The misuse of opioids has become a national public health emergency, as the number of overdoses and deaths have steadily increased. AIR’s Center for Addiction Research and Effective Solutions (AIR CARES) works to expand access to evidence-based treatment and recovery for addiction and substance use disorders, address mental and behavioral health issues, and facilitate trauma-informed care. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar, the center’s director and a practicing physician at Heartland Alliance Health in Chicago, discusses her personal experience in treating patients with addiction and how research can help tackle the opioid epidemic.