Feinberg

Judith Feinberg, MD

Vice Chair, Research & Professor, Infectious Diseases

Contact

Send an Email
Phone
304-293-5255
Fax
304-293-2710
Address
PO Box 9156
930 Chestnut Ridge Road
Morgantown, WV 26505
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Positions

Vice Chair, Research & Professor, Infectious Diseases
Dr. E. B. Flink Chair of Research

Organization:
School of Medicine
Department:
Medicine
Classification:
Faculty

Professor

Organization:
School of Medicine
Classification:
Faculty

Professor

Organization:
School of Medicine
Classification:
Faculty

Education

  • MD, Rush Medical College

Publications

Stover AN, Winstanley EL, Zhang Y, Feinberg J. The impact of rural classification systems on a comparison of risky drug-related behaviors in Kentucky and Ohio counties. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment. Published online Jan 9, 2019. doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2018.1516591. 

Kushner T, Tressler  S, Chen Z, Kaufman H, Jones-López EC, Feinberg J, Terrault NA.  Changes in prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection among reproductive-aged women and children under 3 years of age in the United States, 2011-2017. Clin Inf Dis, published online August 26, 2019. doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciz841.

Winstanley EL, Stover AM, Feinberg J. Concurrent alcohol and opioid use among harm reduction clients. Addictive Behaviors. Published online Nov. 5, 2019.  PMID: doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.06.016 

Feinberg J.  World View: Tackle the epidemic, not the opioids. Nature, September 12, 2019; 573:165.

Litwin AH, Jost J, Wagner K, Heo M, Karasz A, Feinberg J, Kim AY, Lum PJ, Mehta SH, Taylor LE, Tsui JI, Pericot-Valverde I, Page K, and the HERO Study Group.  Rationale and design of a randomized pragmatic trial of patient-centered models of hepatitis C treatment for people who inject drugs: the HERO study. Contemporary Clinical Trials 2019; 87:105859. doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2019.105859.

Krakower DS, Daskalakis DC, Feinberg J, Marcus JL. Tenofovir alafenamide for HIV preexposure prophylaxis — what can we DISCOVER about its true value? Ann Intern Med, published online January 14, 2020. doi: 10.7326/M19-3337.

Cafardi JM, Haas D, Lamarre T, Feinberg J. Brucella endocarditis in persons who inject drugs. Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 2020; 7(4); ofaa063; https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofaa063.

Tressler S, Lilly C, Gross D, Hulsey T, Feinberg J. Variations in hepatitis B vaccine series completion by setting among adults at risk in West Virginia. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2020; 59(5):e189-e196. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2020.05.022.

Hodder SL, Feinberg J, Strathdee SA, Shoptaw S, Altice FL, Ortenzio L, Beyrer C. The U.S. opioid crisis and HIV: deadly synergies. (In print, Lancet, Nov 2020.)


SUBMITTED PAPERS

Burrell CN, Sharon MJ, Davis SM, Feinberg J, Nist J, Lander O, Boley V, Burns J, Wojcik E, Martin IBK. Using the electronic medical record to increase testing for HIV and hepatitis C virus in an Appalachian emergency department. (Submtted, BMJ Public Health, August 2020.)

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. (Submitted, Journal of Addiction Medicine, July 2020.)

O’Brien TC, Feinberg J, Gross R, Albarracin D.  Creating supportive environments to curb the opioid epidemic: how perceptions of providers’ support for intervention strategies might shape patient-provider interactions. (Submitted, Social Science and Medicine, July 2020.)

Zibbell JE, Pieper NC, Duhart Clarke SE, Salazar ZR, Vincent LB, Feinberg J, Kral AH.  Consumer discernment of fentanyl in street-purchased opioid products confirmed by fentanyl test strips: lessons from a syringe services program in North Carolina. (Submitted, Addictive Behaviors, October 2020.)

Awards

Honors and Achievements 

2020   You Make a Difference Award, Community Liver Alliance, Pittsburgh

2015   Cincinnati Healthcare Hero, finalist and winner, Community Outreach

Additional Info

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:

American College of Physicians (Fellow)
Infectious Diseases Society of America (Fellow)
American Society for Microbiology
American Association for the Advancement of Science
International AIDS Society
International Society for Antiviral Research
Society for Clinical Trials
American Academy of HIV Medicine
HIV Medical Association 
International Network on Hepatitis in Substance Users
American Public Health Association
College on Problems of Drug Dependence

About Judith Feinberg

In 2005, Dr. Feinberg was the first physician in metropolitan Cincinnati to recognize that opioid injection drug use had emerged as a health threat, based on increased admissions for infective endocarditis.  She became involved in harm reduction efforts and, in 2014, after a nine-year effort she established Ohio's 3rd syringe exchange and its 1st true syringe services program, the Cincinnati Exchange Project. 

West Virginia has the highest rates of acute hepatitis B, acute hepatitis C, Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, and overdose deaths in the U.S. After a long career in HIV/AIDS, she came to WVU in late 2015 to focus on ending these opioid-related epidemics at their epicenter.  As Professor of Behavioral Medicine & Psychiatry and Professor of Medicine/Infectious Diseases, she is working hard to turn the tide on opioid misuse and opioid-related epidemics.  She has federal funding from National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Initiative, the Appalachian Regional Commission, and state funding from the WV Bureau for Public Health for these efforts.  Dr. Feinberg was recently named the first E.B. Flink Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Medicine.

 

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