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Stephen Sandelich, MD

Research portfolio

Research

The emergency department is not the end of the story. It's where we have the chance to change it. Four lines of work close the gap between crisis moments and sustained recovery.

01 / Current work

Active projects

Ongoing research, infrastructure, and collaborative initiatives.

5 projects

Ongoing — Present

Substance Use Detection

Active

Develops and tests screening tools and intervention protocols suitable for high-volume emergency department environments.

ScreeningImplementation Science
  • Feasibility of ED-based screening tools
  • Adolescent and caregiver perspectives on screening in pediatric EDs
  • Brief intervention design for acute care settings

Ongoing — Present

Opioid Use Disorder in the Pediatric Emergency Department

Active

Examines acute opioid crises in adolescent patients and treatment implementation, anchored by a pending NIH K23 pilot randomized controlled trial of smartphone-delivered contingency management.

Opioid Use DisorderHarm Reduction
  • Acute opioid overdose presentations in pediatric patients
  • ED-initiated buprenorphine for adolescents with OUD
  • Prehospital opioid encounters and EMS response patterns

Ongoing — Present

Social Vulnerability & Acute Care Outcomes

Active

Investigates how social determinants — poverty, geography, adverse childhood experiences — intersect with substance use outcomes.

Health EquityHealth Services Research
  • Social vulnerability index and pediatric EMS behavioral health activations
  • Adverse childhood experiences and emotional regulation
  • Geographic and socioeconomic disparities in opioid outcomes

Ongoing — Present

ED-to-Community Care Transitions

Active

Develops pathways to maintain adolescent engagement after hospital discharge, connecting the emergency visit to sustained outpatient care.

Care TransitionsPeer Recovery
  • Peer recovery navigator programs
  • Warm handoff protocols to outpatient providers
  • Healthcare utilization patterns among dually-diagnosed adolescents

2026 — Present

Adolescent SUD Referral Readiness in Rural Central Pennsylvania

Active

Assesses adolescent substance use treatment capacity and referral readiness in rural central Pennsylvania through a community advisory board and a structured provider inventory, addressing what happens on the receiving end of a referral. Penn State CTSI Community-Engaged Research (CEnR) Faculty Fellowship.

Community-Engaged ResearchRural Health
  • Community advisory board of treatment providers, county SCA offices, schools, and peer recovery specialists
  • Structured inventory of referral capacity, wait times, and confidentiality practice
  • Findings inform referral pathway design for the K12 and K23 studies