Department of
Neuroscience
A headshot photo of Judith Feinberg.

Judith FeinbergMD

Vice Chair, Research & Professor, Infectious Diseases

Contact Information

Phone
304-293-5255
Address
PO Box 9156
930 Chestnut Ridge Road
Morgantown, WV 26505
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Affiliations

  • Department of Behavioral Medicine & Psychiatry
  • Department of Neuroscience
  • WVU Chestnut Ridge Center
  • Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute

Graduate Training

  • MD, Rush Medical College

Grants and Research

Merck Hodder (PI) 2/21-5/23
“A Phase 3, Randomized, Active-Controlled, Double-blind Clinical Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Oral Islatravir Once-Monthly as Preexposure Prophylaxis in Cisgender Women at High Risk for HIV-1 Infection”
The purpose of this study is to evaluate a long-acting oral antiretroviral for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis in woman at high risk.
Role:  Co-investigator
 
NIGMS 3U54GM104942-05S3 Hodder (PI) 10/1/20-9/30/21
“Developing novel strategies to increase COVID-19 testing among underserved and vulnerable populations in West Virginia through community and state partnerships”
The purpose of this proposal is to implement collaborative strategies to increase availability and uptake of SARS-CoV-2 testing among the medically underserved rural WV population that includes multiple vulnerable groups at risk for severe COVID-19 disease and death. These vulnerable groups include the Black/African American population, patients with comorbidities, and persons who inject drugs. This initiative will test whether or not those implemented strategies, including home test kit and mobile unit approaches, successfully increase testing, and if not, to determine why the interventions did not work so as to inform future sustainable testing policy.  
Role:  Co-investigator
 
Appalachian Regional Commission Jones (PI) 10/1/20-9/30/23
“Strengthening Substance Abuse Recovery Ecosystems to Provide a Healthy and Ready Workforce”
The primary goal of this project is to develop an innovative peer navigator/recovery coach (PN/RC) model providing outreach and linkage to integrated care for substance use disorder (SUD), mental health and drug use-related chronic infection, thus creating a model for a comprehensive, integrated approach to address the opioid epidemic in rural Appalachia. The focus is on preventing deaths from opioid overdoses and drug-related infections such as HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) among people who inject drugs (PWID) in three of the hardest-hit southern coalfield counties in West Virginia: Wyoming, McDowell and Mercer. 
Role: Co-Investigator
 
NIDA 1R01DA047334-01A1 Zibbell & Feinberg (Co-PIs) 7/1/20-6/30/23
“Off-label Use of Rapid Response Fentanyl Test Strips as an opioid Overdose Prevention Strategy”
The major goals of this project are to assess the impact of FTS on injection behaviors among clients of two syringe services programs (SSPs) in Greensboro, NC and Morgantown, WV, using a mixed-methods approach that will engage people who inject drugs (PWID) who are clients of the SSPs: a quantitative evaluation at baseline, 6 and 12 months (n=600, 300 at each site), and a qualitative interview in a subset of 100 (50 at each site). 
Role: Co-PI, Site PI for WVU
 
NIDA 1UG1DA049436-01 Liebshutz & Feinberg (Co-PIs) 6/1/19-5/31/24
“NIDA Clinical Trials Network: The Appalachian Node”
The major goals of this project is to design, implement and analyze clinical trials for the management of substance use disorder.
Role: Co-PI, Site PI
 
CDC-RFA-TP18-1802 via WV DHHR-Bureau for Public Health Linn (PI) 12/1/18-8/31/20
“Expanding Overdose Aftercare and Peer Recovery Services in Vulnerable WV Counties” 
The goals of this project are to develop emergency department-based MAT induction with buprenorphine using WV-certified Peer Recovery Coach support in 2 northern counties and to provide technical assistance to 2 other northern counties to strengthen ED-based MAT and overdose aftercare.
Role: Co-Investigator
 
