The PREMIER Center team will collaborate on projects both within the center and through an extensive network of clinicians and researchers in the Texas Medical Center and across the state to understand and propose solutions for the opioid crisis facing our community, city, state and nation.

The PREMIER Center will address needs not currently being met by any other center, including leading research on controlled substance prescription (CSP) medications.

The primary research and education project in the field of CSP misuse currently being conducted by center faculty and supported by federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grants to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is: 

• The Safe Drug Disposal and Community Awareness (SDD/CA) Project of the Texas Targeted Opioid Response (TTOR) program, is improving the lives of Texans by preventing the non-medical use of prescription medications through increased access to safe disposal methods, assessment of health care provider practices relating to disposal methods and providing prevention education to high-risk individuals in Texas. The funding currently supports three distinct projects: removing unused controlled substances from homes; helping physicians and health systems reduce patient risk with initial opioid prescribing; and providing training to pharmacists to improve safe opioid dispensing in community settings. Read more about the center's work here.

UH News Releases/Articles

Oct. 31, 2022 - University of Houston PREMIER Center Tackles Opioid Epidemic
Spring 2021 - For Safekeeping: Pharmacy Professor Receives $3 Million Grant to Curb Opioid Abuse (UH Magazine)
Oct. 27, 2020 - Rising Opioid Use During Pandemic Heightens Need for Safe Drug Disposal
May 1, 2019 - New UH Pharmacy Center to Tackle Prescription Drug Misuse