About

Kyle M. Kampman, M.D., is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Presbyterian Medical Center of Philadelphia. He is also a Staff Physician at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Philadelphia. His educational background includes a B.A. in Chemistry from Northwestern University and an M.D. from Tulane University. His professional focus is on addiction psychiatry, with research and clinical interests centered around opioid use disorder and substance use treatment. His work involves evaluating treatments such as buprenorphine/naloxone and methadone, as well as exploring the neurobiological and psychological aspects of addiction and co-occurring psychiatric conditions.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Psychology
• Psychiatry
• Anesthesia
• Internal medicine

Selected publications

• Testing the Efficacy of an Adaptive Approach to Delivering Psychosocial Interventions in Office-based Buprenorphine Treatment

  Journal of Addiction Medicine · 2026-01-05

  article

  OBJECTIVES: Clinical guidelines recommend providing adjunctive psychosocial interventions with medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD); however, limited evidence exists regarding when and how to provide them. This 2-group unblinded randomized controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of an adaptive approach to providing cognitive behavioral therapy and peer support for individuals receiving office-based buprenorphine treatment. METHODS: Between September 2020 and May 2023, 125 patients who recently initiated office-based buprenorphine treatment at 2 federally qualified health centers in the Mid-Atlantic region and provided informed consent were randomly assigned (1:1) to treatment as usual (TAU; n = 63) or TAU plus adjunctive psychosocial treatment delivered using an adaptive algorithm informed by baseline characteristics, engagement, and responsiveness (TAU+Adaptive; n = 62). Assessments occurred at baseline and 3- and 6-month follow-ups. Primary outcomes were treatment retention and opioid use. RESULTS: No significant between-group differences were observed. Across conditions, about 30% tested positive for opioids at follow-up, and 40% remained in MOUD treatment at 6 months. Exploratory post hoc analyses indicated greater retention among participants prescribed a 24 mg baseline buprenorphine dose (46%) compared with those on 16 (24%) or 8 mg (26%). No serious study-related adverse events were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Although the efficacy of the adaptive approach was not supported, high rates of treatment discontinuation and polysubstance use highlight the need for additional support for some patients. Findings also suggest that dosing strategies may need to be tailored to the increasing potency of the illicit opioid supply.

  PublisherDOI

• Comparative effectiveness of urine drug testing schedules alongside opioid agonist treatment: Emulation of a population‐based target trial in British Columbia, Canada

  Addiction · 2025-08-31 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND AND AIM: Urine drug testing is often utilized alongside opioid agonist treatment to assess client progress by validating self-reported substance use, monitoring for diversion and supporting clinical decisions for take-home dosing. However, there is a paucity of evidence to support the practice of urine drug testing. We aimed to determine the association of alternative urine drug testing frequencies with opioid agonist treatment discontinuation, compared with no monitoring, among individuals receiving methadone or buprenorphine/naloxone treatment. DESIGN: Population-based retrospective cohort study and target trial emulation based on nine-linked administrative databases. SETTING: British Columbia, Canada, between 1 January 2010 and 17 March 2020. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals with no history of cancer or palliative care, aged 18 or older and no indication of pregnancy who initiated methadone or buprenorphine/naloxone. A total of 18 988 methadone and 11 910 buprenorphine/naloxone recipients were included in the incident user design (individuals with no past opioid agonist treatment experience). MEASUREMENTS: We used a clone-censor-weight approach to estimate hazard ratios with 95% compatibility ("confidence") intervals for treatment discontinuation (lasting at least 5 and 6 days for methadone and buprenorphine, respectively) and all-cause mortality on treatment within 12 months for static urine drug testing strategies. FINDINGS: Under static monitoring strategies, weekly urine drug testing was associated with a slightly reduced risk of discontinuation in the first year of continuous retention in treatment [methadone: adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 0.96, 95% compatibility interval (CI) = (0.95-0.98); buprenorphine/naloxone: aHR = 0.95 (0.94-0.97)] compared with no monitoring. The estimated associations of weekly urine drug testing with all-cause mortality were similar in size but extremely imprecise [methadone: aHR = 0.95 (0.78-1.15), buprenorphine/naloxone: aHR = 0.99 (0.62-1.58)]. Less frequent testing demonstrated no observed difference on treatment discontinuation or all-cause mortality compared with no monitoring. CONCLUSION: Compared with no urine drug testing, weekly urine drug testing may be associated with improved opioid agonist treatment retention; however, the high costs attributable to frequent testing may not be cost-effective and requires further evaluation. There was no improvement associated with less frequent testing compared with no monitoring.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Lofexidine with Pregabalin for Managing Opioid Withdrawal: A New Use for an Old Drug?