NIDA 2UG3DA044825-02 Feinberg & Smith (Co-PIs) 8/1/17-10/31/20
“Rural West Virginia Responds to Injection Opioid Epidemics: from Data to Action”
The major goals of the initial 2 years (UG3 phase) of this 5-year project are to increase testing for HIV and hepatitis C, support the development of harm reduction programs, and estimate the regional prevalence of HIV and hepatitis C in 7 hard-hit southern counties, in preparation for a 3-year (UH3 phase) model based on these data to improve access and linkage of people who inject drugs to drug treatment, medical and mental health care
Role: Co-PI
 
Gilead Sciences Cafardi & Feinberg (Co-PIs) 11/18 – 10/21
"Evaluation of the Natural History and Vertical Transmission of Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Pregnancy with Targeted Elimination by Postpartum Treatment”
The goals of this multicenter project are to ascertain the rate of vertical transmission among pregnant women with chronic hepatitis C, and to provide curative hepatitis C therapy after delivery and the cessation of breastfeeding.
Role: Co-PI, site PI
 
PCORI   HEPC-1503-28122 Litwin (PI) 10/1/15-9/30/22
“Patient-Centered Models of HCV Care for People Who Inject Drugs”
The major goals of this project are to ascertain the cure (SVR) rate and relapse/reifection rates among people who have injected drugs within 3 months of entry and to provide long-term follow-up in 8 U.S. cities.
Role: Co-Investigator, Site PI
 
Gilead Sciences Swaminathan (PI) 6/16 – 7/20
"Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis to Prevent HIV Acquisition in US Women: A Demonstration Project" 
The goals of this multicenter project are to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of U.S. women at high risk for HIV acquisition regarding pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and to enroll them in a study of PrEP.
Role:  Co-Investigator, Site PI
 
U54GM104942 Hodder (PI) 7/01/17-6/30/22
NIGMS
“West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute”
The overall goal of the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute (WVCTSI) IDeA CTR Program is to serve as a collaborative hub, leading statewide innovation in clinical and translational research to catalyze and accelerate the development of solutions to improve health disparity outcomes.
Role: Co-Investigator, Senior Advisor 

Publications

2024

Fredericksen RJ, Baker R, Sibley A, Estadt AT, Colston D, Mixson LS, Walters S, Bresett J, Levander XA, Leichtling G, Davy-Mendez T, Powell M, Stopka TJ, Pho M, Feinberg J, Ezell J, Zule W, Seal D, Cooper HLF, Whitney BM, Delaney JAC, Crane HM, Tsui JI. Motivation and context of concurrent stimulant and opioid use among persons who use drugs in the rural United States: a multi-site qualitative inquiry. Harm Reduct J 2024;21(1):74. PMID: 38561753. PMCID: PMC10985853. DOI: 10.1186/s12954-024-00986-z

Heo M, Norton BL, Pericot-Valverde I, Mehta SH, Tsui JI, Taylor LE, Lum PJ, Feinberg J, Kim AY, Arnsten JH, Sprecht-Walsh S, Page K, Murray-Krezan C, Anderson J, Litwin AH; HERO Study Group. Optimal hepatitis C treatment adherence patterns and sustained virologic response among people who inject drugs: The HERO study. J Hepatol 2024:S0168-8278(23)05374-6. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38242324. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2023.12.020

Lopes SS, Pericot-Valverde I, Arnsten J, Lum PJ, Taylor LE, Mehta SH, Tsui JI, Feinberg J, Kim AY, Norton BL, Page K, Murray-Krezan C, Anderson J, Moschella P, Heo M, Litwin AH. Self-reported and measured adherence to hepatitis C direct-acting antiviral therapy and sustained virologic response among people who inject drugs: The HERO study. Int J Drug Policy 2024;123:104288. PMID: 38103458. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2023.104288

