About Us
“Our Personal Experience is Necessary. Addiction Research Means Saving lives”
O.P.E.N. A.R.M.S is a community advisory board under the Division of Substance Abuse and Addiction Medicine (DSAAM). Founded in October 2023, we are a group of individuals with lived experience of substance use disorder and recovery who meet monthly to offer consultation for
substance use researchers. We are problem-solvers who provide a forum for frank and honest discussion and feedback to support successful clinical research at any stage ranging from recruitment, study design, interpretation of results, dissemination, and ethics.
Mission Statement
Our Mission: To support the development and implementation of substance use-focused studies to help to improve the lives of those who use drugs
Our Past Work
-
Dr. Leslie Suen’s “Observation of Comprehensive Testing on Opioid biomarkers and Public health in Users of fentanyl in San Francisco” (OCTOPUS)
-
Dr. Alex Bazazi’s “Opioid overdose prevention in the fentanyl era: qualitative research with overdose survivors to inform prevention intervention development and implementation”
-
Dr. Meredith Meacham’s discussion about research done on substances and internet (e.g. Reddit)
