Grant Number:	5U24DA064520-02 Interpret this number
Primary Investigator:	Wang, Emily
Organization:	Yale University
Project Title:	Justresearch Community Engaged Research Resource Center (CERRC)
Fiscal Year:	2026

The full benefits of community engagement are yet to be realized in addiction sciences. Absent the perspectives and expertise of people with lived experience (PWLE) of substance use disorders and those who have been incarcerated, we miss the opportunity to bring rigor, relevance and reach to addiction science through the singular role that PWLE can serve in understanding the feasibility and acceptability of interventions that prevent and treat addiction and disseminating to their networks for sustainment. Our past work has shown that PWLE are critical contributors to health research, from study inception, implementation, analysis, and dissemination, yet few research institutions invest in building the capacity of PWLE to authentically contribute. Many have systematic barriers to hiring and retaining people with criminal records and addiction and to sustaining meaningful partnerships with community organizations. Built on 25 years of collective experience, the JUSTResearch Community Engaged Research Resource Center (CERRC) will offer unprecedented resources and infrastructure to build the bidirectional capacity of PWLE and academic researchers and institutions, and community stakeholders of NIDA’s Justice Community Overdose Innovation Network (JCOIN) to conduct community engaged research. JUSTResearch will be co-led by JustLeadershipUSA (JLUSA), a national organization focused on empowering formerly incarcerated individuals and Yale’s SEICHE Center for Health and Justice and Program in Addiction Medicine, which have 20+ year histories leading large community-engaged research projects in partnership with PWLE. JUSTResearch builds on our partnership co-leading health research grants and established track-record of changing policies on hiring people with criminal records and formalizing pipelines for employment in health research. The objective of JUSTResearch is to transform JCOIN research using a multi-level approach that enables authentic participation of PWLE. We will achieve this through five integrated cores: an Engagement and Support Core (activities: build and support a community advisory board and lead focus groups to review scientific protocols for JCOIN collaborative projects); a Research Capacity Building Core (activities: technical assistance for JCOIN hub leaders and PWLE and university leaders and build toolkits to transform hiring practices and formalize employment pipelines for PWLE); a Dissemination Core (activities: produce toolkits and accessible health communications tailored for individuals in jails, prisons, and transitional community settings based on JCOIN findings); a Rapid Research Core (conduct patient journey mapping and three other rapid turnaround research projects); and an Evaluation Core (activities: measure effect of CERRC on JCOIN science). JUSTResearch will facilitate community engagement to improve the health of individuals and communities experiencing high rates of justice involvement and substance use disorders, while building the science for future community-engaged research.





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