Major Projects

Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN)

The Coordination and Translation Center (CTC), led by Dr. Faye S. Taxman of George Mason University (Mason) are leaders in the health-justice disciplines: Jessica Nickel of Addiction Policy Forum (APF); Amy Murphy (Mason); Pam Rodriguez at Center for Health and Justice (CHJ), Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities; Drs. Danielle S. Rudes and Rebekah Hersch (Mason); Dr. Todd Molfenter at University of Wisconsin-Madison; Dr. Warren Ferguson at University of Massachusetts School of Medicine (UMass); and, Dr. Peter Friedmann at University of Massachusetts-Baystate (UMMS). The collective team are leaders in both research and practice arenas to facilitate new policies, practices, and interventions at the individual and organizational level. This makes the CTC team uniquely qualified to achieve the collaborative, transdisciplinary approach necessary for the success of JCOIN. CTC goals will include: 1) coordination among partners and infrastructure for day-to-day activities; 2) facilitation of multidirectional JCOIN communication; 3) wide dissemination of research findings; 4) development and maintenance of an education infrastructure to grow experienced justice researchers; and 5) build coalitions to better serve research-to-practice, practice-to-research goals. Five Cores will support CTC:

  1. Administrative (Admin) Core, facilitating communication across internal and external JCOIN stakeholders;
  2. Rapid Response and Pilot Research (RRPR) Core, providing funding for pilot or small innovative studies;
  3. Dissemination and Stakeholder Engagement (D/SE) Core, creating a participatory research partnership and providing NIDA with easy access to stakeholder groups;
  4. Capacity Building Core, educating and mentoring researchers and practitioners to expand knowledge and skills; 
  5. Implementation and Translational Research (I/Trans) Core, executing rigorous studies to test Dissemination and Implementation strategies to understand mechanisms that impact the effectiveness of messages and materials used with various audiences. JCOIN is an important chapter to highlight where practice and research intertwine, and are mutually beneficial; and
  6. Community Stakeholder Core. This Core focuses on outreach and assistance to community-based stakeholders interested in advancing their use of evidence-based treatments to address the opioid crisis.

Key Staff: Faye S. Taxman, Ph.D. (George Mason University); Danielle Rudes, Ph.D. (George Mason University); Rebekah Hersch, Ph.D. (George Mason University); Amy Murphy, M.P.P (George Mason University); Dr. Edmund McGarrell (Michigan State University) 

Funding Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse, U2CDA050097

Study Location(s): National

Major Goals:

  • The Administrative core will provide logistical support for the JCOIN network of 10 research centers, an advanced methodological center, and the administrative core.
  • The Translational core will be responsible for implementing studies to examine the source, channel, message for various audiences that yields the greatest uptake. The core will focus on studies of messaging reforms regarding behavioral health issues in the justice system.
  • The Rapid response pilot core will provide funding for studies of innovation in the field.
  • The Dissemination/stakeholder core will develop new translational materials for the field.
  • The Education/research core will train and mentor new scholars of varying levels from undergraduate to post-doctoral.