PUBLICATIONS
Health Promotion Practice
IRIS
The IRIS Recovery Research Fellowship brought together peers with lived experience, service providers, and academics to build research skills and strengthen the integration of peers into the recovery workforce. Using a community-based participatory approach, the program fostered trust in research, connectedness, and advocacy for peer roles. Fellows completed original studies and a position paper, showing significant growth in research capacity. The initiative highlights the need for more hands-on, interdisciplinary opportunities to support peer-led recovery research and evidence-based practice.
Forensic Mental Health Insider
Xavier Justice, Recovery Research Fellow
This article outlines the principles of effective forensic peer support, emphasizing the "5 R’s": Re-entry, Rehabilitation, Recovery, Reintegration, and Reconciliation. These principles guide formerly justice-involved individuals in rebuilding their lives through community connection, personal growth, and accountability. Forensic peer support, a subspecialty of peer services, is delivered by those with lived experience in the justice system and plays a vital role in reducing relapse and recidivism. The piece highlights the growing recognition of peer specialists as essential bridges to recovery, offering mentorship, advocacy, and hope.
Innovations in Recovery Through Infrastructure Support
IRIS & Recovery Research Fellowship
This position paper explores effective strategies for integrating peer support workers into the substance use recovery workforce. It highlights the critical role peers play in recovery, drawing on lived experience to provide empathetic, non-judgmental support. Despite proven benefits—such as improved treatment retention, reduced relapse, and enhanced self-efficacy—peer workforce integration (PWI) faces barriers including stigma, unclear roles, inadequate funding, and lack of centralized coordination.
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The paper outlines actionable strategies to overcome these challenges, such as expanding Medicaid reimbursement, improving training and supervision, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and building a stronger evidence base through peer-led research. It calls for systemic changes to ensure peers are respected, fairly compensated, and sustainably employed, ultimately strengthening recovery outcomes and the broader behavioral health system.
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Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship
IRIS & Community Partners
Forming community-academic partnerships in recovery research, as demonstrated by the IRIS initiative, is a complex but rewarding process. By using community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles, IRIS built a large network of stakeholders, emphasizing the importance of humility and accountability. Key lessons include acknowledging past harms by academia, compensating partners fairly, and continually asking “Who’s missing?” to ensure broad representation. These practices foster trust and create research that is both community-driven and academically supported.
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