Lopes SS, Pericot-Valverde I, Lum PJ, Taylor LE, Mehta SH, Tsui JI, Feinberg J, Kim AY, Norton BL, Page K, Murray-Krezan C, Anderson J, Karasz A, Arnsten J, Moschella P, Heo M, Litwin AH. Overreporting of adherence to hepatitis C direct-acting antiviral therapy and sustained virologic response among people who inject drugs in the HERO study. BMC Infect Dis 2024;24(1):251. PMID: 38395747. PMCID: PMC10893697. DOI: 10.1186/s12879-024-09124-3

2023

Ballard AM, Falk D, Greenwood H, Gugerty P, Feinberg J, Friedmann PD, Go VF, Jenkins WD, Korthuis PT, Miller WC, Pho MT, Seal DW, Smith GS, Stopka TJ, Westergaard RP, Zule WA, Young AM, Cooper HLF. Houselessness and syringe service program utilization among people who inject drugs in eight rural areas across the USA: a cross-sectional analysis. Harm Reduct J 2023;20(1):157. PMID: 37880724. PMCID: PMC10601138. DOI: 10.1186/s12954-023-00892-w

Batchelder AW, Heo M, Foley JD, Sullivan MC, Lum P, Pericot Valverde I, Taylor LE, Mehta SH, Kim AY, Norton B, Tsui JI, Feinberg J, Page K, Litwin AH; HERO Study Group. Shame and stigma in association with the HCV cascade to cure among people who inject drugs. Drug Alcohol Depend 2023;253:111013. PMID: 37951006. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.111013

Estadt AT, Miller WC, Kline D, Whitney BM, Young AM, Todd Korthuis P, Stopka TJ, Feinberg J, Zule WA, Pho MT, Friedmann PD, Westergaard RP, Eagen KV, Seaman A, Ma J, Go VF, Lancaster KE. Associations of hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody positivity with opioid, stimulant, and polysubstance injection among people who inject drugs (PWID) in rural U.S. communities. Int J Drug Policy 2023:104222. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37806839. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2023.104222

Ibragimov U, Livingston MD, Young AM, Feinberg J, Korthuis PT, Akhtar WZ, Jenkins WD, Crane HM, Westergaard RP, Nance R, Miller WC, Bresett J, Khoury D, Hurt CB, Go VF, Nolte K, Cooper HLF. Correlates of Recent HIV Testing Among People Who Inject Drugs in Rural Areas: A Multi-site Cross-Sectional Study, 2018-2020. AIDS Behav 2023. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37515742. DOI: 10.1007/s10461-023-04140-x

Jenkins WD, Friedman SR, Hurt CB, Korthuis PT, Feinberg J, Del Toro-Mejias LM, Walters S, Seal DW, Fredericksen RJ, Westergaard R, Miller WC, Go VF, Schneider J, Giurcanu M. Variation in HIV Transmission Behaviors Among People Who Use Drugs in Rural US Communities. JAMA Netw Open 2023;6(8):e2330225. PMID: 37603331. PMCID: PMC10442709. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.30225

Karasz A, Merchant K, Arnsten J, Feinberg J, Kim AY, Lum PJ, McKee MD, Mehta SH, Meissner P, Norton BL, Page K, Pericot-Valverde I, Singh R, Stein E, Taylor LE, Tsui JI, Wagner K, Litwin A. A Video-Observed Treatment Strategy to Improve Adherence to Treatment Among Persons Who Inject Drugs Infected With Hepatitis C Virus: Qualitative Study of Stakeholder Perceptions and Experiences. J Med Internet Res 2023;25:e38176. PMID: 37266986. PMCID: PMC10276322. DOI: 10.2196/38176

Levander XA, Foot CA, Magnusson SL, Cook RR, Ezell JM, Feinberg J, Go VF, Lancaster KE, Salisbury-Afshar E, Smith GS, Westergaard RP, Young AM, Tsui JI, Korthuis PT. Contraception and healthcare utilization by reproductive-age women who use drugs in rural communities: a cross sectional survey. Journal of General Internal Medicine 2023;38:98-106. PMID: 35731368. PMCID: PMC9849531. DOI: 10.1007/s11606-022-07558-6

