Epidemiology

Current Fellows

Predoctoral

  • Erin Annunziato

    Erin Annunziato, MPH, is an SAETP pre-doctoral fellow in the MSPH Department of Epidemiology. She is interested in researching structural-level determinants of substance use-related harms. Her current research examines relationships between state-level drug policy programs, criminal legal system exposure, and substance use treatment. Erin completed her MPH in Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health in 2021. 

    Selected publications:

    • Mauro, P. M., Gutkind, S., Annunziato, E. M., & Samples, H. (2022). Use of Medication for Opioid Use Disorder Among US Adolescents and Adults With Need for Opioid Treatment, 2019. JAMA network open, 5(3), e223821. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.3821
    • Mauro, P. M., Gutkind, S., Askari, M. S., Hasin, D. S., Samples, H., Mauro, C. M., Annunziato, E. M., Boustead, A. E., & Martins, S. S. (2024). Associations between cannabis policies and state-level specialty cannabis use disorder treatment in the United States, 2004-2019. Drug and alcohol dependence, 257, 111113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2024.111113

  • Stanford Chihuri

    Stanford Chihuri, MPH, is a SAETP pre-doctoral fellow in the MSPH Department of Epidemiology. His research interests include examining the intersection between substance use, substance use policies and consequent harm outcomes such as injuries from motor vehicle crashes, falls, and self-harm. His previous research has explored these topics among vulnerable populations such as older adults, amputees, and pregnant mothers. Stan completed his MPH in Epidemiology with a certificate in Advanced Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health. 
     

    Selected publications:

    ·       Chihuri S, Li G. Use of Prescription Opioids and Initiation of Fatal 2-Vehicle Crashes. JAMA Netw Open. 2019;2(2):e188081. Published 2019 Feb 1. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.8081

    ·       Chihuri S, Li G. State marijuana laws and opioid overdose mortality. Inj Epidemiol. 2019;6:38. Published 2019 Sep 2. doi:10.1186/s40621-019-0213-z

    ·       Chihuri S, Li G. Trends in Prescription Opioids Detected in Fatally Injured Drivers in 6 US States: 1995-2015.Am J Public Health. 2017;107(9):1487-1492. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2017.303902

    ·       Chihuri S, Li G, Chen Q. Interaction of marijuana and alcohol on fatal motor vehicle crash risk: a case-control study. Inj Epidemiol. 2017;4(1):8. doi:10.1186/s40621-017-0105-z

  • Lina Demis

    Lina Demis, MPH is an SAETP pre-doctoral fellow in the MSPH Department of Epidemiology. She is interested in researching adolescent mental, neurological, and substance-use (MNS) disorders in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and conflict affected settings. Her research examines the relationship between cognitive and socio-emotional development with substance use and other MNS during adolescence, with a regional focus in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Lina completed her BS in Biology from Brooklyn College, and her MPH in Epidemiology and Humanitarian Action at the Mailman School of Public Health in 2021.


    Selected publications:

    • Greene, M. C., Wimer, G., Larrea, M., Jimenez, I., Angulo, A., Guevara, M. E., Vega, C., Heard, E.,Demis, L., … Tol, W. (2024). Strategies to improve the implementation and effectiveness of community-based psychosocial support interventions for displaced, migrant and host community women in Latin America. Cambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health, 11, e32. doi:10.1017/gmh.2024.29
    • Demis, L. Y., Kane, J. C., & Greene, M. C. (2022). Associations of conflict and migration on childhood cognitive development in Ethiopia: Evidence from a longitudinal study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 63(11), 1279–1287. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13571 
    • Greene, M. C., Haddad, S., Busse, A., Ezard, N., Ventevogel P., Demis, L., Inoue, S., Gumm, J.-C., Campello, G., Tol, W. A., & Kane, J. C. (2021). Priorities for addressing substance use disorder in humanitarian settings. Conflict and Health, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13031-021-00407-z 

  • Adam Whalen

    Adam Whalen, MPH (he/him) is a 3rd year pre-doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology and a 1st year fellow in SAETP. He is interested in the social and spatial epidemiology of substance use, with emphasis on the ways that the social and built environments construct areas of risk for abuse, particularly in urban settings. Adam completed his BS in Public Health Science and Biology at Santa Clara University in 2015 and his MPH in Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health in 2021.

    Selected publications: 

    • Whalen AM, Furuya A, Contreras J, Schneider JA, Lim S, Trinh-Shevrin C, Radix A, Duncan DT. Discrimination and Sleep Health Among Transgender Women of Color in New York City: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Associations From the TURNNT Cohort Study. Am J Public Health. 2025;115(10):1652-1661. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2025.308208
    • Zadey S, Roberts LE, Bushover B, Whalen AM, Mehranbod CA, Chihuri S, Eschliman EL, Morrison CN. Firearm Control Regulations and Firearm-related Mortality: A Cross-National Ecological Study. American Journal of Epidemiology. Published online June 30, 2025:kwaf141. doi:10.1093/aje/kwaf141

Postdoctoral

  • Emilie Bruzelius

    Emilie Bruzelius is a SAETP post-doctoral research fellow in the MSPH Department of Epidemiology. Her research examines relationships between substance use and social policies and health outcomes, with a focus on pregnant people and families. Emilie received her PhD in Epidemiology and MPH in Sociomedical Sciences from MSPH at Columbia University.
     

