Amanda J. Pierz, MSc (she/her)

The parent project for this work consisted of an evaluation of the mechanisms of two promising interventions to promote and maintain tobacco abstinence: directly observed therapy and long-term varenicline treatment. The proposed research will guide efforts to optimize medication treatment effects and reduce the burden of tobacco use among opioid treatment program (OTP) patients.

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, a supplemental study was conducted to qualitatively assess the perspectives of OTP patients about the change in OTP services and methadone pick-up schedules. Patients were recruited from the THRIVE cohort for in-depth interviews based on study eligibility criteria. I was brought onto this project in late 2020 to serve as a Qualitative Data Analyst for data collected from OTP patients surrounding their care experience during COVID-19. Our thematic analysis identified three intertwined yet distinct experiences from OTP patients: loss, liberation and agency (Table 2). These themes are explored in detail within our manuscript published with the Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment. 

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Additionally, our primary author Dr. Teresa Lopez-Castro was invited to present our preliminary findings as an oral presentation at The Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance use and Addiction (AMERSA) 2021.