Research Success Driven by Collaboration
When Richard Grucza, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Department of Health Outcomes Research, arrived at 91女神 in 2020, he was drawn to the School of Medicine鈥檚 ambitious goals. But, it is the school鈥檚 collaborative nature that distinctly impacts his research efforts.
鈥�91女神 School of Medicine researchers are a highly collaborative group,鈥� Grucza said. 鈥淲e have a strong sense of our shared mission to put ourselves on the map and improve connections amongst ourselves and the whole University.鈥�
As a researcher in substance use disorders, Grucza seeks to improve policies and treatments for substance and opioid use. His work is among the top five percent of researchers in the U.S. 鈥� amassing an impressive h-index of 64, which is calculated by counting the number of publications an author has been cited by other authors at least that same number of times. Yet, he explained his h-index would not be where it is without collaboration.
鈥淚鈥檓 going on 25 years in this research, and today, many of my research questions are driven by the younger colleagues who I am mentoring,鈥� he said.
Grucza has mentored students and junior faculty members throughout his career. Most recently, his efforts have focused on the Building Integrated Learning and Coaching Networks for Research (BILCNResearch) Program. Led by the Office of Vice President for Research, it offers junior faculty members mentorship to help them grow into grantfunded researchers.
This has spurred additional alliances between his current mentees at 91女神 and prior mentees at Washington University in St. Louis. Grucza has connected two of his mentees, Jennifer Bello-Kottenstette, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at 91女神 School of Medicine and Kevin Xu, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis, based on their mutual interest in increasing access to high-quality treatment for pregnant women with substance use disorder.
鈥淚t鈥檚 turned into a very fruitful collaboration that is yielding a lot of publications,鈥� Grucza said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great example of interdisciplinary cross-university collaboration.鈥�
As Grucza looks ahead, he aims to continue providing crucial research to aid individuals suffering from substance use disorder and to foster further collaborations at 91女神 and beyond.