Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit 2022

Returning as an in-person event this year in Atlanta, GA, the Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit 2022 convenes experts and industry professionals to share evidence-based best practices and strategies to combat the opioid and addiction epidemic. The event, which will run from April 18-21, features over 90 presentations on topics ranging from prevention, treatment and recovery, technology, and more.

The opioid and substance misuse epidemic and its negative health outcomes, such as overdose, have touched almost every American. Community-level partnerships and tailored strategies are critical, not only for supporting our communities, but also for implementing a successful response to the epidemic. RTI International will be presenting during the conference on how we can work to understand community contexts and implement customized, evidence-based strategies to make our communities stronger and help build a better future. Mark your calendars for the presentations below and stop by booth #323 to learn more!

RTI Presentations

Vision Session | Promise of Prevention: Moving Upstream in the Community to Impact the Overdose Crisis
Tuesday, April 19 | 8:00 – 8:45AM ET
Presenters: Phillip W. Graham, DrPH, MPH; Elvira Elek, PhD; Jessica Cance, PhD

Treatment and recovery support services are critical services for those individuals living with an opioid use disorder. However, it is also imperative that we implement a public health approach that focuses upstream on how to prevent opioid misuse and opioid use disorder. This session will provide a framework to help inform this approach and showcase RTI projects designed to assess the impact of upstream strategies implemented at the individual, family, and community level to address opioid misuse. The session will also emphasize the need for upstream strategies as a required component of a comprehensive public health strategy.
Add this Vision Session to your calendar.

Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) in Real-World Practice: Outcomes From a Longitudinal Study of Individuals with OUD
Thursday, April 21 | 11:15AM – 12:30PM ET
Presenters: Jill A. Dever, PhD (RTI); Xinyi Jiang, PhD, MS (CDC); Sara Wolicki, MPH, CPH (CDC); Cecelia M. Spitznas, PhD (ONDCP)

This session will share study results that show how different types of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) treatment and patient characteristics may impact the likelihood of illicit opioids use and overdose. Treatment providers can use evidence from this study to tailor interventions that are associated with better patient outcomes. Previous research established the efficacy of MOUD in controlled trials; less is known about the effectiveness of MOUD in real-world clinical settings, and barriers/facilitators to abstinence. Researchers conducted an 18-month longitudinal study that included 62 outpatient sites across 16 U.S. states, offering 4 different types of OUD treatment. Information was collected on treatment, social support, adverse childhood events (ACES), substance use, and nonfatal overdoses. The study results demonstrate that certain treatments are highly effective in real-world settings and quantify the magnitude of the effect. Individuals with ACES or low social support had lower odds of abstinence, offering potential targets for interventions.

Learn more about our work responding to the substance misuse epidemic: 

Building Community Capacity 

• The HEAL Initiative  

• RTI Center for Behavioral Health Epidemiology, Implementation, and Evaluation Research 

• Enhancing Violence Prevention Programs with a Focus on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Conducting Surveillance and Research

• National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) 

• Using Real-Time Twitter Data to Track Trends in the Opioid Crisis 

• Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder Study (MAT Study) 

Improving Health Equity & Understanding Social Determinants of Health

• Build Health Equity with Data Science | RTI Tech Talk Webinar 

• How an ‘Artificially Intelligent’ Local Social Risk Score can Improve Population Health on the Path Toward Health Equity  

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RTI is uniquely equipped to support the full spectrum of efforts to combat this epidemic—including treatment, prevention, intervention, pain management, and public communication. Our experts are studying prevention and public communication tactics, strategies to reach vulnerable populations and reduce stigma, and innovative treatment options for habitual opioid users as well as those dealing with chronic pain. We believe that ending the opioid epidemic requires data-driven solutions and strong partnerships across industries; we look forward to connecting with you during the conference.

Learn more about how we're addressing the overdose crisis.