioid and other substance use disorders in New York City and across New York State.

Visit the CHOSEN website to see all current work being done in this area.

Dr. Muredach Reilly, Director of the Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, and Co-Director Dr. Harold Pincus have joined the leadership team.

Funding Initiatives

NIH's HEAL initiative has numerous funding opportunities. For more information and to subscribe to its listserv, visit NIH Heal Initiative Funding Opportunities(link is external and opens in a new window).

Federal and Non-Federal Opportunities in Opioid Research(link is external and opens in a new window) contains additional opportunities, updated in real-time, from Pivot, a funding opportunity database. For more information about Pivot, see Find Funding using Pivot. 

Past Events