Who We Are
SATRN@ASU is a network linking academic researchers across three public universities (Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, and Northern Arizona University) with representatives from community-based agencies engaged in substance use disorder-related prevention, treatment, and policy-making efforts in Arizona and beyond.
Mission & Vision
Mission
To foster collaborations among community and university partners to conduct translational research that has meaningful, measurable impact on individual and societal problems related to substance use and addiction in Arizona.
Vision
An Arizona increasingly free from individual & community distress, disease, and death associated with substance use and addiction.
From university-based researchers to the practitioners and policy-makers embedded in our communities, thousands of individuals devote their careers to reducing the damage caused by substance use disorders and addiction. Sadly, their efforts are often impeded by lack of communication and sharing of knowledge. Academic research efforts are typically uninformed by the immediate needs seen by those directly serving the community. Community practitioners can rarely access information about best practices and evidence-based programs, which is often buried in jargon-laden academic journals. Even within academia, researchers studying different substances (tobacco, alcohol, stimulants, opioids) and representing different disciplines (e.g., neuroscience, psychology and behavioral science, social work, public health, public policy) have limited understanding of each other’s methods and findings, and little opportunity to communicate. SATRN’s central aim is to break down these barriers, fostering learning, communication, and collaboration to facilitate rigorous, innovative, high-impact research addressing substance use disorder and addiction.
Values
SATRN is committed to operating with core values in mind, across all activities. These values were identified as part of our strategic planning process in Spring 2020, and reflect our commitment to true partnership among community and academic affiliates; the principles of diversity, equity, and respect; and prioritization of real-world impact.
Community Empowerment: Community entities are equal partners in research that is grounded in community needs, issues, and concerns.
Reciprocity: Two-way knowledge transfer and co-learning are needed for effective, equitable, enduring solutions.
Inclusiveness: SATRN aims to reflect and engage the diverse communities it serves in a safe, respectful environment.
Transdisciplinary Perspective: Appreciation and integration of different disciplines, from basic biology to population health, are needed to solve complex problems.
Solutions Orientation: Translational research points toward practical solutions to real world needs.
Equity: Solutions are needed that prioritize systems change to address disparities in services and outcomes, benefitting the health & well-being of all people and society.
Diversity
Problems related to substance use and addiction touch people of all backgrounds. The wisdom and efforts of partners representing many perspectives are needed if we are to have meaningful impact on these problems. We also recognize the structural biases associated with disparities in risk factors for substance use disorder, drug-related law enforcement, and access to culturally relevant treatment and prevention, which have ultimately caused disproportionate harm in historically marginalized communities. For all these reasons, diversity, equity, and inclusiveness are core SATRN values. SATRN is committed to maintaining an environment in which voices representing diverse backgrounds are actively sought out, heard, and respected. We aim to promote research on substance use and addiction that reflects the realities of life in diverse communities, and to make the benefits of research accessible to all.
The campuses of Arizona State University are located on the ancestral territories of multiple Indigenous peoples, including the Akimel O’odham (Pima) and Pee Posh (Maricopa) communities, whose care and keeping of these lands allows us to be here today. SATRN is committed to working in partnership with Native nations communities to combat problems associated with substance use, supporting both community-based participatory research and the training of a culturally competent behavioral health workforce.