Peter Treitler
Assistant Professor
Peter Treitler is an assistant professor at Boston University School of Social Work. His research aims to improve well-being for people with substance use disorders and inform more-effective solutions to the nation’s critical substance use challenges. His work examines the implementation and outcomes of health services for people with substance use disorders, and how federal, state, and payer policies shape their treatment and recovery experiences. With the goal of improving treatment across the health system, Treitler studies interventions that engage individuals in correctional facilities, emergency departments, and primary care clinics, and the policies that support implementation in these settings. Treitler’s research uses mixed-methods, combining analyses of large administrative datasets such as Medicare and Medicaid claims with qualitative perspectives from service users, providers, and policymakers. His research interests are motivated, in part, by his prior experience as a substance abuse and mental health clinician, working with individuals returning home from incarceration.
Treitler’s work has been supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts, and other government agencies and private foundations. His recent work has been featured in JAMA Health Forum, Journal of General Internal Medicine, and Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment. From 2020-2021, Treitler was a member of the NIH Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN) Learning Experiences to Advance Practice (LEAP) Investigator Program, designed to provide mentorship and advanced research skills for investigators working at the intersection of substance use disorders and the criminal-legal system.
Specialties
• Substance use disorders
• Behavioral health policy
• Medicare and Medicaid
• Peer support
• Correctional health care
• Re-entry
Research Areas
Related News
View All- Professor Treitler Finds Critical Gaps in Opioid Addiction Treatment Access
New research underscores critical gaps in access to life-saving medications for opioid use disorder, raising concerns about treatment equity as Medicaid faces funding cuts.
- Professor Treitler Finds Critical Gaps in Opioid Addiction Treatment Access
National evaluation exposes the need for improved OUD treatment, life-saving policy changes, and challenges that Medicaid cuts present to substance use care.
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Education
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PhD (Social Work)
Rutgers University
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MSW
Rutgers University
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BS (Biology)
The College of New Jersey
Courses
Conception, Scope, and History of Social Welfare in the United States (SSW WP 700)
Publications
Treitler, P., Crystal, S., Cantor, J., Chakravarty, S., Kline, A., Morton, C., Powell, K. G., Borys, S., & Cooperman, N. (2024). Emergency department peer support program and patient outcomes after opioid overdose. JAMA Network Open, 7(3), e243614. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.3614
Treitler, P., Enich, M., Mahone, A., Bowden, C., Lloyd, J., & Crystal, S. (2024). Implementation of an office-based addiction treatment model for Medicaid enrollees: A mixed methods study. Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, 209212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.josat.2023.209212
Miles, J., Treitler, P., Mahone, A., Samples, H., Hermida, R., Gupta, S., Lloyd, J., Duncan, A., Baaklini, V., Simon, K., & Crystal, S. (2023). Racial and ethnic disparities in Medicare buprenorphine utilization are persistent, particularly among disability beneficiaries. Health Affairs, 42(10), 1431-1438. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2023.00205
Treitler, P., Nowels, M., Samples, H., & Crystal, S. (2023). Buprenorphine utilization and prescribing among New Jersey Medicaid beneficiaries after adoption of initiatives designed to improve treatment access. JAMA Network Open, 6(5), e2312030. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.12030
Treitler, P., Nowels, M., Feder, K. A., Saloner, B., Reeves, R., DeBilio, L., & Crystal, S. (2023). Hospital use and mortality among decarcerated individuals with substance use disorder after a large-scale COVID-19 emergency prison release program. JAMA Health Forum, 4(6), e231200. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamahealthforum.2023.1200
Enich, M., Treitler, P., Swarbrick, M., Belsky, L., Hillis, M., & Crystal, S. (2023). Peer health navigation experiences before and after prison release among people with opioid use disorder. Psychiatric Services. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.20220310
Treitler, P., Samples, H., Hermida, R., & Crystal, S. (2023). Association of a state prescribing limits policy with opioid prescribing and transitions to long-term use: An interrupted time series analysis. Journal of General Internal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-022-07991-7
Treitler, P. C., Enich, M., Reeves, D., & Crystal, S. (2022). Medications for opioid use disorder in state prisons: Perspectives of formerly incarcerated persons. Substance Abuse, 43(1), 964-971. https://doi.org/10.1080/08897077.2022.2060448
Crystal S, Nowels M, Samples H, Olfson M, Williams A. R., Treitler P. (2022). Opioid overdose survivors: Medications for opioid use disorder and risk of repeat overdose in Medicaid patients. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2022.109269
