Research

Researchers in the in the RESPOND Center bridge gaps between basic and translational science, clinical research, and clinical care in substance use disorder research. Please explore an up-to-date collection of our discoveries in emerging Substances, Poisoning, and overdose below.

The ISMMS Scholars Portal

The ISMMS Scholars Portal is a research information management tool for tracking research metrics and impact. The Scholars Portal helps you to find publications and other kinds of research output, people, projects and grants, research units (departments, institutions, centers), datasets, and research-related activities. Please visit our Scholars Portal website for more details. You may also use the link below to find out more about this area’s research activities available on the Scholars Portal.

Current Research Projects

  • Alex Manini, MD, MS
    • R01 - Fentalog II: Medical Consequences of Novel Fentanyl Analog Overdose Using the Toxicology Investigators Consortium (TOXIC) (R01DA048009)
      • A multicenter registry study of patients who present to emergency departments to deepen our knowledge of novel psychoactive synthetic opioids, the majority of which are fentanyl analogues, in terms of the epidemiology, analytical confirmation, clinical risk factors, and treatment needs.
    • UG3 - Safety and Efficacy of High Dose Buprenorphine Induction in Fentanyl Positive Emergency Department Patients (UG3DA056891)
      • Identify a rapid, simple and safe method for buprenorphine induction in untreated emergency department patients with opioid use disorder, regardless of Fentalog use, using supratherapeutic doses of buprenorphine given as a single administration.
  • Jennifer Love, MD, MSCR
    • K23 - ED-EXACT in Opioid Overdose: Emergency Department Evaluation of Xylazine-Associated Clinical Toxicity in Opioid Overdose (K23DA062172)
      • This K23 career development award will enable the candidate, Jennifer Love, MD, MSCR, to become an independent clinician-scientist focused on improving emergency care for patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) who are exposed to xylazine and novel adulterants
  • Madeline Renny, MD, MS
    • K23 - Pediatric Emergency Department-initiated Support program To Link Care (PEDS-TLC) for youth with substance use (K23DA061256)
      • Address a critical gap in the research of targeted interventions for youth at risk for a SUD by developing and testing the Pediatric Emergency Department-initiated Support program To Link Care (PEDS-TLC), an electronic health record (EHR)-integrated program to link youth from the ED to outpatient care.
  • Siri Shastry, MD, MS
    • K23 - Development and Evaluation of a Post-Emergency Department Buprenorphine Initiation Support Intervention (K23DA063970)
      • Develop and refine a multi-component behavioral and clinical intervention, and will evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary efficacy of the behavioral and clinical intervention in a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT). Dr. Shastry (PI) will apply the lessons learned and preliminary data from this K23 project in preparing her subsequent R01 submission involving a multi-site RCT evaluating the intervention’s efficacy.
  • Utsha Khatri, MD, MSHP
    • K23 - Telehealth to Improve Post-Incarceration Treatment for OUD Patients (TIPTOP): AnAcceptability and Feasibility Trial (K23DA058860)
      • Identify predictors of failed post-release treatment engagement among individuals with recent incarceration and intervene with a telehealth innovation, which has great potential to decrease overdose mortality and improve health outcomes for this marginalized population.

Select Publications

  1. Love J, Vargas-Torres C, Aldy K, Brent J, Wax P, Culbreth R, Krotulski A, Campleman S, Logan B, Abston S, Li S, Manini A; On Behalf of the ToxIC Fentalog Group. Clinical factors linked to xylazine exposure in emergency department patients with illicit opioid overdose. Addiction. doi:10.111/add.70289. View Publication

  2. Culbreth R, Wax P, Brent J, Aldy K, Campleman S, Weiss S, Falise A, Sutphin A, Krotulski A, Manini A; On behalf of the ToxIC Fentalog Study Group. Factors associated with attempted suicide among emergency department patients with nonfatal opioid overdose. Subst Use & Misuse. 2025;60(4):496-503. View Publication

