There is growing recognition that drug abuse research in the United States has not always been attentive to the complexities of racial and ethnic inequities that may be associated with patterns of drug use and access to evidence-based interventions. In response, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) established its Racial Equity Initiative to expand NIDA’s portfolio of extramurally funded research as part of its broader commitment to address drug use-related health inequities experienced by racial and ethnic minority populations.

This Research Topic seeks to advance scientific knowledge regarding racial and ethnic equity in drug abuse research through the timely dissemination of cutting-edge research protocols. A range of research methods, including randomized clinical trials, observational studies, qualitative methods, and neuroimaging techniques, are critically needed to expand knowledge on substance use behaviors and intervention outcomes for members of the Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and American Indian communities.

Research protocols that would align with this theme include, but are not limited to:
• Designs that leverage existing administrative data systems to examine the roles of demographic, behavioral, psychosocial, clinical, and structural/social measures such as racial/ethnic identity and stigma/discrimination on drug use patterns and drug use treatment outcomes.
• Protocols that integrate neurocognitive data and measures of structural racism to better understand patterns of drug use
• Randomized controlled trials of multilevel interventions to reduce drug use disparities
• Implementation studies that examine whether novel health care interventions can reduce barriers to evidence-based treatment for racial and ethnic minoritized populations
• Qualitative or mixed methods studies that give voice to diverse persons who use drugs or persons with drug use disorders
• Community-based participatory research approaches that integrate components of cultural engagement as a method to mitigate disparities

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Frontiers in Public Health

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