Jessica Merlin

Discipline: Physician

Funding awarded to: University of Pittsburgh

Consensus-based approaches to managing opioids, including opioid misuse and addiction, in ambulatory palliative care: development and dissemination

I am committed to spending the next chapter of my career focusing on developing as a leader in the emerging new field at the intersection of pain and opioid management, including opioid misuse and OUD, in ambulatory palliative care. The proposed Specific Aims of this project are 1) Systematically develop consensus about balancing pain management with addressing opioid misuse and OUD in patients with serious illness in ambulatory palliative care settings, 2) Disseminate results to key national stakeholders to gain broader buy-in and endorsement, and 3) Disseminate these consensus approaches by developing an implementation toolkit and dissemination plan (in collaboration with the Center to Advance Palliative Care, CAPC). These project aims are paired with professional development aims and mentorship that will help me to become a national leader in this field.

“My Sojourns project will address critical gaps in knowledge about how to manage pain and opioids, including opioid misuse and OUD, in ambulatory palliative care settings. Through professional development activities and mentoring, I hope to gain the leadership, implementation, and dissemination skills necessary to influence standards, policy, and practice. My long-term goal is to be a national leader in this area. Despite the opioid epidemic, safe and effective opioid prescribing in the context of palliative care has not been a major part of the national dialogue. I hope to become a force in advocating for these important issues to be at the forefront of the palliative care field’s consciousness.”