  3. Hughes A, Spungen H, Culbreth R, Aldy K, Krotulski A, Hendrickson R, Amaducci A, Judge B, Meaden C, Calello D, Buchanan J, Carpenter J, Shulman J, Brent J, Wax P, Campleman S, Levine M, Schwarz E, Manini A; On behalf of the ToxIC Fentalog Study Group. Benzodiazepine Co-Exposure Among Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department With a Confirmed Opioid Overdose.Acad Emerg Med. 2025;doi:10.1111. View Publication

  4. Shastry S, Carpenter J, Krotulski A, Brent J, Wax P, Aldy K, Campleman S, Culbreth R, Falise A, Hughes A, Hendrickson R, Amaducci A, Judge B, Meaden C, Calello DP, Buchanan J, Shulman J, Levine M, Schwarz E, Manini AF; On behalf of the ToxIC Fentalog Study Group.Disparities in treatment and referral after an opioid overdose among emergency department patients.JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(7):e2518569. View Publication

  5. Zelenkov N, Falise AM, Shulman J, Culbreth R, Aldy K, Wax P, Brent J, Campleman S, Krotulski A, Manini AF; On behalf of the ToxIC Fentalog Study Group. Geographic trends in nonfatal overdose involving or exposed to opioids and xylazine across U.S. emergency departments.J Addict Med. 2025. doi:10.1097. View Publication

