UB researcher to receive 2025 Top Ten Clinical Research Achievement Award from the Clinical Research Forum

BUFFALO, N.Y. – A novel approach developed by a University at Buffalo physician-scientist and colleagues to cure hepatitis C virus in people with opioid use disorder using facilitated telemedicine is being honored with a 2025 Top Ten Clinical Research Achievement Award from the Clinical Research Forum.

Andrew H. Talal, MD, professor of medicine in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB, principal investigator, a physician with UBMD Internal Medicine and attending physician at Buffalo General Medical Center, will be honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on April 14 on behalf of the entire research team.  

The Top Ten Clinical Research Achievement Awards honor groundbreaking achievements in clinical research from across the nation. The competition seeks to identify major advances in the biomedical field resulting from the nation’s investment in health and welfare. The Top Ten award recipients were selected by a Clinical Research Forum panel based upon their authorship of clinical research studies published in peer-reviewed journals in 2024. They are based on the degree of innovation and novelty involved in the advancement of science; contribution to the understanding of human disease and/or physiology; and potential impact upon the diagnosis, prevention and/or treatment of disease.

“Using a novel approach like facilitated telemedicine to treat our most underserved populations, which in this case cured more than 90% of patients, is exactly the kind of outcome that academic medicine strives to achieve,” says Allison Brashear, MD, vice president for health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School. “We could not be more proud of Dr. Talal and his team for being recognized with this prestigious national award, a first for a UB researcher.”

“The Top Ten Clinical Research Achievement Awards honor and celebrate the innovation, tireless efforts and profound contributions that clinical researchers and advocates have made on the health and wellness of humanity,” says Harry P. Selker, MD, chair of the Clinical Research Forum and dean of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute at Tufts University. “We congratulate the 2025 awardees for their outstanding efforts.”

The research was published April 3, 2024, in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) entitled “Integrated Hepatitis C-Opioid Use Disorder Care Through Facilitated Telemedicine. A Randomized Trial.”

The study is one of only a few randomized controlled trials conducted to determine the effectiveness of using telemedicine to expand health care access for underserved populations.

Talal explains that people with opioid use disorder have the highest prevalence and incidence of hepatitis C virus infection. Recent therapeutic advances where almost everyone with hepatitis C is cured after a few months have revolutionized its management.

“Unfortunately, many people with hepatitis C are not treated for a variety of reasons. Facilitated telemedicine integrated into opioid treatment programs is an extremely effective approach to bring treatment to those who need it,” Talal says.

The UB researchers explored the effectiveness of integrating facilitated telemedicine into opioid treatment programs for hepatitis C management, thereby removing the need for off-site referrals.

The study demonstrated that the use of facilitated telemedicine was far superior to in-person referral, which is the standard of care used throughout the country for treating hepatitis C.

The work was supported by an $8.2 million award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) and more than $3 million from the Troup Fund of the Kaleida Health Foundation.

The researchers also found that being cured of hepatitis C resulted in subsequent health and well-being improvements for participants, including significant reductions in substance use. After initiating treatment for opioid use disorder, combined with a hepatitis C cure, many individuals were able to successfully seek employment, improve their education status and reduce their involvement with the criminal justice system.

“Successful hepatitis C cure is an extremely important milestone in the treatment of opioid use disorder,” Talal says.

He concludes: “I would like to thank all members of the study team, especially SUNY Distinguished Professor Marianthi Markatou.”