AATOD 2024 Conference

The overdose epidemic remains one of the most critical public health emergencies of our time. In 2021, 220 people died each day from an opioid overdose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Effective, life-changing treatments that break the cycle of opioid use are available but remain underutilized due to inequitable access, stigma, and lack of knowledge among providers. 

The American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD) 2024 Conference, taking place from May 18-22 in Las Vegas, NV, will highlight the latest evidence-based approaches for improving opioid treatment outcomes. The 5-day conference will feature sessions and poster presentations focused on the theme of “Treating Opioid Use Disorder: So Much More Than Medication.”

RTI is excited to attend the largest annual gathering in the field of opioid treatment to network with nearly 2,000 policymakers, treatment providers, program administrators, and practitioners. Mark your calendar for a pre-conference session on May 19 at 9:00AM PST focused on screening for and treating hepatitis C virus (HCV) in facilitated telemedicine, which features Els Houtsmuller, PhD.   

Advancing Viral Hepatitis Screening and Treatment in Opioid Treatment Settings—Models & Resources 
May 19 | 9:00AM – 12:30PM PST
Moderator: Boatemaa Nitri-Reid (National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors)
Speakers: Andrew Talal, MD (University of Buffalo); Lawrence Brown, Jr., MD (Weill Cornell Medical College); Raktim Mukhopadhyay (University of Buffalo); Marianthi Markatou, PhD (University of Buffalo); Arpan Dharia, MD (University of Buffalo); Kenneth Bossert (Community Action Organization of Western New York); Els Houtsmuller, PhD  

This session is designed to highlight models and resources for facilitated telemedicine to screen for and treat HCV in opioid treatment settings. Participants in this session will learn about opportunities to partner with public health, infectious disease, and other clinical partners to advance hepatitis screening, models for implementation of facilitated telemedicine to treat HCV, and resources designed to support infectious disease services in these settings. 

After this session, attendees will:

• Understand the effectiveness of facilitated telemedicine for HCV elimination,
• Comprehend the decreases in substance use after HCV cure, and 
• Be able to compare HCV reinfection rates between participants treated through facilitated telemedicine compared to referral. 

Els Houtsmuller was the Program Officer at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), who funded the study, during the duration of the research prior to joining RTI in 2023. 

Learn more about our data-driven research on substance use treatment 

• The Integrated Services for Pain: Interventions to Reduce Pain Effectively (INSPIRE) Trial
• The Misguided Reason Why Providers Aren’t Prescribing More Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder
• New Research Finds Racial Disparity in Use and Access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder 
• National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)
• New Study Highlights Importance of Sustained Interventions to Reduce Opioid Overdose Deaths
• RTI Awarded NIDA Grant to Develop Quality Measures for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
• Maximizing Partnerships to Address the Overdose Crisis in Texas