ABSTRACT Chronic pain (CP) and opioid use disorder (OUD) are leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Despite being commonly comorbid, there is a striking lack of integrated treatments accessible to people in need. This is particularly true for Black and Hispanic individuals living and seeking care in under-resourced settings like The Bronx, NY, one of the poorest and most racially diverse counties in the U.S. Submitted in response to the HEAL Initiative: Integrative Management of Chronic Pain and OUD for Whole Recovery (IMPOWR) RFA-DA-21-030, the overall goal of this proposal is to create the IMPOWR Research Center at Montefiore/Einstein (“IMPOWR-ME”), in the high-impact county of The Bronx NY. IMPOWR-ME is a synergistic multidisciplinary research center that leverages exceptional research infrastructure in CP and OUD and existing relationships with people living with CP and OUD, advocates, policymakers and payers, and health system stakeholders. The aims of IMPOWR-ME are to: 1) create a robust and sustainable research infrastructure to rigorously test and disseminate integrated and cost-effective evidence-based practices for people with CP and OUD; 2) partner with people with lived experience with CP, OUD, or both, and diverse stakeholders in all stages of the research; and 3) provide opportunities for multidisciplinary early stage investigators to become independent researchers focusing on CP and OUD. Three innovative hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation trials are proposed to rigorously examine multi-modal evidence-based practices in diverse health care settings and populations of people with comorbid CP and OUD. Specifically, we propose: 1) a three-arm trial of yoga and physical therapy onsite at methadone opioid treatment programs, 2) a 2x2 factorial trial to test Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and a care management smartphone app for individuals in primary-care based buprenorphine treatment, and 3) a two-arm trial to test microdosing vs. standard induction of buprenorphine for hospitalized patients. Participants in all projects have both CP and OUD or opioid misuse, and specific aims for each project will examine CP, OUD, implementation, and cost-effectiveness outcomes; additional patient-centered outcomes will be driven by people with lived experience. All three projects improve access to care for Black and Hispanic individuals in under-resourced settings by bringing integrated treatment of CP and OUD to them, and the interventions have high potential for dissemination and sustainability. An innovative program for pilot studies achieves a dual aim of catalyzing stakeholder-driven research and training early stage and new investigators. An exceptional team of investigators and clinical experts focused on CP and OUD, a longstanding history of collaboration with stakeholders and people with lived experience, and a high-impact population make Montefiore-Einstein an ideal site for an IMPOWR research center.

PROJECT NARRATIVE The proposed IMPOWR Research Center at Montefiore-Einstein (IMPOWR-ME) will create a multidisciplinary and synergistic program of research to test multimodal treatments that address both chronic pain and opioid use disorder. IMPOWR-ME will generate critical knowledge about the effectiveness, implementation, and cost- effectiveness of providing onsite yoga classes or physical therapy in methadone treatment programs, providing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and/or a care management smartphone app for individuals in primary care-based buprenorphine treatment, and choosing microdosing or standard buprenorphine induction for hospitalized patients with chronic pain and opioid use disorder or opioid misuse. Patients with lived experience with chronic pain and/or opioid use disorder, patient and policy advocates, payors, and health system partners will be engaged in all stages of the research. IMPOWR-ME is well-positioned to become a long-lasting hub for stakeholder-engaged research with multidisciplinary senior and early stage investigators focused on reducing overdose through better treatments for OUD and CP.