Learning Health Systems K Scholar Team Receives Multiple Grants for Research Investigating Opioids and Health Disparities
The team of Learning Health Systems (LHS) K12 scholars, Tasce Bongiovanni, MD, MPP, MHS, William Brown III, PhD, DrPH, MA, James Harrison, PhD, and Matt Pantell, MD (pictured above left to right) are awardees of two grants: a Clinical & Translational Science Institute (CTSI) Resource Allocation Program (RAP), and a CTSI K Scholars Program Team Science Award, to support their work in better understanding the role of social determinants of health (SDH) and opioid prescribing, misuse/Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), screening, and treatment.
The CTSI RAP grant, on which Dr. Brown serves as Principal Investigator and Drs. Bongiovanni, Harrison and Pantell as co-Investigators, is entitled “What’s Behind Disparities in Pain Management? Using Natural Language Processing (NLP) to Map Social Determinants of Health (SDH) to Opioid Prescribing, Misuse/OUD, Screening and Treatment Using UCSF Electronic Health Record (EHR) Data.” The research aims to map SDH to four critical components of opioid pain management to unearth potential health disparities. Additionally, Dr. Brown was awarded a diversity supplement awarded from the Research Development Office for the grants high review score.
The CTSI K Scholars Program Team Science Award, on which Drs. Bongiovanni, Brown, Harrison, and Pantell serve as co-Principal Investigators, is entitled: “Is There More to Opioid Prescribing Than Pain? Examining Associations Between Social Determinants of Health and Opioid Prescribing Using UCSF Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Data”. The research here aims to examine the associations of SDH and physician opioid prescribing behavior.
Both projects support the exploration of disparities in pain management through the use of natural language processing and mapping of social determinants of health to UCSF electronic health record data. The studies are also supported and mentored by Urmimala Sarkar MD and Ralph Gonzales, MD, MSPH, Co-PIs of the UCSF Learning Health System K12 Career Development Program (AHRQ K12-HS026383) and co-directors of the Learning Health Systems Early Career Acceleration Program (LEAP K12) for junior faculty.