Macmadu A, Gurka KK, Linn HI, Smith GS, Feinberg J. Factors associated with non-evidence-based overdose responses among people who use prescription opioids non-medically in rural Appalachia. Substance Use & Misuse 2023;58(2):163-170. PMID: 36546533. DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2022.2135967

Page K, Feinberg J. What Hepatitis C (HCV) diagnostic tools are needed to advance diagnosis of current HCV infection in outreach settings and in a non-clinical setting? J Infect Dis 2023:jiad269. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37739782. DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiad269

Pericot-Valverde I, Lopes SS, Nahvi S, Thrasher JF, Karasz A, Taylor LE, Mehta SH, Lum PJ, Tsui JI, Page K, Feinberg J, Kim AY, Norton BL, Arnsten JH, Fernandez-Artamendi S, Heo M, Litwin A; HERO Research Group. Reduction in Depressive Symptoms in People who Inject Drugs who Are Cured of Hepatitis C Virus Infection: The HERO Study. Open Forum Infect Dis 2023;10(11):ofad498. PMID: 38023556. PMCID: PMC10644781. DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofad498

Person AK, Armstrong WS, Evans T, Fangman JJW, Goldstein RH, Haddad M, Jain MK, Keeshin S, Tookes HE, Weddle AL, Feinberg J. Principles for ending human immunodeficiency virus as an epidemic in the United States: a policy paper of the infectious disease society of America and the HIV medicine association. Clinical Infectious Diseases 2023;76(1):1-9. PMID: 35965395. DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciac626

Rockett IRH, Ali B, Caine ED, Shepard DS, Banerjee A, Nolte KB, Connery HS, Larkin GL, Stack S, White FMM, Jia H, Cossman JS, Feinberg J, Stover AN, Miller TR. Escalating costs of self-injury mortality in the 21st century United States: an interstate observational study. BMC Public Health 2023;23(285). PMID: 36755229. PMCID: PMC9906586. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-15188-8

Schmidt RD, Horigian VE, Shmueli-Blumberg D, Hefner K, Feinberg J, Kondapaka R, Feaster DJ, Duan R, Gonzalez S, Davis C, Vena A, Marín-Navarrete R, Tross S. High suicidality predicts overdose events among people with substance use disorder: A latent class analysis. Front Public Health 2023;11:1150062. PMID: 37261240. PMCID: PMC10228506. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1150062

Tsui JI, Lum PJ, Taylor LE, Mehta SH, Feinberg J, Kim AY, Norton BL, Niu J, Heo M, Arnsten J, Pericot-Valverde I, Thomas A, Blalock KL, Radick A, Murray-Krezan C, Page K, Litwin AH, HERO Study Group. Injecting practices during and after hepatitis C treatment and associations with not achieving cure among persons who inject drugs. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 2023;247:109878. PMID: 37150144. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.109878

Tsui JI, Whitney BM, Korthuis PT, Chan B, Pho MT, Jenkins WD, Young AM, Cooper HLF, Friedmann PD, Stopka TJ, de Gijsel D, Miller WC, Go VF, Westergaard R, Brown R, Seal DW, Zule WA, Feinberg J, Smith GS, Mixson LS, Fredericksen R, Crane HM, Delaney JA; Rural Opioid Initiative Consortium. Methamphetamine use and utilization of medications for opioid use disorder among rural people who use drugs. Drug Alcohol Depend 2023;250:110911. PMID: 37549545. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.110911

2022

Baus A, Calkins A, Feinberg J, McManaway K, Moser S, Pollard C, Sutphin R. Using Health Information Technology to Create Pathways for Hepatitis C Treatment and Cure in West Virginia. Perspect Health Inf Manag 2022;19(1):1j. PMID: 35440923. PMCID: PMC9013224

