Substance use disorders remain a significant public health concern in the United States. In 2024, over 48 million people age 12 or older had a substance use disorder (SUD), with only 1 in 5 of those classified as in need of treatment ultimately receiving it. Without proper care, those with an SUD are at an increased risk of serious harm, including infectious disease, worsening physical and mental health, and overdose-related death.
Lara Coughlin, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry at Michigan Medicine, examines the accessibility and effectiveness of substance-related addiction care, including contingency management (CM) and other behavioral economics-based approaches to recovery. As co-director of the Michigan Innovations in Addiction Care through Research & Education (MI-ACRE) program and the Mental Health Equity Faculty Lead at the Eisenberg Family Depression Center, Coughlin actively engages with policy stakeholders and other health leaders to inform treatment guidelines and improve addiction care across the U.S. In recognition of her many contributions and the impacts of her work, Coughlin was named a 2026 recipient of the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation’s Policy Impact Award.
Learn more about Dr. Coughlin’s work on the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation website