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NIDA is pleased to highlight Dr. Jennifer Jain, Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at the University of California, San Francisco, and recipient of both a NIDA Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01) and a Research Continuity and Retention Supplement.
Dr. Jain’s research sits at the intersection of HIV, substance use, women’s health, and intervention science. Through her K01 award, Women, Intersectionality, Substance Use and HIV (WISH), she conducts research on how co-occurring social and behavioral factors influence HIV treatment outcomes and identifying factors that may support engagement in HIV care among adults living with HIV and recent substance use in the United States.
The ORTCD had the opportunity to interview her about the impact of the supplement on her career trajectory. The overarching goal of this supplement is to enhance the retention of investigators facing critical life events. We encourage you to read about her background and her advice to others interested in this program.
- Please share about your background, research focus, and what/who inspired you to pursue a career in addiction science.
My research sits at the intersection of HIV, substance use, women’s health, and intervention science. My path to addiction science has been shaped by both scientific and personal experiences. I have seen firsthand how substance use can profoundly affect not only individuals, but entire families, which sparked my interest in understanding the complex factors that shape substance use, health, and recovery. As a woman of color and a first-generation American, I have also been deeply influenced by the social and structural conditions that shape health and opportunity, particularly for women and people who have experienced economic disadvantage. These experiences have informed the scientific questions at the center of my research program: how social and structural factors shape individual-level risk and resilience, and how we can translate that knowledge into innovative, multilevel interventions. Ultimately, my goal is to develop and test interventions that address these intersecting influences and meaningfully improve the health and well-being of people affected by substance use, with a particular focus on women affected by HIV. - How did you first learn about the Research Continuity Supplement program and what motivated you to apply?
I learned about the Research Continuity Supplement with support from Lauren Sterling at the UCSF-Bay Area Center for AIDS Research. She helped me obtain information about the opportunity and connected me with a previous successful applicant whose materials I was able to review. I applied after the birth of my second daughter, which was a qualifying critical life event. As an early-career investigator conducting an ambitious pilot randomized controlled trial as part of my career development award, I saw the supplement as an invaluable opportunity to maintain the momentum of my research while navigating an important transition in my family life. - In what ways did the supplement help you maintain research progress during a challenging period?
The supplement provided critical financial flexibility at exactly the right time. Conducting a pilot randomized controlled trial requires substantial staffing and clinical oversight. The supplement allowed me to hire two essential members of my research team, including an experienced clinical supervisor to oversee and support our intervention facilitator. Having that infrastructure in place allowed the trial to continue progressing while I adjusted to life with a new baby. It gave me the flexibility to remain engaged in my research and continue building my scientific program while also being present for an incredibly important time with my family. - How did you use the supplement funding to support your research and career development?
I used the supplement primarily to support research personnel who were essential to conducting our pilot randomized controlled trial of a small-group level, integrative intervention for women affected by HIV and substance use in the San Francisco Bay Area. This investment in personnel gave us the capacity to successfully conduct and complete the trial while maintaining the scientific rigor and clinical oversight the study required. Just as importantly, the supplement protected the momentum of my career development award and allowed me to continue advancing my research program during a pivotal early-career period. - How did you approach the application process, and what advice would you offer to others considering applying?
I found the application process to be straightforward and manageable. Reviewing materials from a previous successful applicant was particularly helpful because it gave me a clear understanding of what was expected. My advice to eligible investigators is simple: apply. Reach out to your mentors, institutional resources, and colleagues who are familiar with the mechanism, and, if possible, ask to review a successful application. The application itself is relatively simple, particularly when weighed against how meaningful this support can be in maintaining research continuity during a critical life event. - Can you describe how, if at all, the supplement has impacted your career trajectory and obtaining subsequent grants?
The supplement helped me maintain the resources necessary to successfully complete the pilot randomized controlled trial, which has become an important foundation for the next stage of my research program. I now have a rich body of preliminary data that is informing the development of an R01 application to evaluate the integrative intervention on a larger scale. For me, this illustrates the broader value of research continuity support: it helped me sustain progress during a critical period, advance this line of research, and continue building the foundation for research independence and a sustained program of intervention science. - What advice would you give to current K awardees who may be eligible for this program? Please also share any other advice you may have for the research training community.
I would strongly encourage eligible K awardees to consider this opportunity. I have already encouraged colleagues to apply because I know firsthand how meaningful this support can be. Building a scientific career is incredibly rewarding, but it happens alongside the rest of our lives. For me, becoming a scientist and becoming a mother were both dreams I wanted to pursue, and pursuing both simultaneously can be challenging. The Research Continuity Supplement recognizes that reality in a very tangible way by providing investigators with additional support during pivotal life events. My broader advice to the research training community is to seek out these opportunities, build a strong network of mentors and colleagues, and ask for support when you need it. Major life events do not have to mean putting your scientific ambitions on hold. For me, there is something incredibly empowering about fully embracing both identities—mother and scientist—and recognizing that they do not have to exist in opposition to one another. Support like the Research Continuity Supplement can make it more possible to pursue both, allowing me to continue advancing science to improve the health and well-being of women affected by HIV and substance use while also helping build the kind of healthier, more equitable world I want my daughters to grow up in.