CHEARR investigators and collaborators attended NIDA's Pushing the Boundaries meeting in Bethesda earlier this month to discuss next steps in recovery science. Picture L-R: Lourah Kelly, Kristyn Zajac, Tess Drazdowski, Ashli Sheidow, & Angela Hagaman.

Congratulations to Kathryn Gallardo on being awarded CHEARR’s second pilot grant in Spring of 2026! 🎉 Her project aims to strengthen outpatient linkages for emerging adults to MOUD-supportive recovery housing.

The 2027 Joint Meeting on Youth Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery call for proposals is now open! The portal is open for submissions at: youthrecoveryanswers.org/national-conference The submission deadline is October 6, 2026.

CHEARR is looking for young adults (ages 18-28) who are in recovery and have lived experience receiving treatment involving medications for opioid use disorder to join our community board. No research experience needed! Apply at chearr.org

CHEARR student intern, Luciana, presented at the UConn Health Summer Research Day. Her project examined somatic symptom severity among emerging adults with substance use disorder. Pictured here with her CHEARR mentor Bridget Hayes

📢 CHEARR is looking for both young adults (ages 18-28) who are in recovery AND certified peer recovery specialists & recovery coaches who have experience working with young adults  Visit our website for more information about the Community Boards: chearr.org

CHEARR is looking for young adults (ages 18-28) who are in recovery and have lived experience receiving treatment involving medications for opioid use disorder to join our community board. No research experience needed! Apply at chearr.org

CHEARR is looking for certified peer recovery specialists & recovery coaches who have experience working with young adults in settings where medications for opioid use disorder are offered as a treatment option to join our community board! Visit chearr.org for more info

Staff highlight 🌟 Meet Luciana D'Orio! Luciana is one of our CHEARR student interns and is pursuing a degree in physiology & neurobiology. She hopes to apply the knowledge she gains through CHEARR to a career in medicine.

Don't forget 📢 June 1st is the deadline for submissions for a special issue of the journal Emerging Adulthood, focused on recovery from substance use disorders! Learn more at the link in our bio.

Young adults have the highest rates of substance use disorder but lowest rates of recovery. ~22% of young adults report having a substance use disorder but only 5% say they are in recovery. Adults 26+ are nearly 2X as likely to report being in recovery. www.recoveryanswers.org/research-pos...

DEADLINE APPROACHING: 6/1/26. CHEARR & JEAP investigators are serving as guest editors for a special issue of the Emerging Adulthood journal focused on recovery from substance use disorders. Consider submitting a manuscript & sharing this opportunity. Learn more at link in bio.

Check out this article from UConn Today about CHEARR's post-doc, Jess Flori's, K99 award examining mechanisms of action for peer recovery support services.  https://today.uconn.edu/2026/04/uconn-post-doctoral-researchers-win-prestigious-nih-pathway-to-independence-awards/

DEADLINE EXTENDED to 6/1/26. CHEARR & JEAP investigators are serving as guest editors for a special issue of the Emerging Adulthood journal focused on recovery from substance use disorders. Consider submitting a manuscript & sharing this opportunity. Learn more at link in bio.

CHEARR post-doc Bridget Hayes presents at the Joint Meeting on Youth Prevention, Treatment & Recovery in Baltimore last week!

Lots of representation from Connecticut at the Joint Meeting on Youth Prevention, Treatment & Recovery in Baltimore, including CHEARR’s Kristyn Zajac and Bridget Hayes and our colleagues at CHDI and Yale.

CHEARR's post-docs Bridget & Jess (pictured here) presented at the UConn Health's Group on Women in Medicine and Science (GWIMS) last week!

The Call for Proposals is now open for the National Conference on Addiction Recovery Science (NCARS), submission deadline 5/6/26. Learn more here: https://www.recoveryanswers.org/coarsconference/

Are you a university student in recovery from drug or alcohol use? Your voice matters. Participate in a research interview about recovery on campus and receive a $25 gift card for your time. Visit: https://tinyurl.com/collegerecoverystudy

Geisinger's PEERS Program in PA is hiring a full-time Certified Recovery Specialist supporting those in outpatient addiction treatment clinics in Williamsport & Bloomsburg. Apply: https://jobs.geisinger.org/job/williamsport/certified-recovery-specialist/12064/91346564032

DEADLINE EXTENDED to 6/1/26. CHEARR & JEAP investigators are serving as guest editors for a special issue of the Emerging Adulthood journal focused on recovery from substance use disorders. Consider submitting a manuscript & sharing this opportunity. Learn more at link in bio.

📷SPEAKER HIGHLIGHT: Sandy Valentine 📷 Sandy will be one of several wonderful speakers during our FREE virtual forum on recovery capital on 2/18. Learn more and register: www.jeapinitiative.org/ea-recovery-...

Save the date! The third annual virtual National Conference on Addiction Recovery Science is on September 23–24, 2026 Learn more here: https://www.recoveryanswers.org/coarsconference/

📆 Mark your calendars! The JEAP Initiative and the Collaborative Hub for Emerging Adult Recovery Research (CHEARR) are co-sponsoring a free 90-minute interactive virtual forum on February 18th focused on recovery capital. Learn more and register: www.jeapinitiative.org/ea-recovery-...

Congrats to Sarah J. Miller on being awarded CHEARR’s first pilot grant in Spring of 2025 🎉 Her project aims to develop an intervention to increase resilience & address cognitive barriers to treatment for emerging adults with OUD. The next CHEARR pilot grants will be awarded March 2026.

We’re excited to share that our Frontiers Research Topic, Innovations in Recovery Science, is now available as a Frontiers e-book 📘 This special topic brings together research focused on pathways, policies, & platforms that promote thriving after addiction. 👉 Read the full e-book at the link in bio.

CHEARR and JEAP Investigators are guest editing a special issue of Emerging Adulthood on recovery from substance use disorders. Submit your manuscripts by 3/1/26. Details: https://tinyurl.com/msx3r5rv

CHEARR and JEAP Investigators are guest editing a special issue of Emerging Adulthood on recovery from substance use disorders. Submit your manuscripts by 3/1/26. Details: tinyurl.com/msx3r5rv

Congrats to Liz, UConn medical student and CHEARR trainee, on winning the Certificate of Excellence at the Connecticut Academy of Family Physicians Scientific Symposium for her research on patient-centered perspectives on treatment success for people who take medications for opioid use disorder 🌟

CHEARR post-doctoral fellow, Bridget, presents her project 'Functional Impairment in Daily Living during Long-Term Remission from Substance Use Disorders' at UConn Health's post-doc research day!