Using health records to better identify and understand substance use disorders
Official title: Framework to Accelerate Substance Use Disorder Genetic Studies through Customizable, EHR-Based Precision Phenotyping
Funded at Vanderbilt University Medical Center · NIH-11171719 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project builds tools that use electronic health records to more accurately find people with substance use problems so researchers can study genetic contributors.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Vanderbilt University Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Nashville, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $525,000 |
| NIH project number | 5DP1DA056667-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11171719 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people with a history of substance use whose electronic health records (and where available, genetic data) are accessible to participating health systems.
✕Less likely to help
People without linked medical records or genetic data, or those not seen at participating hospitals, are unlikely to be involved or to see direct benefits from this project.
What this research studies
You should know this project creates a system that combines billing codes, medication records, and doctors' notes to give a probability score for substance use disorder instead of a simple yes/no label. The team will test the method across multiple hospitals and make it customizable for different research needs. They will link these refined health-record profiles to genetic data to look for inherited risk factors. The goal is to make the method portable so other centers can use it to support larger genetic studies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could speed discovery of genetic risks for addiction and help develop risk scores or clinical tools to guide prevention and treatment.
How similar studies have gone: EHR-based phenotyping and genetics studies have worked well for some conditions, but applying a multi-source probabilistic approach specifically to substance use disorders is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jeffery, Alvin Dean — Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Jeffery, Alvin Dean
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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.