Addiction Treatment, Factors Effecting Outcomes in Addiction Treatment, Recovery

Over the past several years, grants and contracts awarded to division faculty have supported a diverse array of studies including; comparing serotonergic dysfunction and treatment outcomes in cocaine dependence; utilizing a randomized clinical trial design to determine whether or not "intensive" outpatient care when compared to traditional outpatient services is more effective in treating cocaine dependence; determining if disparate levels of spirituality between alcoholic patients and treatment programs effect treatment outcome; the effectiveness of motivational incentives used to enhance drug abuse recovery in drug free clinic settings; and, assessing the cost effectiveness of an intense, post-opiate detoxification program focused on high resource utilizing patients.

A very important issue which division researchers and clinicians have focused on is reflected in an effort to determine some of the overt and underlying factors that influence effective addiction treatment and lead to favorable treatment outcomes and long term patient recovery in the community. A current study designed to determine the behavioral health needs of older Philadelphians is currently underway. Our researchers have also focused on the concept of "recovery capital" - a measure of what personal strengths an individual brings with him/her into a treatment experience.

My research has focused on matching patient characteristics to treatment models, determining whether or not factors such as intensity of services, cue exposure paradigms, internalized levels of spirituality, personal developmental history (recovery capital) influence engagement and retention in treatment and/or outcome. As a Division Director it is also my responsibility to support the efforts of our researchers and clinicians, a task which when interpreted by staff as part of overall performance improvement creates a more accepting research environment within the clinical care setting.

The techniques that we have used in our research are randomized controlled clinical trials, quasi-experimental designs, clinical evaluations, retrospective review

I hope that our findings will be used to increase knowledge about effective models for improving outcomes and long-term recovery in addiction treatment settings.