  Drug and Alcohol Dependence · 2025-02-01

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Multi-ancestry genome-wide association meta-analysis of buprenorphine treatment response

  Neuropsychopharmacology · 2025-05-06 · 1 citations

  reviewOpen access

  Abstract Although the mu-opioid partial agonist buprenorphine is increasingly being prescribed to treat opioid use disorder, patients’ responses to the drug vary and few clinical and no genetic predictors of treatment response have been identified. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis of buprenorphine treatment response (defined using urine drug screen results) in 4394 Veterans with opioid use disorder from the VA Million Veteran Program (751 of African-like ancestry [AFR] and 3643 of European-like ancestry [EUR]) and 296 participants from a clinical trial of extended-release buprenorphine (n AFR = 104, n EUR = 192). We conducted within-ancestry GWAS in both cohorts, followed by cross-ancestry, fixed-effects GWAS meta-analyses within and across cohorts. We also examined associations between demographic and clinical characteristics and buprenorphine treatment response. The cross-ancestry meta-analysis of both cohorts identified one genome-wide significant locus (rs149319538 ) that maps to SLC39A10 , a gene that encodes a zinc transporter. Phenome-wide association analyses of the lead variant implicated connectivity of the uncinate fasciculus, a limbic white matter fiber tract. Of the clinical characteristics, only the presence of chronic pain and a lower maximum buprenorphine dosage were related to higher odds of treatment response in adjusted models. We report here the first genome-wide significant variant associated with buprenorphine treatment response. Larger samples are needed to replicate these findings and identify additional clinical and genetic factors that predict buprenorphine treatment efficacy to enable the use of a precision approach to OUD treatment.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Chapter 6. Stimulants

  American Psychiatric Association Publishing eBooks · 2025-11-01

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Racial and ethnic disparities in buprenorphine retention and treatment outcome in a longitudinal cohort of U.S. veterans with opioid use disorder

  The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse · 2025-10-29

  article

  There are racial disparities in MOUD prescribing and rates of retention, particularly in the rate of abstinence among buprenorphine-treated veterans. Standardized criteria for MOUD selection may help guide clinical decisions and reduce racial disparities in treatment outcomes.

  PublisherDOI

• Perspectives of substance use disorder counselors on the benefits and drawbacks of medications for opioid use disorder

  Addiction Science & Clinical Practice · 2025-02-04 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) are among the best tools available to combat the opioid epidemic. Yet, use of MOUD among people with opioid use disorder (OUD) remains low. Interventions to increase MOUD access in the United States have largely focused on improving organizational capacity and addressing funding barriers, yet stigma toward MOUD may inhibit uptake even where MOUD is readily available. Non-prescribing substance use disorder (SUD) treatment professionals (e.g. counselors) likely have considerable influence on a client's choice to initiate and adhere to MOUD, but beliefs that counselors convey about MOUD in interaction with clients are understudied. The current study explores what advantages and disadvantages that counselors communicate about buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone. METHODS: From June to December 2021, we surveyed counselors from publicly-funded SUD treatment agencies under a municipality-wide mandate to offer MOUD to all clients with OUD. Counselors were asked to describe, in a free-response format, the most important advantages and disadvantages to communicate to their clients about taking buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone. Counselor responses were coded for one or more advantage and disadvantage. RESULTS: A total of 271 SUD counselors from 29 agencies in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area completed the survey, generating 1,995 advantages and disadvantages across three types of MOUD. The most frequently reported advantage across all three types of MOUD was their ability to reduce cravings and illicit drug use. The most frequently reported disadvantage related to the potential for some types of MOUD to develop long-term medication dependence. CONCLUSIONS: As the availability and variety of MOUD treatment options continue to expand, it is important that SUD counselors are equipped with evidence-based recommendations for OUD care. We identified misalignments with the MOUD-prescribing evidence base and stigmatizing language toward MOUD within counselors' responses, highlighting the potential to refine training materials for MOUD and mitigate stigmatizing beliefs.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Transition to Antagonist Treatment in the Age of Fentanyl

