UT SMART is proud to announce that we are part of teams that have been awarded two of the Type 1 UT Grand Challenges grants, which have been launched to foster partnerships that develop innovative solutions to some of the state’s most pressing issues: strengthening rural communities, overcoming addiction, and advancing K-12 education.
In the category of overcoming addiction, UT SMART will soon begin work on two projects that collectively seek to improve our understanding of the risk factors for substance use disorders among our youth, and identify the resources we have to treat and prevent further worsening of those disorders that already exist.
Recovery Ecosystem Asset Mapping
Lead: UT IPS SMART – Channie Cretsinger, Jennifer Tourville
UTK – Dr. Liem Tran
UT Southern – Karen Ferguson
UT Martin – Shannon Perry
External partners: ETSU, county and city governments, local opioid councils.
The Recovery Ecosystem Asset Mapping project, which has already been developed for the First, East, and Southeast Development Districts, is a user-friendly, interactive map of essential components of a healthy recovery ecosystem, from treatment and recovery services to reentry programs and recovery court to faith-based programs and harm reduction organizations. This grant will allow the project to be expanded to cover the entire state.
Unraveling the Interconnection: Substance Use and Health-Related Behaviors among Youth in Tennessee
Lead: UTK – Dr. Liem Tran
UT IPS SMART – Jennifer Tourville, Trevor Henderson, Channie Cretsinger
By assessing the prevalence estimates of tobacco, alcohol, and drug use among youth, as well as mental health issues at the census tract level across all Tennessee counties, this program aims to discern local variations and disparities in these health indicators within Tennessee counties in order to facilitate targeted interventions. These findings can also support health-related policy analysis, providing valuable insights to inform resource allocation strategies aimed at addressing the overdose crisis and other pressing public health challenges in Tennessee.
Furthermore, UT SMART is a part of another team that has applied for a Type 2 grant, and our application will advance to the next round in the application cycle:
Biomarkers predictive of vulnerability to progress from early opioid use to misuse and addiction
Lead: UTHSC – Dr. Chen, Prof., Dept. of Pharmacology, Addiction Science and Toxicology, Dr. Sharp, Distinguished Prof., Dept. of Genetics, Genomics and Informatics (GGI), Dr. Wang, Associate Prof. of GGI.
UT SMART – Jennifer Tourville
External partners – McNabb Center
Many thanks to our hardworking partners and to the UT System for this incredible opportunity to leave a lasting impact on the state of Tennessee!