A first-of-its-kind initiative, funded by a National Institute on Drug Abuse grant, will conduct an ambitious study to better understand trends in drug use and barriers to health care services in New England, including Vermont. The grant will provide approximately $12 million in funding over five years. 

Researchers from the University of Vermont Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine, Brown University, the University of California–San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, and Brown University School of Public Health will evaluate how individuals with substance use disorder in Vermont, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island are impacted by new state programs to prevent HIV, hepatitis C, and overdose through syringe services and overdose prevention centers.

Brandon Marshall, Ph.D., M.Sc., professor of epidemiology at Brown University School of Public Health, will co-lead the project with Katie Biello, Ph.D., M.P.H., provost’s professor and chair of epidemiology, professor of behavioral and social sciences, and director of the Center for Epidemiologic Research at Brown, and Angela Bazzi, Ph.D., M.P.H., professor of public health at the University of California–San Diego. In Vermont, Devika Singh, M.D., associate professor of medicine at the Larner College of Medicine, will serve as the principal investigator, recruiting participants and connecting with community organizations in Vermont.

“It is exceptionally timely for the University of Vermont to pursue diligent public health-based research to better understand substance use disorder in Vermont given our state’s exceptionally high overdose mortality rate,” Dr. Singh said. 

The researchers will work closely with community partners in each state. In Vermont, Singh will work with Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform and the Howard Center, among other organizations. “We at UVM, alongside strong partners in the community, are working to better understand the needs of individuals struggling with substance use disorder in our region,” said Singh.

The study will recruit 1,200 participants across the three states and follow them for up to five years. Researchers will focus on four key areas:

  • Trends in drug use in rural and urban settings
  • Barriers to HIV and HCV treatment and overdose prevention
  • Impacts of new and existing harm-reduction programs
  • Access to innovative services, such as syringe programs and overdose prevention centers

“This grant allows us to answer complex questions about health care access and the effectiveness of emerging programs,” Dr. Biello said. “We’ll explore barriers in traditional health care settings as well as in innovative models, such as syringe service programs that provide HIV prevention medication.”

Singh expects the study to launch in Vermont in spring 2026.