The Addiction Science, Practice, Implementation, Research and Education (ASPIRE) Lab is located within the University of Missouri-St. Louis Department of Psychology under the leadership for Dr. Rachel Winograd.
The ASPIRE lab is focused on community-informed research to enhance research-informed practice and works in close partnership with all of the collaborative partners and projects connected to Addiction Science team.
Our program of research includes the following areas of focus:
Identifying and reducing barriers to evidence-based treatments for substance use disorders, particularly medical treatments (like buprenorphine and methadone) for opioid use disorder
Expanding access to naloxone, fentanyl test strips, and other harm reduction tools to improve community members' ability to prevent, recognize, and respond to overdose events
Evaluating and demonstrating community needs and disparities in access to substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery support services and advocating for enhanced implementation of true person-centered care
Understanding differences in views toward drug use and related programming across multiple levels and actor groups - individuals who use drugs, healthcare providers, policy makers, and the general public