Bhandari R, Alexander T, Annie FH, Kaleem U, Irfan A, Balla S, Wiener RC, Cook C, Nanjundappa A, Bates M, Thompson E, Smith GS, Feinberg J, Fisher MA. Steep rise in drug use-associated infective endocarditis in West Virginia: Characteristics and healthcare utilization. PLoS One 2022;17(7):e0271510. PMID: 35839224. PMCID: PMC9286279. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271510

Bhandari R, Tiwari S, Alexander T, Annie FH, Kaleem U, Irfan A, Balla S, Wiener RC, Cook C, Nanjundappa A, Bates M, Thompson E, Smith GS, Feinberg J, Fisher MA. Sex Differences in Characteristics of Patients with Infective Endocarditis: A Multicenter Study. J Clin Med 2022;11(12):3514. PMID: 35743584. PMCID: PMC9224802. DOI: 10.3390/jcm11123514

Bradley H, Austin C, Allen ST, Asher A, Bartholomew TS, Board A, Borquez A, Buchacz K, Carter A, Cooper HLF, Feinberg J, Furukawa N, Genberg B, Gorbach PM, Hagan H, Huriaux E, Hurley H, Luisi N, Martin NK, Rosenberg ES, Strathdee SA, Jarlais DCD. A stakeholder-driven framework for measuring potential change in the health risks of people who inject drugs (PWID) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Int J Drug Policy 2022;110:103889. PMID: 36343431. PMCID: PMC9574463. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103889

Feinberg J, Keeshin S. Prevention and Initial Management of HIV Infection. Ann Intern Med 2022;175(6):ITC81-ITC96. PMID: 35696682. DOI: 10.7326/AITC202206210

Horigian VE, Schmidt RD, Shmueli-Blumberg D, Hefner K, Feinberg J, Kondapaka R, Feaster DJ, Duan R, Gonzalez S, Davis C, Marín-Navarrete R, Tross S. Suicidality as a Predictor of Overdose among Patients with Substance Use Disorders. J Clin Med 2022;11(21):6400. PMID: 36362628. PMCID: PMC9657076. DOI: 10.3390/jcm11216400

Jenkins RA, Whitney BM, Nance RM, Allen TM, Cooper HLF, Feinberg J, Fredericksen R, Friedmann PD, Go VF, Jenkins WD, Korthuis PT, Miller WC, Pho MT, Rudolph AE, Seal DW, Smith GS, Stopka TJ, Westergaard RP, Young AM, Zule WA, Delaney JAC, Tsui JI, Crane HM. The Rural Opioid Initiative Consortium description: providing evidence to Understand the Fourth Wave of the Opioid Crisis. Addict Sci Clin Pract 2022;17(1):38. PMID: 35883197. PMCID: PMC9321271. DOI: 10.1186/s13722-022-00322-5

Korthuis PT, Cook RR, Foot CA, Leichtling G, Tsui JI, Stopka TJ, Leahy J, Jenkins WD, Baker R, Chan B, Crane HM, Cooper HL, Feinberg J, Zule WA, Go VF, Estadt AT, Nance RM, Smith GS, Westergaard RP, Van Ham B, Brown R, Young AM. Association of Methamphetamine and Opioid Use With Nonfatal Overdose in Rural Communities. JAMA Netw Open 2022;5(8):e2226544. PMID: 35969400. PMCID: PMC9379740. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.26544

Litwin AH, Lum PJ, Taylor LE, Mehta SH, Tsui JI, Feinberg J, Kim AY, Norton BL, Heo M, Arnsten J, Meissner P, Karasz A, Mckee MD, Ward JW, Johnson N, Pericot-Valverde I, Agyemang L, Stein ES, Thomas A, Borsuk C, Blalock KL, Wilkinson S, Wagner K, Roche J, Murray-Krezan C, Anderson J, Jacobsohn V, Luetkemeyer AF, Falade-Nwulia O, Page K. Patient-centred models of hepatitis C treatment for people who inject drugs: a multicentre, pragmatic randomised trial. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol 2022;7(12):1112-1127. PMID: 36370741. DOI: 10.1016/S2468-1253(22)00275-8

