Section of Treatment, Research, and Education in Addiction Medicine
Community Engagement and Advocacy
STREAM prioritizes developing meaningful partnerships with community members and organizations and people with lived and living experience to improve care for individuals with substance use disorders. Through collaboration, public-facing education, and advocacy, our work informs program development, addresses structural barriers to care, and promotes supportive policies that reduce stigma and improve individual and public health.
Pittsburgh Recovery Walk
Artwork from the 2022 and 2023 Recovery Walks (Artist: SW Sondheimer)
Prevention Point Pittsburgh (PPP)
Pittsburgh’s local syringe service program providing harm reduction services including safer use supplies, overdose prevention and education, drug checking test strips, and wound care. STREAM faculty Drs. Raagini Jawa and Paul Joudrey serve as board members, and both Drs. Jawa and Shang volunteer as wound care providers.
Pennsylvania Harm Reduction Network (PAHRN)
The Pennsylvania Harm Reduction Network (PAHRN) consists of a group of passionate advocates dedicated to advancing harm reduction initiatives and access to harm reduction services in Pennsylvania through public education, advocacy, and collaboration. Dr. Raagini Jawa serves as a board member.
Drs. Raagini Jawa and Maggie Shang at the PAHRN SSP Advocacy Day in Harrisburg
National Coalition to Liberate Methadone (NCLM)
NCLM is a national organization consisting of people with lived or living experience, addiction medicine clinicians, and substance use researchers that supports the expansion of methadone treatment. Dr. Paul Joudrey is a co-founder and serves on the board of directors of NCLM.
AMERSA Advocacy Committee
The Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance use and Addiction (AMERSA) Advocacy Committee focuses on various topics including harm reduction and methadone.
Opinion and Media Engagement
STREAM faculty participate in various forms of opinion and media engagement through position statements, op eds, letters to the editor, and media interviews. ***Please note that the views expressed are solely those of the individual and do not represent the views of the organization.***
Position Statements
- In Support of Community Drug Checking Programs: Position Statement of AMERSA, Inc. (Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance use and Addiction)
- In Support of Harm Reduction Supply Distribution via Vending Machines: Position Statement of AMERSA, Inc. (Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance use and Addiction)
- In Support of Overdose Prevention Centers: Position Statement of AMERSA, Inc (Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance Use and Addiction)
Op Eds/Letter to the Editor
- Roy PJ, Saitz R. The Cost of a Cigarette: Opportunities to Engage Hospitalized Patients With Opioid Use Disorder. J Addict Med. 2021 Jan-Feb 01;15(1):13-14. doi: 10.1097/ADM.0000000000000681. PubMed PMID: 32541361.
- Mountain-Ray S, Finnell D, Roy P, Northup R, MacLane-Baeder D. Confronting COVID, racism, and addiction: The association of multidisciplinary education and research in substance use and addiction (AMERSA). Subst Abus. 2021;42(1):1-4. doi: 10.1080/08897077.2020.1866144. Epub 2021 Jan 11. PubMed PMID: 33428560.
- Kaski SW, Hull I, Roy PJ. A Response to the Feasibility of the IPPAS Protocol for Low-dose Buprenorphine Induction. J Addict Med. 2023 Sep-Oct 01;17(5):625-626. doi: 10.1097/ADM.0000000000001175. Epub 2023 May 27. PubMed PMID: 37788626.