The impact of the opioid epidemic on drug injection: Evidence and public health implications

 

Live Stream: Oct 18, 2:00pm

 

Ricky N. Bluthenthal, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine and the Institute for Prevention Research at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California.  His research has established the effectiveness of syringe exchange programs, tested novel interventions and strategies to reduce HIV risk and improve HIV testing among people who inject drugs and men who have sex with men, documented how community conditions contribute to health disparities, and examined health policy implementation.  At present, Dr. Bluthenthal is conducting studies on preventing injection initiation, improving HIV testing and linkage to care for low-income gay and bisexual African American men, and reducing stress and improving family cohesion among low-income Latinos using a mindfulness-based meditation intervention.  Other research interest include health care for people who inject drugs, drug use epidemiology, life course theory, and mixed method research designs. Dr. Bluthenthal has published over 110 manuscripts in peer-reviewed scientific journals including the American Journal of Public Health, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, and Social Science and Medicine among others. Dr. Bluthenthal has led studies funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation among others.  Dr. Bluthenthal has served as a standing member on three NIH study sections (Community Influences on Health Behavior [CIHB], Health Disparities and Equity Promotion [HDEP], and Behavioral and Social Science Approaches to Preventing HIV/AIDS [BSPH]) and served as chair of HDEP for 3 years.  He has also been a regular member of the human subjects protection committees at the RAND Corporation and at the Keck School of Medicine at USC.  Over the years, Dr. Bluthenthal has held a number of positions including Associate to Senior Scientist at the RAND Corporation, Professor of Sociology and Dean of Graduate Studies and Research at California State University Dominguez Hills, and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. He received his BA in History and Sociology from the University of California Santa Cruz, and his PhD in Sociology from the University of California Berkeley.