O'Brien TC, Feinberg J, Gross R, Albarracín D. Supportive environments during the substance use disorder epidemic in the rural United States: Provider support for interventions and expectations of interactions with providers. Soc Sci Med 2022;294:114691. PMID: 35033798. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114691

Stansbury R, Rudisill T, Salyer R, Kirk B, De Fazio C, Baus A, Aryal S, Strollo PJ, Sharma S, Feinberg J. Provider Perspectives on Sleep Apnea from Appalachia: A Mixed Methods Study. J Clin Med 2022;11(15):4449. PMID: 35956065. PMCID: PMC9369967. DOI: 10.3390/jcm11154449

Stansbury R, Strollo P, Pauly N, Sharma I, Schaaf M, Aaron A, Feinberg J. Underrecognition of sleep-disordered breathing and other common health conditions in the West Virginia Medicaid population: a driver of poor health outcomes. J Clin Sleep Med 2022;18(3):817-824. PMID: 34669570. PMCID: PMC8883087. DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.9692

Wang K, DiChiacchio T, Fang W, Lander L, Feinberg J, Xie C, Winstanley EL, Ubolrat Piamjariyakul. Longitudinal study of impact of medication for opioid use disorder on Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. J Affect Disord 2022;297:148-155. PMID: 34670131. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.10.018

2021

Akhtar Z, Feinberg J. Chapter 3 - Opioid use disorder and rural America. In Norton BL (ed.), The Opioid Epidemic and Infectious Diseases 2021:25-38. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-323-68328-9.00003-5

Burrell CN, Sharon MJ, Davis S, Feinberg J, Wojcik EM, Nist J, Lander O, Boley V, Burns J, Martin IBK. Using the electronic medical record to increase testing for HIV and hepatitis C virus in an Appalachian emergency department. BMC Health Services Research 2021;21(1):524. PMID: 34051774. PMCID: PMC8164230. DOI: 10.1186/s12913-021-06482-5

Cafardi J, Feinberg J. Chapter 2 - The case of Scott County: injection drug use and the HIV and hepatitis C virus outbreak. In Norton BL (ed.), The Opioid Epidemic and Infectious Diseases 2021:11-24. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-323-68328-9.00002-3

Cafardi J, Haas D, Lamarre T, Feinberg J. Opportunistic fungal infection associated with covid-19. Open Forum Infectious Diseases 2021;8(7):ofab016. DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofab016

Davis SM, Stover AN, Linn H, Dower J, McCawley D, Winstanley EL, Feinberg J. Establishing Peer Recovery Support Services to Address the Central Appalachian Opioid Epidemic: The West Virginia Peers Enhancing Education, Recovery, and Survival (WV PEERS) Pilot Program. J Appalach Health 2021;3(3):36-50. PMID: 35770037. PMCID: PMC9192111. DOI: 10.13023/jah.0303.04

Feinberg J, Pearce S. Opportunities for hepatitis B vaccination by SUD treatment programs. Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly 2021;33(21):5-6. DOI: 10.1002/adaw.33082

Hodder SL, Feinberg J, Strathdee SA, Shoptow S, Altice FL, Ortenzio L, Beyer C. The opioid crisis and HIV in the USA: deadly synergies. Lancet 2021;397(10279):1139-1150. PMID: 33617769. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00391-3

Pollini RA, Paquette CE, Drvar T, Marshalek P, Ang-Rabanes M, Feinberg J, Haut MW. A qualitative assessment of discharge against medical advice among patients hospitalized for injection-related bacterial infections in West Virginia. International Journal of Drug Policy 2021;94:103206. PMID: 33765516. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103206

Zibbell JE, Peiper NC, Duhart Clarke SE, Salazar ZR, Vincent LB, Kral AH, Feinberg J. Consumer discernment of fentanyl in illicit opioids confirmed by fentanyl test strips: Lessons from a syringe services program in North Carolina. International Journal of Drug Policy 2021;93:103128. PMID: 33487527 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103128