2017 – Off to a Fast Start, as President Trump and a New Administration Transition

by Bernie Murphy

We are all keenly aware of the impact and change a new administration brings. But with the surprising election of Donald J. Trump, we are even more attuned to the new initiatives, altered policies and different federal agency leadership.  “The times they are changing” and we are all watching closely. However, the beat goes on at PIRE and we are not simply waiting and watching.

Below, I highlight and update some of PIRE’s 2017 key activities and initiatives.

1. Recruitment is a high priority in 2017 for PIRE. We would like to find Senior Scientists to join PIRE and continue to recruit new investigators while  retaining our emerging investigators.  A “finder’s fee” will be paid to PIRE Staff who successfully recruit new talent, as detailed below.

   Payment for Recruitment Assistance by PIRE Staff

    

   PIRE is seeking to expand its Staff. The following represents the type of Staff we are seeking:

   1. Senior Scientists/Principal Investigators – who bring their work to PIRE and/or submit applications/proposals for funding through PIRE. PIRE employment is contingent upon awards or the transfer of project funding to PIRE. Review of the applications, prior to submission, must be made by two PIRE Senior Scientists and concurrence by the Center Director.
   2. Emerging Qualified Investigators (Postdoctoral Fellows and relatively new scientists) – who want to submit an application/proposal through PIRE. PIRE employment is contingent upon awards to PIRE. Review of applications, prior to submission, must be made by two PIRE Senior Scientists and concurrence by the Center Director.

   Should a PIRE Staff recruit a new staff member to PIRE, the following payments will be made:

   1. $500 for applications/proposals of $250,000 submitted through PIRE.
   2. 1% of a first award or transfer value to PIRE.

   Should other types of recruitments occur, payments will be determined by the CEO and CFO.

    

PIRE advantages include: our long standing research integrity and reputation, individual researcher autonomy, excellent benefits, location flexibility, strong research support infrastructure (Site Administrators, Library, IRB, IT, HR and G&C) first-rate fiscal standing and corporate financial support for pilot studies and application development.

Examples of Centers already expanding and recruiting include:

• At the end of 2016, Louisville hired Bonnie Richard, April Schweinhart and rehired Steve Shamblen (see December 2016 PIRE News)
• DSI has successfully recruited staff from Brown University’s Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies postdoctoral program and continuing to do so.
• BHRCS has postdoctoral fellows who are being considered.
• Calverton is in conversations with new postdoctoral fellow recruits.
• Chapel Hill is reaching out to past employees and is showing promise.
• PRC is exploring submitting applications from qualified postdoctoral fellows outside of the PIRE. PRC continues to train an exceptional group of postdocs.
2. Cannabis continues to be an expanding area for PIRE. A special edition of the Journal of Primary Prevention that includes a multiple PIRE staff-authored cannabis article is near publication. Moreover, three PIRE scientists (Karen Friend, Bettina Friese, and Bridget Friestler) are serving as guest editors for this special issue.

The California cannabis tax may have an organizational eligibility requirement for researchers.  Funding may only go to a California entity and we are addressing that potential new requirement.

PRC is submitting, or has submitted, seven new NIDA cannabis applications this quarter.

1. Effects of Local Marijuana Policies and Availability on Use Among Youth, M.J. Paschall, submitted on 01/27/17
2. Impacts of Marijuana Commercialization on Adolescents’ Marijuana Beliefs, Use, and Co-Use with other Substances Sharon Lipperman-Kreda and Joel Grube, scheduled for March submission
3. Agglomerative Health Impacts of Commercial Alcohol and Marijuana Markets, Paul Gruenewald scheduled for end of February submission
4. Cannabis Dispensaries and Stores:  Variations in Services, Products, Clientele, and Local Ecology, Bob Saltz, submitted on 01/27/17
5. Marijuana Availability, Marijuana Use, and Child Abuse and Neglect, Bridget Freisthler, submitted in December 2016 with Ohio State University, PIRE subcontract
6. Geography of Medical Marijuana Dispensaries and Adolescent Beliefs and Behaviors, Bettina Friese, scheduled for March submission
7. Social Media Environment for Cannabis in the Era of Legalization, Juliet Lee, submitted 2/1/17
3. Opioid funding to address the ongoing opioid epidemic has started to emerge from several Federal agencies.  CARA and 21st Century Cure Act funding is part of the continuing resolution that the federal government is operating under, until April, and the next congressional budget appropriates. PIRE continues to prepare and apply for those opportunities that have been released, details follow.

We have already seen opioid-related funding flow to the VHA and states via SAMHSA. PIRE has applied to an announcement to evaluate Alabama’s opioid treatment programs. We expect that other states will soon announce evaluation opportunities. This is an expansion of our longstanding state evaluation work funded by SAMHSA, primarily completed out of Chapel Hill, Louisville and BHRCS.

In preparation for, and expanding on, existing state evaluation and other RFPs, the Monday Noon Development Group continues to review and assess announcements each week. In addition, the following activities are occurring. If you are interested in more information, contact the staff or me for additional details.

1. Bob Saltz is leading the development of an opioid prevention intervention logic model, similar to the PIRE underage drinking logic model, that has been used extensively by SAMHSA and many states. 
2. Chris Ringwalt is adding the evidence for the interventions in the logic model, as was done for the underage drinking logic model.
3. Current state evaluation being done by PIRE staff leads include Bob Flewelling, Al Stein-Seroussi and Martha Waller. These staff also are part of a review group of the logic model and its application in their existing state work.
4. Kathy Atwood and Karen Friend are preparing a traditional corporate capability statement, capturing PIRE’s grants, contracts and publications in opioids.
5. We are anticipating, following the federal budget appropriations of CARA and the 21st Century Cure Action, that new funding will flow. Specifically, we are monitoring:
   1. SAMHSA – in addition to treatment evaluation, we anticipate prevention and other evaluation RFAs.
   2. NIJ – We have three new contracts starting in 2017. In addition, NIJ has indicated they are preparing for the second half of 2017 and funding opioid efforts with police and communities.
   3. We are also monitoring research funding opportunities from CDC and NIH.
4. VHA – New initiatives are being planned for 2018 that will utilize tools and training from the current VHA contract for the 2018 expansion. These activities are featured in a separate article, “The Second Year of the VHA Whole Health Contract is Well Underway” in this issue of PIRE News.

The above represents some of the work across PIRE. This is not meant to be a comprehensive review. I invite those not featured in this issue of PIRE News to share your individual or teams efforts.

2017 promises to be a challenging year of transitions at the national level and PIRE is preparing and moving forward to meet those challenges and opportunities.

Please let me know if you have any questions and/or contact the staff mentioned.