The ELEVATE Training Integration Core aims to use community and institutional resources to provide mentored training in multiple disciplines. We encourage early stage investigators, graduate students, medical students, and undergraduates from all backgrounds and others interested in research to check back regularly as new opportunities are posted on this website.
ELEVATE Scholar 2024-2025
The ELEVATE Center selected its first ELEVATE Scholar for 2024-2025. Dr. Casey Tak is an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacotherapy at the University of Utah. With a broad background in health economics and outcomes research, including specific training in economic evaluations, policy analysis, complex survey data, and large datasets, his long term goal is to inform policy and practice that reduce access barriers to health services. His research program primarily focuses on access to substance use disorder care/treatment and the associated patient outcomes among pregnant and parenting individuals.
Barriers Pregnant and Postpartum Patients Encounter
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There are many barriers that pregnant and postpartum patients encounter when trying to seek treatment: availability of providers willing to treat/prescribe medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), stigma from family/friends/clinic staff, Medicaid coverage, and availability of medication at the pharmacy (or proximity of nearest opioid treatment program), among others.
These barriers are often exacerbated for folks living in rural areas. As an ELEVATE Scholar, Dr. Tak’s research project aims to:
- document perinatal patients’ experiences accessing MOUD and identify the aspects of MOUD and OUD treatment patients value most,
- and identify sets of characteristics preferred by pregnant and postpartum individuals associated with MOUD treatment.
ELEVATE Scholar
Brown Bag Learning Lunches
ELEVATE and the Substance Use in Pregnancy Recovery Addiction Dependence (SUPeRAD) Clinic host monthly Brown Bag Learning Lunches for all faculty and staff. We encourage the lunches for those who are interested in learning more about best practices in caring for pregnant and postpartum people with substance use disorders.
Virtual Presentations on Populations with SUD's
Join us virtually for monthly presentations and conversations on the Third Wednesday of every month from 12:30 to 1:00. Initial topics in 2024 include the importance of particular language use, screening for IDs in populations with SUDs, and the journey from learner to provider for individuals with SUD. To get the Zoom link for these Brown Bag Learning Lunches please register here!