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Principal Investigator: Aaron William Murnan
Organization: UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $192,107
Funding agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
Project Summary/Abstract
Aaron Murnan, PhD, LMFT is a tenure-track assistant professor at University of Cincinnati's College of
Nursing. His career goal is to become an independent clinician-scientist with expertise in co-designing novel
interventions to address salient treatment needs among families disproportionately impacted by opioid use and
justice-involvement, specifically women in the sex trade. The term `co-design' refers to a community-based
participatory research methodology in which individuals with lived experience are engaged as study team
members to lend their hands-on expertise and thoroughly participate in the intervention development process.
Given well-documented risks associated with the sex trade and opioid use, as well as a lack of interventions
prospectively designed to address challenges experienced by this population, the current study represents a
critical next step towards promoting the health and well-being of women in the sex trade. The proposed five-
year Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23) will provide Dr. Murnan a perfect
opportunity to achieve his career goals through training in: 1) Community-Based Participatory Research; 2)
ADAPT-ITT substance use intervention adaptation methodologies; and 3) conducting research within the
criminal justice system. Dr. Murnan's proposed study aims to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of co-
designed family-based intervention offered as an adjunct to treatment diversion programming (offered through
the criminal justice system) using a pilot RCT design. In Aim 1, participant family dyads (n=15 women paired
with one supportive family member) will be recruited to explore intervention needs, motivations, and barriers
related to participating in family-based intervention, as well as delivery preferences. This information will be
used by the co-design team (individuals with lived experience, the PI, and other research personnel) to adapt a
family-based intervention manual. For Aim 2, additional family dyads (n=60) will be recruited to participate in a
randomized controlled trial in which they will be randomly assigned to one of two treatment arms: 1) co-
designed family-based intervention + diversion treatment programming or 2) diversion treatment programming
only. Feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of both interventions will be evaluated (Aim 2). Dr.
Melinda Butsch Kovacic, a leading expert in community-based participatory research, will serve as Dr.
Murnan's primary site mentor. Dr. Butsch Kovacic in conjunction with his co-mentors (Drs. Jennifer Brown and
Sarah Manchak) will provide him with necessary training in areas of community-based participatory research,
substance use intervention adaptation methodologies, and conducting research within the criminal justice
system, that will launch his independent research career as a clinician scientist with the requisite skills to
conduct high quality intervention research to promote best outcomes among families disproportionately
impacted by opioid use and criminal justice involvement.
Terms: <0-11 years old><Address><Affect><After Care><After-Treatment><Aftercare><Ambulatory Care><Area><Award><Behavior Conditioning Therapy><Behavior Modification><Behavior Therapy><Behavior Treatment><Behavioral Conditioning Therapy><Behavioral Modification><Behavioral Therapy><Behavioral Treatment><Child><Child Youth><Children (0-21)><Conditioning Therapy><Conflict><Conflict (Psychology)><Criminal Justice><Data><Decision Making><Dedications><Discipline of Nursing><Diversion Program><Doctor of Philosophy><Enrollment><Environment><Family><Family member><Feedback><Funding><Goals><Health><Health Promotion><History><Home><Homicide><Individual><Intervention><Intervention Strategies><Intervention Studies><Interview><Investigators><Justice><K23 Award><K23 Mechanism><K23 Program><Lived experience><Lived experiences><Manuals><Mental Health><Mental Hygiene><Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award><Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23)><Mentors><Mentorship><Methodology><Methods><Mothers><Motivation><NIDA><National Institute of Drug Abuse><National Institute on Drug Abuse><Nursing><Nursing Field><Nursing Profession><Opiates><Opioid><Outcome><Outcome Measure><Outpatient Care><Overdose><Participant><Personal Satisfaction><Ph.D.><PhD><Population><Position><Positioning Attribute><Premature Mortality><Process><Prostitution><Psychological Health><Public Health><Publishing><Randomized><Randomized, Controlled Trials><Recording of previous events><Recovery><Relapse><Reporting><Research><Research Methodology><Research Methods><Research Personnel><Researchers><Risk><Salutogenesis><Scientist><Seasons><Site><Social Support System><Strategic Planning><Support System><System><Training><Trauma><Treatment outcome><Universities><Victimization><Violence><Vulnerable Populations><Woman><Work><acceptability and feasibility><behavior intervention><behavioral intervention><career><co-morbid><co-morbidity><college><collegiate><commercial sex><commercial sex work><community based participatory approach><community based participatory design><community based participatory method><community based participatory process><community based participatory research><community led research><community participatory approach><community participatory design><community participatory method><community participatory model><community participatory research><community partnered participatory research><comorbidity><design><designing><develop therapy><disparity in health><effective intervention><enroll><experience><family support><feasibility trial><female outcomes><female treatment><group intervention><health disparity><histories><homes><improved><innovate><innovation><innovative><intervention arm><intervention development><intervention research><interventional research><interventional strategy><interventional study><interventions research><kids><marginalization><marginalized group><marginalized individual><marginalized people><marginalized population><measurable outcome><medication for opioid use disorder><member><neglect><novel><opiate consumption><opiate crisis><opiate drug use><opiate intake><opiate use><opiate use disorder><opioid consumption><opioid crisis><opioid drug use><opioid epidemic><opioid intake><opioid use><opioid use disorder><outcome measurement><outcomes among females><outcomes among women><outcomes in females><outcomes in women><outpatient treatment><participatory action research><pilot test><post treatment><preference><professor><programs><promoting health><prospective><prototype><randomisation><randomization><randomized control trial><randomly assigned><recidivism><recruit><research and methods><response><satisfaction><sex><skills><sober><sobriety><substance use><substance use treatment><substance using><survival sex><sustained recovery><tenure process><tenure track><therapy development><treat females><treat women><treatment among females><treatment among women><treatment arm><treatment development><treatment in females><treatment in women><violent><violent behavior><vulnerable group><vulnerable individual><vulnerable people><well-being><wellbeing><women's outcomes><women's treatment><youngster>