Additional Select Publications

  1. Love JS, Loo GT, Murphy L, et al. A Decade in Review: Trends in Female Authorship in Peer-Reviewed Toxicology Journals. J Med Toxicol. 2024;20(1):22-30. doi:10.1007/s13181-023-00975-x
  1. Love JS, Culbreth R, Aldy K, et al. Alpha-2 Agonist Adulterants Are Not Associated With Prolonged Sedation in Emergency Department Opioid Overdose. Acad Emerg Med. 2026;33(2):e70241. doi:10.1111/acem.70241
  1. Hughes A, Spungen H, Culbreth R, et al. Benzodiazepine Co-Exposure Among Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department With a Confirmed Opioid Overdose. Acad Emerg Med. 2026;33(1):e70104. doi:10.1111/acem.70104
  1. Simpson MD, Tang KB, Donnino MW, et al. Clinical Factors Associated With Ventricular Dysrhythmia in Emergency Department Patients With Severe QTc Prolongation After Drug Overdose. Acad Emerg Med. 2025;32(10):1065-1075. doi:10.1111/acem.70083
  1. Love JS, Vargas-Torres C, Aldy K, et al. Clinical factors linked to xylazine exposure in emergency department patients with illicit opioid overdose. Addiction. 2026;121(5):1227-1236. doi:10.1111/add.70289
  1. Shastry S, Manoochehri O, Richardson LD, Manini AF. Cocaethylene cardiotoxicity in emergency department patients with acute drug overdose. Acad Emerg Med. 2023;30(2):82-88. doi:10.1111/acem.14584
  1. Peng P, Manini AF. Diagnostic utility of capnography in emergency department triage for screening acidemia: a pilot study. Int J Emerg Med. 2024;17(1):57. doi:10.1186/s12245-024-00631-3
  1. Shastry S, Carpenter J, Krotulski A, et al. Disparities in Treatment and Referral After an Opioid Overdose Among Emergency Department Patients. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(7):e2518569. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.18569
  1. Aldy K, Krotulski A, Brent J, et al. Emergency Department Patients with Para-Fluorofentanyl Overdose. J Emerg Med. 2025;72:56-69. doi:10.1016/j.jemermed.2024.11.020
  1. Culbreth RE, Wax P, Brent J, et al. Factors Associated with Attempted Suicide Among Emergency Department Patients with Nonfatal Opioid Overdose. Subst Use Misuse. 2025;60(4):496-503. doi:10.1080/10826084.2024.2434677
  1. Shastry S, Lin J, Aldy K, et al. Heroin or fentanyl: Prevalence of confirmed fentanyl in ED patients with suspected heroin overdose. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open. 2024;5(4):e13235. doi:10.1002/emp2.13235
  1. Bentley SK, Meshel A, Boehm L, et al. Hospital-wide cardiac arrest in situ simulation to identify and mitigate latent safety threats. Adv Simul (Lond). 2022;7(1):15. doi:10.1186/s41077-022-00209-0
  1. Calello DP, Aldy K, Jefri M, et al. Identification of a novel opioid, N-piperidinyl etonitazene (etonitazepipne), in patients with suspected opioid overdose. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2022;60(9):1067-1069. doi:10.1080/15563650.2022.2084406
  1. Levine M, Culbreth R, Buchanan J, et al. Illicit opioid adulterant trends in patients presenting with acute opioid overdose. J Anal Toxicol. 2026;50(4):bkag006. doi:10.1093/jat/bkag006
  1. Falise AM, Buchanan J, Culbreth R, et al. Levamisole in opioid overdose patients: An evolving adulterant landscape. Addict Behav. 2026;178:108671. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2026.108671
  1. Levine M, Brent J, Wiegand T, et al. Lipid emulsion therapy during management of the critically-ill poisoned patient: a prospective cohort study. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2023;61(8):584-590. doi:10.1080/15563650.2023.2248372
  1. Levine M, Manini AF, Love J. Medical and Public Health Imperatives of Xylazine. N Engl J Med. 2023;389(8):770. doi:10.1056/NEJMc2308155
  1. Berger JC, Severe AD, Jalloh MS, Manini AF. Naloxone Dosing and Hospitalization for Nitazene Overdose: A Scoping Review. J Med Toxicol. 2025;21(2):276-283. doi:10.1007/s13181-025-01059-8
  1. Amaducci A, Aldy K, Campleman SL, et al. Naloxone Use in Novel Potent Opioid and Fentanyl Overdoses in Emergency Department Patients. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(8):e2331264. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.31264
  1. Schwarz ES, Buchanan J, Aldy K, et al. Notes from the Field: Detection of Medetomidine Among Patients Evaluated in Emergency Departments for Suspected Opioid Overdoses - Missouri, Colorado, and  Pennsylvania, September 2020-December 2023. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2024;73(30):672-674. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7330a3
  1. Love JS, Levine M, Aldy K, et al. Opioid overdoses involving xylazine in emergency department patients: a multicenter study. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2023;61(3):173-180. doi:10.1080/15563650.2022.2159427
  1. Fox LM, Shastry S, Harper-Brooks A, Ramdin C, Manini AF. Pilot survey of prescription opioid use patterns and engagement with harm-reduction strategies in emergency department patients. Explor Res Clin Soc Pharm. 2021;3:100062. doi:10.1016/j.rcsop.2021.100062
  1. Butelman ER, Huang Y, Shastry S, Manini AF, Goldstein RZ, Alia-Klein N. Polydrug overdose mortality caused by synthetic opioids and stimulants: current sex- and age-specific trajectories in United States national data for 2018-2024. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2026;51(5):895-903. doi:10.1038/s41386-025-02284-z
  1. Simpson MD, Campleman S, Brent J, Wax P, Manini AF. Predicting adverse cardiovascular events in emergency department patients with bupropion overdose. Acad Emerg Med. 2024;31(11):1130-1138. doi:10.1111/acem.14960
  1. Levine M, Culbreth R, Amaducci A, et al. Prevalence and predictors of HIV among patients presenting to US emergency departments with opioid overdose. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2024;264:112423. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2024.112423
  1. Shastry S, Shulman J, Aldy K, Brent J, Wax P, Manini AF. Psychostimulant drug co-ingestion in non-fatal opioid overdose. Drug Alcohol Depend Rep. 2024;10:100223. doi:10.1016/j.dadr.2024.100223
  1. McCabe DJ, Gibbs H, Pratt AA, et al. Risk of Delayed Intubation After Presumed Opioid Overdose in the Emergency Department. Ann Emerg Med. 2025;85(6):498-504. doi:10.1016/j.annemergmed.2025.01.022
  1. Shastry S, Love J, Loo G, et al. Safety and efficacy of high dose buprenorphine initiation in fentanyl positive emergency department patients. Int J Clin Trials. 2025;12(1):11-20. doi:10.18203/2349-3259.ijct20250130
  1. Dicker F, Lothet E, Schwarz E, et al. Tramadol as a fentanyl adulterant: Prevalence and management in a ToxIC Fentalog study prospective cohort. Am J Emerg Med. 2025;89:169-173. doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2024.12.038