Peer-led intervention to spread overdose prevention and support quitting opioids in high-risk communities
Official title: A Randomized Clinical Trial of a Peer Education Intervention to Promote Social Diffusion of Overdose Prevention and Drug Use Cessation in High Burden Communities
Funded at Johns Hopkins University · NIH-11422050 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A randomized trial will test a peer-education program to reduce overdoses and help people who use opioids start or stay in treatment, by using social networks and new withdrawal-focused strategies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2025 |
| Project end | September 29, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $684,553 |
| NIH project number | 5U01CE003830-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11422050 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people who use opioids and live in high-burden areas, plus their social network members who also use opioids or are at risk.
✕Less likely to help
Some participants may not experience immediate improvement if engagement is low or if social diffusion does not translate to behavior change.
What this research studies
This project partners people who use opioids to train as peer educators and deliver a social network-based approach to prevent overdoses and promote medication for opioid use disorder. The study combines overdose prevention messages, MOUD engagement strategies, and contingency management, delivered through a peer-led diffusion model. Participants will include 300 individuals who use opioids and 300 of their peers, randomized to receive the intervention or standard care, with outcomes evaluated over five years. The goal is to reduce overdose events and increase MOUD uptake in communities hardest hit by the opioid crisis. The research emphasizes real-world settings, engagement of people with lived experience, and rigorous assessment of the social diffusion approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could reduce overdoses and increase access to treatment for opioids in high-burden communities.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work showed peers can be trained to support overdose prevention, but this project tests a novel combination with withdrawal management, MOUD engagement, and social diffusion in a randomized design.
Where this research is happening
-
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Latkin, Carl a — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Latkin, Carl a
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Couples-based motivational interviewing to reduce drug use and HIV risk in vulnerable male couples
A couples-focused program helps at-risk male couples reduce drug use and HIV risk together.
-
How growing up poor in rural Georgia affects children's brains and risk for drug use
This project looks at how early poverty and stress in rural Georgia change children's brain systems and their later chances of using drugs.
-
Understanding why teens relapse after treatment and how to keep them safe
A teen-focused study will look at why adolescents who finish inpatient treatment sometimes return to high-risk drug use and how that affects overdose risk.
-
High-Dose Medications for Opioid Use Disorder and Retention in Care
This project tests whether adjusted, higher-dose MOUD regimens can help people stay in treatment and reduce overdose risks during the fentanyl crisis.
-
OVAL: How laws about drug use in pregnancy affect pregnant and new mothers who use drugs
A nationwide project is looking at how laws about drug use in pregnancy influence health for pregnant and postpartum women who use drugs.
-
Understanding how early life stress affects adolescent drug risk using brain data
This project looks at how stressful experiences in early life shape brain systems and behaviors that influence teen risk for drug use.
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.