Ukraine

Site Institution: European Institute on Public Health Policy (EIPHP)

Research Areas:

• Infectious disease (HIV, HCV, TB)
• Substance Use Disorders (Alcohol, opioids, stimulants)
• Key Populations: People who inject drugs (PWID), men who have sex with men (MSM), women at risk, people in prison
• Research Approaches: Community-based research, clinical trials, implementation science

Site Description

The European Institute on Public Health Policy (EIPHP) is a leading regional research hub operating across Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA). Our mission is to design, test, and scale integrated strategies targeting prevention and treatment of HIV, hepatitis C (HCV), tuberculosis (TB), and other infectious diseases—particularly where they intersect with substance use disorders (alcohol, opioids, stimulants). EIPHP stands at the intersection of infectious disease control, addiction medicine, and implementation science across EECA. With deep regional expertise, robust partnerships, and a strong track record in both clinical and policy impact, we are uniquely positioned to generate actionable models that improve health outcomes for marginalized and at-risk populations.

Core strengths include:

• Comprehensive, multi-modal research: spanning community-based interventions, randomized clinical trials, implementation science, health services research, decision science, and mathematical modeling
• Focused on priority populations: PWID, MSM, at-risk women, and incarcerated individuals
• Strategic regional partnerships: We work closely with researchers and secondary mentors across EECA—including Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, and beyond

EIPHP has cultivated a dense, cross‑sectoral network spanning the EECA region. Our in-country collaborators include: ministries and national public health institutions, national AIDS, TB, and narcological centers, mission-aligned NGOs (e.g., Alliance for Public Health, All-Ukrainian Network of People Living with HIV), and international partners, such as USAID, CDC, UNAIDS, WHO, Fogarty International, the Open Society Institute, and the Global Fund.

Since 2005, Drs. Altice and Dvoriak have championed capacity building and knowledge transfer, building strategic partnerships with leading research institutions in EECA and training over 30+ Ukrainian physicians in integrated HIV and opioid dependence care when buprenorphine was first introduced as HIV prevention. Drs. Altice and Dvoriak have been mentoring Fogarty Global Health Emerging Scholars since 2011 to conduct research in urban health, infectious diseases, addiction medicine, and health systems. Many previous trainees now hold key positions in EECA national health leadership and civil society.

Current research projects include:

1. Implementation science for OUD treatment and HIV prevention
   • NIH/NIDA-funded study expanding methadone/buprenorphine access in Ukraine
   • Integrates extended-release naltrexone into HIV clinical settings using decision science and shared-decision aids
2. MOUD expansion in criminal justice settings
   • NIH/NIDA-supported interventional research across EECA prisons and probation systems (Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine)
   • Includes prison-based qualitative risk-environment assessments in Kyrgyzstan
3. Integration of addiction care into primary care
   • NIDA R01 testing evidence-based integration; outcomes include healthcare quality, stigma reduction, and modeled projections
4. Cluster RCT of depression screening in addiction treatment
   • NIDA R01 trialing evaluation and treatment in addiction-service settings