  Drug and Alcohol Dependence · 2024-07-01

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Early Non-Adherence Among Individuals Initiating Low Barrier Buprenorphine Treatment in an Office-Based Setting

  Drug and Alcohol Dependence · 2024-07-01

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Buprenorphine-Precipitated Withdrawal Among Hospitalized Patients Using Fentanyl

  JAMA Network Open · 2024-09-27 · 43 citations

  articleOpen access

  Importance: Buprenorphine treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) is safe and effective, but opioid withdrawal during treatment initiation is associated with poor retention in care. As fentanyl has replaced heroin in the drug supply, case reports and surveys have indicated increased concern for buprenorphine-precipitated withdrawal (PW); however, some observational studies have found a low incidence of PW. Objective: To estimate buprenorphine PW incidence and assess factors associated with PW among emergency department (ED) or hospitalized patients. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study at 3 academic hospitals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, included adults with OUD who underwent traditional or high-dose buprenorphine initiation between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021. Exclusion criteria included low-dose buprenorphine initiation and missing documentation of opioid withdrawal severity within 4 hours of receiving buprenorphine. Exposure: Buprenorphine initiation with an initial dose of at least 2 mg of sublingual buprenorphine after a Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (COWS) score of 8 or higher. Additional exposures included 4 predefined factors potentially associated with PW: severity of opioid withdrawal before buprenorphine (COWS score of 8-12 vs ≥13), initial buprenorphine dose (2 vs 4 or ≥8 mg), body mass index (BMI) (<25 vs 25 to <30 or ≥30; calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared), and urine fentanyl concentration (0 to <20 vs 20 to <200 or ≥200 ng/mL). Main Outcome and Measures: The main outcome was PW incidence, defined as a 5-point or greater increase in COWS score from immediately before to within 4 hours after buprenorphine initiation. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of PW associated with the 4 aforementioned predefined factors. Results: The cohort included 226 patients (150 [66.4%] male; mean [SD] age, 38.6 [10.8] years). Overall, 26 patients (11.5%) met criteria for PW. Among patients with PW, median change in COWS score was 9 points (IQR, 6-13 points). Of 123 patients with confirmed fentanyl use, 20 (16.3%) had PW. In unadjusted and adjusted models, BMI of 30 or greater compared with less than 25 (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 5.12; 95% CI, 1.31-19.92) and urine fentanyl concentration of 200 ng/mL or greater compared with less than 20 ng/mL (AOR, 8.37; 95% CI, 1.60-43.89) were associated with PW. Conclusions and Relevance: In this retrospective cohort study, 11.5% of patients developed PW after buprenorphine initiation in ED or hospital settings. Future studies should confirm the rate of PW and assess whether bioaccumulated fentanyl is a risk factor for PW.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Center for the Development of Novel Medications for Cocaine Dependence

  NIH · $5.1M · 2014–2019

• NIH Grant R01AA016553

  NIH · $2.6M · 2013

• NIH Grant U01DA033368

  NIH · $2.3M · 2017

• NIH Grant K20DA000238

  NIH · $848k · 2000

• NIH Grant R01DA025246

  NIH · $1.2M · 2013

Frequent coauthors

• Helen M. Pettinati

  General Electric (Norway)

  179 shared

• Domenic A. Ciraulo

  129 shared

• Raye Z. Litten

  National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

  128 shared

• Joanne B. Fertig

  Providence College

  128 shared

• Daniel E. Falk

  National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

  128 shared

• Megan L. Ryan

  National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

  126 shared

• Alan I. Green

  Dartmouth College

  125 shared

• Bankole A. Johnson

  Larkin University

  125 shared