Treitler, P. C., Bowden, C., Lloyd, J., Enich, M., Nyaku, A. N., & Crystal, S. (2021). Perspectives of opioid use disorder treatment providers during COVID-19: Adapting to flexibilities and sustaining reforms. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 132, 108514. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2021.108514
Treitler, P. C., Powell, K. G., Morton, C. M., Peterson, N. A., Hallcom, D., & Borys, S. (2021). Locational and contextual attributes of opioid overdoses in New Jersey. Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 22(2), 108-119. https://doi.org/10.1080/1533256X.2021.1901203
Reyes, L., Treitler, P., & Peterson, N. A. (2021). Testing relationships between racial-ethnic identity, racial-ethnic discrimination, and substance misuse among Black and Latinx older adults in a nationally representative sample. Research on Aging, 44(1), 96-106. https://doi.org/10.1177/0164027520986952
McGuire, A. B., Powell, K., Treitler, P. C., Wagner, K. D., Smith, K. P., Cooperman, N., Robinson, L., Carter, J., Ray, B., & Watson, D. P. (2020). Emergency department-based peer support for opioid use disorders: Emergent functions and forms. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 108, 82-87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2019.06.013
Powell, K. G., Treitler, P., Peterson, N. A., Borys, S., & Hallcom, D. (2019). Promoting opioid overdose prevention and recovery: An exploratory study of an innovative implementation model to address opioid abuse. International Journal of Drug Policy, 64, 21-29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2018.12.004
Presentations
Treitler, P., Nowels, M., Debilio, L., Reeves, R., & Crystal, S. (2023). Mortality and acute care utilization following prison release among individuals with substance use disorders. Oral presentation at the 16th Academic & Health Policy Conference on Criminal Justice Health Virtual Conference.
Mendez, A., Treitler, P., Kautz, S., Bosk, E., Bowden, C., & Crystal, S. (2023). Application of rapid analysis methods in qualitative social work and health research. Poster presentation at the 27th Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research, Washington, DC.
Treitler, P. Enich, M., & Crystal, S. (2023). Participant Perspectives on Peer Health Navigation during the Transition from Prison to the Community. Poster presentation at the 27th Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research, Washington, DC.
Medications for opioid use disorder and peer health navigation for individuals leaving New Jersey state prisons: Patient experiences and outcomes. Presenter for the Pew Charitable Trusts Policy Academies Series, July 2022.
Data and policy to drive access to evidence-based opioid use disorder treatment. Presenter for the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) Webinar Series, June 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUw9Tf2Frg0
After incarceration: Providing team-based, recovery-focused support for people with substance use disorders leaving state prisons. Presenter for The National Center for Complex Health & Social Needs Webinar Series, May 2022. https://vimeo.com/715593144
Grants
2024-2029: Principal Investigator, Boston University Subaward. Improving outcomes and equity for released prisoners with SUD: Trajectories of participation in pre-release and post-release MOUD, peer navigation, and outcomes. National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA058664). (PI: Crystal/Rutgers University). $251,445.
2023-2024: Principal Investigator. Peer support interventions for individuals with behavioral health needs reentering the community following incarceration: A scoping review of implementation models and evidence. Boston University School of Social Work Small Grant Program. $6,033.
2023-2024: Principal Investigator, Boston University Subaward. Opioid overdoses among Medicaid beneficiaries: Predictors, outcomes, and state policy effects. National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA047347). (PI: Crystal/Rutgers University). $31,707.
2023-2024: Principal Investigator, Boston University Subaward. Improving MOUD access, opioid-related outcomes and equity among Medicare beneficiaries. National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA057568). (PI: Crystal/Rutgers University). $26,787.
2020-2022: Co-investigator (PI: Crystal, Rutgers University). Integrating Medication for Opioid Use Disorder into Primary Medical Care: Innovative Payer and Provider Strategies for Improving Treatment Engagement, Retention, Outcomes, and Disparities. Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE). $525,000
Professional Activities and Certifications
2023-2024: Brandeis-Harvard SPIRE Center Substance Use Disorder Systems Performance Scholars Program
2023: Grant reviewer: Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts
2020-Present: Promote Smart Decarceration Grant Challenge Re-entry Workgroup chair
2020-Present: Member of New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition
Ad hoc reviewer: Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Journal of General Internal Medicine, Health Affairs, Harm Reduction Journal, Health & Justice
Awards and Honors
2023: Finalist, Addiction Health Services Research (AHSR) Early Career Investigator Award.
2017: Rutgers Graduate School Special Study Award
2008: Phi Beta Kappa, The College of New Jersey