Grant will help reduce the risk of relapses for individuals seeking treatment 

Cleveland State University was among five institutions that will receive Research Incentive funding from the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) to conduct research regarding substance use disorders in Ohio.

The funding was allocated as part of a provision in House Bill 166, which gives ODHE Chancellor Randy Gardner the authority to use the funds to advance collaborative research in specified research areas. The Chancellor may award up to $1 million in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 to support research of substance abuse issues.

“I’m pleased to announce these awards to help address a critical issue in Ohio,” Chancellor Gardner said. “Addiction affects not only the users, but also their families, their employers, and our state. I am encouraged by the work that our campuses and Nationwide Children’s will be doing to address this important topic.”

The CSU research team will receive $252,819 through the program to investigate patient-specific risk patterns for substance use disorder and withdrawal in real time. This will include development of a cellphone application and automated statistical algorithms to identify risks for sobriety lapses for individuals completing outpatient treatment programs. The goal will be to better identify individuals in need of additional support, while reducing the risk of relapses.

Faculty members involved in the project include: Ilya Yaroslavsky (Psychology), Sandra Hurtado Rua (Mathematics), Cathleen Lewandowski (Social Work) and Wenbing Zhao (Electrical and Computer Engineering).

Additional institutions receiving funding include: Wright State University, Bowling Green State University, Case Western Reserve University and the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

Project findings will be reported by each institution and are expected by the end of fiscal year 2021. House Bill 166 also provides Research Incentive awards of up to $1 million and $750,000 for projects in the areas of infant mortality and cybersecurity, respectively, in fiscal years 2020 and 2021.

###