Establishing a research advisory committee in addictions services with a focus on social needs and social isolation

Substance use disorders and unmet social needs (like housing instability and social isolation) are major contributors to U.S. morbidity and mortality. We, patients, staff and researchers, established a research advisory committee (RAC) in an addictions treatment setting to guide research and interventions based on lived-experience. We employed community engaged outreach methods to recruit, train, and establish the RAC, and the 10-Step Framework for Continuous Patient-Engagement to advise research activities, and to initiate our own research. The RAC contributed unique insights, advising on 12 research projects. We present the process and challenges of establishing the RAC and the benefits to researchers and advisors. We also summarize a case example of a co-developed a research project related to housing stability and social connection. This experience shows that establishing a patient/community advisory committee in addictions treatment settings is doable and valuable. Co-authoring this manuscript has allowed us to share how we are shaping research that is more likely to be acceptable to community participants and feasible to implement, especially for populations with addictions and facing barriers related to social determinants of health. We are patients and staff advisors and scientific researchers working as collaborators in a research advisory committee (RAC) in an addiction treatment setting. We provide our lived-experience perspective to inform research around addictions and social needs (like housing, food, etc.) to ensure that research and programming are relevant to our community. In this article we describe the process of establishing the RAC and the value of the RAC to the research process and to us as individuals and to our community. We also describe how we co-developed a pilot project related to increasing housing stability and reducing social isolation. In preparing this manuscript, researcher-collaborator co-authors discussed the idea of co-developing this article at a RAC meeting. They asked interested advisors to volunteer as co-authors. Two patient advisors and one staff advisor volunteered. We then planned manuscript development between meetings and after subsequent RAC meetings. We shared iterations of the paper back and forth in digital and hard copies for input, accuracy, and agreement in revisions. We use our own language throughout the manuscript, sharing illustrative quotes provided by co-authors and by RAC advisors who are not co-authors, with some editing for clarity and contextual integration. While consent was sought for quotes and contributions, we do not directly identify the speakers rather, we attribute quotes to speaker type (e.g., patient or staff advisor, research collaborator, coauthor).