Addiction Treatment Innovation Launches at the Qualcomm Institute

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The Clinical Addiction Recovery Institute (C.A.R.I.), has announced that it will join the University of California, San Diego community as one of the newest members of the Qualcomm Institute Innovation Space (QIIIS).

C.A.R.I. The Lab, a Mentor On The Go company, will work with the Qualcomm Institute to further develop the smartphone technology it has already launched as part of its signature “On the Go” recovery program.

“We're honored, grateful and thrilled to be part of the Innovation Space at the Qualcomm Institute,” said Patrik Schmidle, CEO of C.A.R.I. “It's our vision at C.A.R.I. to revolutionize the effectiveness of addiction treatment. The opportunity to collaborate with some of the most brilliant minds in mobile health, sensor technology and addiction research gives us a chance to move closer to realizing that goal. This partnership connects C.A.R.I. to the cutting edge in research and technology that will ultimately help those who suffer from addiction.”

C.A.R.I. offers a range of substance use disorder (SUD) recovery programs to the San Diego community, from traditional integrated intensive outpatient (IOP) treatment to new, innovative “On the Go” programs. The team from C.A.R.I. will work closely with UC San Diego campus entities in an effort to combine mobile technology with these evidence-based techniques, ultimately seeking to positively impact the community with unique treatment options for SUDs. By integrating a mobile smartphone application into their recovery programs, the C.A.R.I. method intends to make SUD treatment more effective, convenient and engaging; their hope is that the new method’s flexibility will encourage a greater number of people with moderate substance abuse problems to seek and receive treatment.

C.A.R.I.’s collaboration with QI arrives at a particularly relevant time of increased engagement in risky behaviors as the holidays near and social and family pressures become more acute. Because of the disruptive nature of currently prevalent treatment options that require a substantial time commitment to in-person treatments, often only those people with severe addictions leave their daily responsibilities to seek help. The option provided by C.A.R.I. can be adapted to a more active lifestyle through the use of smartphone technology.

The Qualcomm Institute Innovation Space, where C.A.R.I. will be located, is an integral part of UC San Diego’s entrepreneurship and technology transfer ecosystem. Launched in 2015, it complements existing campus units that promote the commercialization of research findings, including venture-capital accelerators, incubators, and tech transfer and entrepreneurism centers.