Center for Opioid Epidemiology & Policy | NYU Langone Health

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Division of Epidemiology Center for Opioid Epidemiology & Policy

Center for Opioid Epidemiology & Policy

The Center for Opioid Epidemiology and Policy at NYU Langone launched in 2018 and is led by Magdalena Cerdá, DrPH, MPH, professor in the Department of Population Health. The center aims to conduct high-impact research to inform policy, social, health services, community, and treatment approaches to reduce overdose and substance-related harms through four areas of focus, overall and across intersectional subgroups:

  • examining the social and policy drivers of population-level rates of overdose and disparities in overdose rates
  • evaluating the impact of existing and evolving service, social, policy, and health service solutions to the epidemic to build health equity
  • integrating advanced analytical and data science techniques with epidemiologic research to more precisely measure, forecast, and understand the drivers of overdose and related harms
  • investigating the links between substance use and related health and social concerns including violence, infectious disease, and evolving crises

A Multidisciplinary Approach

The center is a trusted research source on the United States’ rapidly shifting overdose epidemic, sharing evidence and metrics with researchers, policymakers, and the public, nationally and internationally, with the aim of informing policy and practice around treatment.

Our center is comprised of a multidisciplinary team conducting cutting-edge work on the social determinants of substance use, the impact of state and national policies on substance use, and the effects of different treatment regimens and medications on substance use disorders. We are expanding these efforts through training and education in opioid epidemiology and public policy for the next generation of researchers.

Dr. Magdalena Cerdá explains that one of the center’s goals is to train the next generation of researchers so they can effectively address future overdose epidemics.

Contact Us

For all inquiries, please contact Caroline Barnes, MPH, senior program manager, at Caroline.Barnes@NYULangone.org. To stay up to date with developments in opioid epidemiology and policy, please join our mailing list.