Research Supplement to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research: Randomized controlled trial of varenicline for cessation of nicotine vaping in adolescent non-smokers

Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston MA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The behavioral health field faces an unprecedented mental health crisis and clinician shortage. One in five young people in the U.S. experience a mental health condition each year, but only 40% receive services, and merely 6% of individuals aged 12 and older with a substance use disorder receive treatment. Peer counseling is an emerging strategy that may help address this significant mental health and workforce shortage. One behavioral health concern requiring urgent innovation in treatment approaches and may benefit from peer-led interventions is vaping cessation. The rapid rise in popularity of electronic cigarettes used to inhale vaporized nicotine solutions has effectively reversed five decades of denormalization of nicotine use among youth. While the desire to quit is high, tobacco cessation efforts for young people often yield low engagement rates, and few effective strategies have been identified to date. Peer-delivered interventions show promise for youth combustible cigarette cessation; however, these have yet to be applied for vaping cessation, and little is known about what promotes engagement in these types of intervention approaches. The current diversity supplement proposal seeks to investigate the environmental-, patient, and provider-level constructs that influence multi- dimensional indices of vaping cessation peer-led behavioral and pharmacotherapy treatment engagement (physical, affective, and cognitive engagement). This supplement request aims to support the primary aims of the parent project (R01DA052583), a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of varenicline added to peer- led behavioral counseling (QuitVaping) among adolescents and young adults with daily vaping and nicotine dependence. This diversity supplement aims to support the training and career development of Vanessa Iroegbulem, a talented junior clinician-scientist who has demonstrated herself to be among the top 1% of clinical research coordinators to work at the MGH Center for Addiction Medicine. Vanessa is a first-generation, low-income student and identifies as a bisexual woman of color. Her long-term career goal is to pursue a career as a clinician-scientist dedicated to reducing disparities in substance use and improving patient outcomes among minority youth and young adults. The research plan complements the mentoring goals by providing Vanessa with protected time to increase her knowledge in 1) clinical trial design and methodology, 2) basics of R programming and analysis, and 3) responsible conduct of research, particularly pertaining to diverse patient populations. Under the primary supervision of Drs. Eden Evins and Randi Schuster, this supplement will enhance Vanessa’s ability to develop her research skills, solidify her trajectory to graduate school and establish a path to independence as a clinician-scientist. This will increase the number of underrepresented persons of ethnic/racial minority groups and disadvantaged backgrounds in health-related research careers and further NIH’s mission to ensure the nation has a pool of highly talented scientists from diverse backgrounds capable of addressing complex global health issues with innovative solutions.