Professor of Emergency Medicine
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
I am Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine. For the last 19 years, I have used my formal training in clinical research methods to coordinate and conduct randomized controlled trials and cohort studies in the Emergency Department (ED) setting. My focus area has been the design, implementation and evaluation of novel interventions in the ED.
I am currently the principal investigator for a NIDA funded UG3 examining the safety and efficacy of high dose buprenorphine initiation (UG3DA056891). I am also MPI on a NIMH funded R34 investigating HIV PrEP Services in the Emergency Department for Hard-to-Reach Populations (R34MH130267). In addition to these NIH funded studies I am PI on a clinical trial funded by the Robert Mapplethorpe foundation evaluating immediate versus delayed initiation of HIV Pre-Exposure prophylaxis in the ED (NCT04429971).
In the area of public health program implementation, I have developed programs for HIV, HCV, STI and SUD screening in the ED. My recent research has focused on increasing ED based HCV testing and improving the care and treatment of patients with opioid use disorder in the ED. I have extensive experience integrating HIV and HCV testing in the ED settings including as the PI on a current Public Health Solutions/CDC funded grant for systems level change for normalizing routine HIV testing in high volume settings (22-HRT-602). I also served as the PI on a NIH/NIAID funded K23 (K23AI078755) examining the ethics of Opt-Out Provider Initiated HIV testing in the Emergency Department.
In the area of opioid use disorder, I am currently a core Co-I on a NIDA funded HEAL study, ED-INNOVATIONS (UG1DA013035). This large pragmatic RCT uses a hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation design to implement and evaluate the use of an investigational buprenorphine product in patients with opioid use disorder presenting to 30 EDs across the country. For this RCT I oversee research activities at the 5 RCT sites in the Midwest (University of Chicago, Hennepin County Medical Center, Washington University in St. Louis, Detroit Receiving Hospital and Henry Ford Hospital).
In addition to my work on CTN0099, I am the site-PI on an RCT evaluating a peer intervention for patients presenting to the ED with non-fatal opioid overdose (R01 CE003154 – Doran/McNeely). I was also a Co-I on the recently completed NIDA CTN-0069 “Project ED Health” study, a hybrid type III effectiveness-implementation design is used to evaluate the effectiveness of a standard educational dissemination strategy versus implementation facilitation on implementation (primary) and effectiveness (secondary) outcomes in four urban, academic EDs (UG1DA015831). Having been a co-investigator on the two largest ED initiated buprenorphine prospective trials to date (CTN0069 and CTN0099) I am extremely comfortable with and knowledgeable about the issues surrounding the care and treatment of ED patients with opioid use disorder.
In the area of mentoring I serve as the Assistant Director for the Mount Sinai Clinical Scientist Training Program in Emergency Care Research (T32HL129974) where I co-lead the health services track for T32 fellow. Lastly, as the associate director for the Infectious Disease, Epidemiology, and Theory Core (IDET) (P30DA011041) for the last 4 years at the Center for Drug Use and HIV/HCV Research (CDUHR) I have honed my skills with using integrative theory for the study of infectious disease among substance users and their communities.