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PROSPER

Partnering to Reduce Opioid Stigma and Promote Employment in Recovery

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Email the research team for more information or questions about PROSPER projects.

prosper@som.umaryland.edu

Dr. Marianne Cloeren, Associate Professor, University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and Dr. Jodi Jacobson Frey, Professor, University of Maryland School of Social Work (UMSSW) are Co-Principal Investigators on multiple related projects and research studies addressing the barriers to employment faced by adults in recovery from Opioid Use Disorders (OUD) in Maryland.

These projects focus on the intersection of work and recovery, with support not only for patients in recovery from OUD but also employers who want to learn and do more to support employees in recovery as they obtain and sustain meaningful employment and safety. PROSPER projects also serve an interprofessional education purpose, as the research and collaborating partners include scholars and community stakeholders from the fields of medicine, social work, nursing, pharmacy, public health, law, business, and epidemiology.

Drs. Cloeren and Frey were engaged in 2023 to serve as advisors to the Maryland Department of Labor as it plans policies to support the development of recovery-friendly workplaces in Maryland. They are also working with the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) to develop evidence-based approaches to reduce the stigma associated with substance use disorders and mental health conditions in construction work.

The PROSPER team is collaborating with other UMB researchers, including the Kahlert Institute for Addiction Medicine and the IRIS program (Innovations in Recovery through Infrastructure Support). Our team also participates in the Recovery Friendly Workplace Community Initiative.


Principle Investigators

Marianne Cloeren

Marianne D. Cloeren, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Medicine
Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
University of Maryland School of Medicine

Dr. Cloeren's research interests include work disability prevention, opioid prescribing, and medical education. She serves on the Maryland MedChi Opioids, Pain and Addiction Committee, and the University of Maryland Medical Center Opioid Safety Council.

Jodi J. Frey

Jodi J. Frey, PhD, LCSW-C, CEAP
Professor and Associate Dean for Research
University of Maryland School of Social Work

Dr. Frey is Founder and Faculty Executive Director for the Behavioral Health and Well-being Lab (BHWell Lab). Dr. Frey’s research focuses on workplace behavioral health, with an emphasis on mental health, substance use, suicide prevention and worker wellbeing. She chairs the National Committee for Workplace Suicide Prevention and Postvention and is Co-Editor-in-Chief for Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health.


PROSPER Projects

Workplace PROSPER: Partnering to Reduce Opioid Stigma and Promote Employment in Recovery

Decreasing Opioid Overdoses by Increasing Naloxone Distribution to Maryland Construction Workers

PROSPER/Online Skills: Potential Role of Online Skills Preparation for Employment in Recovery

Operation PROSPER: Peer Reintegration and Other Services Promoting Employment in Recovery


Publications and Posters

Examining Employment and Employment Barriers Among a Sample of Patients in Medication-Assisted Treatment in the United States.Ware OD, Frey JJ, Cloeren M, Mosby A, Imboden R, Bazell AT, Huffman M, Hochheimer M, Greenblatt A, Sherman S. Addictive Disorders & Their Treatment, 20(4): 578-586, December 2021.

Workplace Support for Employees in Recovery From Opioid Use: Stakeholder Perspectives. Imboden R, Frey JJ, Bazell AT, Mosby A, Ware OD, Mitchell CS, Cloeren M. NEW SOLUTIONS: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy. 2021;31(3):340-349.

Poor Sleep Quality and Other Risk Factors for Unemployment Among Patients on Opioid Agonist Treatment. Huffman M, Cloeren M, Ware OD, Frey, JJ, Greenblatt AD, Mosby A, Oliver M, Imboden R, Bazell AT, Clement J, Diaz-Abad, M Substance Abuse. 2022. May 21;16:1-10.

Work and people with opioid use disorder: Psychosocial barriers to work predict lower odds of seeking employment. Tan M, Cloeren M, Frey JJ, Imboden R, Mosby A. The IOTOD (Improving Outcomes in the Treatment of Opioid Dependence) virtual conference. May 11-May 12, 2022.

Barriers to Employment Success Inventory (BESI) and Customized Employment Supports (CES) as Tools to Measure Obstacles to Employment in Individuals with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). Frey JJ, Cloeren M, Mosby A, Patel P, Bazell AT, Imboden R, Tan M, Ware O, Unick G. Poster presented at the American Occupational Health Conference, April 16, 2023; Philadelphia, PA.

What about work? In: Chapter 30 Prevention and Early Treatment in the Workplace Setting. Cloeren M, Frey JJ, Jetton I. Principles of Addiction Medicine. American Society of Addiction Medicine (in press).

Trends in Employer Referred First Substance Use Treatment. Ware OD, Frey JJ, Daughters S, Cloeren M, Gryczynski J, Lister J, Jordan R. (under review)


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