Substance Abuse Epidemiology Unit
The Substance Abuse Epidemiology Unit addresses the etiology, prevention, distribution, natural history, and treatment of substance use disorders, including and not limited to alcohol, marijuana and opioids. Faculty in our unit conduct epidemiologic research on the causes, consequences and interventions for substance use and substance use disorders (SUD), with a multi-level, cells-to-society perspective.
Research within the Substance Abuse Epidemiology Unit extends from local NYC data to work in other cities, the U.S. nationally, and also internationally. Our faculty have expertise across a range of epidemiologic study designs including international, national and local population-based studies, follow-up studies, and randomized controlled field trials. Our studies integrate approaches across many different disciplines and specialties including substance abuse epidemiology, lifecourse epidemiology, social epidemiology, injury epidemiology, and health outcomes.
Our unit maintains and continues to expand innovative collaborative research and a training program. Primary Columbia collaborators include: the departments of Sociomedical Sciences, Biostatistics, Anesthesiology, Psychiatry and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. We benefit greatly by drawing on expertise from many of our faculty in the unit who share appointments in other departments across Columbia University Medical Center.