Q&A with Dr. Jarratt Pytell: Advancing Patient-Centered Addiction Treatment 

After witnessing the impact of the opioid epidemic firsthand while completing his medical residency in Baltimore, Jarratt Pytell, MD, knew he wanted to focus his career on advancing patient-centered addiction treatment.

Fewer than 1 in 5 people with opioid use disorder (OUD) receive a prescription medication for OUD such as buprenorphine. Some patients self-treat with buprenorphine without a prescription, meaning they obtain medicine that was prescribed to someone else through unauthorized channels.

Pytell, an assistant professor at the University of Colorado, Denver, received a 2023 PhRMA Foundation Faculty Starter Grant in Value Assessment-Health Outcomes Research for his work assessing whether this self-directed treatment approach in which buprenorphine is available outside of traditional treatment settings might be effective in improving opioid-related health outcomes.

Watch this video to learn about Pytell and his research.