WREN Study Receives NIH Funding Through December 2026

Congratulations to the Wisconsin Research and Education Network (WREN) on receiving additional funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) CARE for Health™ initiative to support network research hub activities through December 2026. WREN is one of six primary care NIH research network hubs working to expand opportunities for rural primary care clinics to participate in studies that are of critical importance to primary clinicians, their patients, and their communities. Mary F. Henningfield, PhD, Yao Liu, MD, MS, Sarina Schrager, MD, MS, and Earlise Ward, PhD, MS serve as the principal investigators for the WREN network research hub.

In addition to funding hub activities, the $2.29 million in funding will provide continued support for the Collaborative Care for Polysubstance Use in Primary Care Settings (Co-Care; NCT06116266). WREN is working with four rural primary care clinics to study the efficacy of a collaborative care intervention to address opioid- and/or stimulant-involved polysubstance use in adult primary care patients with moderate to severe substance use disorders. The intervention includes a clinic-embedded nurse care manager who works with patients and their primary care clinicians to facilitate and support patient engagement in evidence-based treatment for polysubstance use and management of associated health conditions. The primary outcome measure is days of illicit opioid use, days of illicit stimulant use, and days of heavy alcohol use.

Additional research projects are expected to be developed with input from the network research hubs, rural primary care clinicians, and patients residing in rural areas nationwide as well as the NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices. Projects will include those taking a “whole person health” approach to improving health outcomes.