Call for papers - Progress on reducing opioid-related harms

Guest Editors

Tyler Bartholomew, PhD, University of Miami, USA
Eugenia Oviedo-Joekes, PhD, University of British Columbia, Canada
James A. Swartz, PhD, University of Illinois Chicago, USA

Submission Status: Open | Submission Deadline: 19 August 2025

BMC Public Health is calling for submissions to our Collection, Progress on reducing opioid-related harms.
This Collection invites researchers to contribute to the growing body of knowledge on reducing opioid-related harms. We seek submissions that explore innovative strategies, treatment advancements, and policy interventions aimed at addressing the opioid crisis.
By sharing insights and evidence-based practices, we aim to inform public health initiatives and improve outcomes for individuals.

New Content Item This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being.

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Meet the Guest Editors

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Tyler Bartholomew, PhD, University of Miami, USA

Tyler Bartholomew, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Health Services Research & Policy at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine's Department of Public Health Sciences. He is the co-Principal Investigator of the UM IDEA Lab whose mission is to implement, disseminate, educate, and advocate for the health of people who use drugs. His research has focused on the intersection of infectious diseases and substance use, particularly among people who inject drugs, leveraging data-driven approaches to improve health services, systems, and policy implementation for this community.

Eugenia Oviedo-Joekes, PhD, University of British Columbia, Canada

Dr Eugenia Oviedo-Joekes, Professor at UBC's School of Population and Public Health and Canada Research Chair in Person-Centered Care in Addiction and Public Health, focuses on diversifying treatments for opioid use disorder, including injectable opioid agonist treatment. Her research addresses diverse client needs and enhancing treatment accessibility. Current projects involve collaborating with service users, providers, and stakeholders to improve care continuity and accessibility, all within a person-centered care framework.

James A. Swartz, PhD, University of Illinois Chicago, USA

James A. Swartz is a Professor and interim Associate Dean for Research in the Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois Chicago. For over 35 years, Dr Swartz has studied substance use and misuse, and related mental and chronic health conditions. Dr Swartz recent work has included statewide and national studies of the opioid epidemic in the United States that includes studying issues related to opioid use including opioid overdoses, fatalities, use of drug checking services, and characteristics of persons enrolling in medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) treatment. Dr Swartz presently working to develop an intervention targeted towards racial/ethnic minority populations at especially high risk for experiencing an opioid-related overdose.

About the Collection

BMC Public Health is calling for submissions to our Collection, Progress on reducing opioid-related harms.

The opioid crisis has emerged as one of the most pressing public health challenges of our time, with devastating consequences for individuals, families, and communities. Opioid-related harms encompass a range of issues, including addiction, overdose, and the complexities of pain management.

This Collection aims to highlight innovative research and effective strategies that address the multifaceted nature of opioid-related harms, focusing on prevention, treatment, and policy interventions that can mitigate the impact of this crisis.

Advancing our collective understanding of opioid-related harms is crucial for developing effective public health responses and improving patient outcomes. Recent advances in this field have included the implementation of harm reduction strategies, such as supervised consumption sites and the distribution of naloxone, which have proven effective in reducing overdose deaths. Additionally, research has begun to explore alternative pain management approaches that minimize reliance on opioids, thereby addressing both chronic pain and the risk of addiction.

Continued research in this area holds the potential for significant advancements, including the development of novel therapeutic interventions, improved screening and treatment protocols for opioid use disorder, and enhanced public health policies that prioritize harm reduction. By fostering collaboration among researchers, healthcare providers, and policymakers, we can create a more comprehensive and effective response to the opioid crisis. We invite submissions that can contribute to these efforts, including research on:

Innovative harm reduction strategies
Alternative pain management approaches
Opioid addiction treatment advancements
Policy interventions for reducing opioid-related harms

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being.

There are currently no articles in this collection.

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Progress on reducing opioid-related harms" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.