How disability and chronic pain affect opioid overdose risk and prevention
Official title: Role of disability and pain in opioid overdose: mechanism and risk mitigation
Funded at Columbia University Health Sciences · NIH-11260200 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether adults with physical disabilities and chronic pain are more likely to have an opioid overdose and what can lower that risk.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Columbia University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | March 1, 2022 |
| Project end | January 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $594,657 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DA053243-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11260200 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults aged 21 and older with physical disabilities, ongoing chronic pain, or a history of opioid use are the most relevant candidates for this work.
✕Less likely to help
Children under 21, people without disabilities or opioid exposure, or individuals outside the study regions may not directly benefit from the findings.
What this research studies
We will combine medical and prescription records, survey information, and county-level data to compare overdose rates in adults with and without physical disabilities. The team will separate the effects of chronic pain from disability itself and examine pathways such as depression, economic stress, and access to treatment that may raise overdose risk. Researchers will also look at how prescribing practices and availability of treatments for substance use disorders relate to outcomes for people with disabilities. The goal is to identify points where prevention or better care could reduce overdoses in this underserved group.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could help identify high-risk patients and point to better-targeted prevention and treatment to reduce opioid overdoses among people with disabilities.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research links opioid prescribing and chronic pain to overdose risk, but studying disability as a separate or combined risk factor is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Columbia University Health Sciences
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Rudolph, Kara Elizabeth — Columbia University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Rudolph, Kara Elizabeth
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.