    Selected publications:

    • Bruzelius E, Underhill K, Askari MS, Kajeepeta S, Bates L, Prins SJ, Jarlenski M, Martins SS. Punitive legal responses to prenatal drug use in the United States: A survey of state policies and systematic review of their public health impacts. International Journal of Drug Policy. 2024 Apr 1;126:104380. PMID: 38484529 PMCID: PMC11056296
    • Bruzelius E, Cerdá M, Davis CS, Jent V, Wheeler-Martin K, Mauro CM, Crystal S, Keyes KM, Samples H, Hasin DS, Martins SS. Naloxone expansion is not associated with increases in adolescent heroin use and injection drug use: Evidence from 44 US states. Int J Drug Policy. 2023 Apr;114:103980. PMID: 36863285. PMCID: PMC11268161
    • Bruzelius E, & Martins SS. US Trends in Drug Overdose Mortality Among Pregnant and Postpartum Persons, 2017-2020. 2022 JAMA, 328(21), 2159–2161. PMID: 36472602. PMCID: PMC9856503
    • Bruzelius E, Baum A. The Mental Health of Hispanic/Latino Americans Following National Immigration Policy Changes: United States, 2014-2018. Am J Public Health. 2019 Dec;109(12):1786-1788. PMID: 31622153. PMCID: PMC6836785
    Emilie Bruzelius

  • Evan Eschliman

    Evan L. Eschliman, PhD, MS is a SAETP postdoctoral research fellow in the MSPH Department of Epidemiology. Broadly, Evan’s research focuses on the negative health effects of stigma—particularly structural stigma—and culturally and structurally-responsive stigma intervention. Their current projects investigate how structural stigma toward substance use drives health inequities and overdose. Evan completed their PhD in the Department of Health, Behavior and Society at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where their dissertation focused on the concept of structural stigma and how it negatively affects the health and well-being of people who use opioids and people with a history of injection drug use. Prior to their PhD, Evan earned their MS in Sociomedical Sciences from MSPH and a BA in Public Policy Studies from the University of Chicago.
     

    Selected publications:

    • Eschliman, E. L., Choe, K., DeLucia, A., Addison, E., Jackson, V. W., Murray, S. M., German, D., Genberg, B. L., & Kaufman, M. R. (2024). First-hand accounts of structural stigma toward people who use opioids on Reddit. Social Science & Medicine, 347, 116772. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116772
    • Eschliman, E. L., Choe, K., Fei, Y. C., Kang, C., Koetje, J., Harocopos, A., Harris, M. N., DeWalt, J., Christopher, S. A., Jackson, V. W., & Yang, L. H. (2024). Evaluation of Two Videos that Apply Evidence-Based Strategies to Increase Self-Efficacy and Reduce Opioid-Related Stigma Among Medical Students. Academic Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-024-01945-3
    • Eschliman, E. L., Patel, E. U., Murray, S. M., German, D., Kirk, G. D., Mehta, S. H., Kaufman, M. R., & Genberg, B. L. (2024). Drug Use-Related Discrimination in Healthcare Settings and Subsequent Emergency Department Utilization in a Prospective Cohort Study of People With a History of Injection Drug Use. Substance Use & Misuse, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2024.2330906
    • Eschliman, E. L., Adames, C.N., & Rosen, J.D. Antidiscrimination laws as essential tools for achieving LGBTQ+ health equity. (2023). JAMA. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2023.0944

  • Nicole Fitzgerald

    Nicole D. Fitzgerald, PhD, is a NIDA T32 SAETP postdoctoral research fellow in the MSPH Department of Epidemiology. Broadly, her research focuses on improving our understanding of the real-world landscape of substance use patterns, trends, and outcomes. Most of this work has involved examining indicators of emerging substance use, availability, and associated harms––particularly related to the use of fentanyl and fentanyl-stimulant combinations, hallucinogens, and new psychoactive substances. Nicole received her PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Florida and received her pre-doctoral training and funding from the NIDA T32 UF Substance Abuse Training Center in Public Health. Her dissertation used data collected through the NIDA-funded National Drug Early Warning System U01 center at UF to examine the prevalence, typologies, and associated adverse effects of self-reported new psychoactive substance use among adults from 20 US cities. Prior to her PhD, Nicole completed her BA in Psychology from Florida Atlantic University.


    Selected publications:

    • Fitzgerald ND, Liu Y, Wang A, Striley CW, Setlow B, Knackstedt L, Cottler LB. Test-retest reliability of a new instrument to capture detailed temporal patterns of polysubstance use. Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 2022;31(3):e1912. doi:10.1002/mpr.1912.
    • Palamar JJ, Fitzgerald ND, Grundy DJ, Jewell JS, Cottler LB. Characteristics of poisonings involving ketamine in the United States, 2019–2021. J Psychopharmacol. 2022;37(8):802–808. doi:10.1177/02698811221140006.
    • Fitzgerald ND, Liu Y, Wang A, Striley CW, Knackstedt L, Setlow B, Cottler LB. Sequencing temporal patterns of sequential and simultaneous polysubstance use among persons who use cocaine, alcohol, and cannabis: a back-translational approach. Drug Alc Depend. 2024;258:111272. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2024.111272.
    • Palamar JJ, Fitzgerald ND, Carr TH, Cottler LB, Ciccarone D. National and regional trends in fentanyl seizures in the United States, 2017–2023. Int J Drug Policy 2024:104417. doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104417.

  • Kelsey Simpson

    Kelsey A. Simpson, PhD, MA is a SAETP Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the MSPH Department of Epidemiology. Her research focuses on substance use, infectious diseases, mental health, and harm reduction, with a particular emphasis on opioid use disorder, overdose prevention, psychiatric comorbidities, and systemic barriers to care among marginalized communities. Dr. Simpson received her PhD in Preventive Medicine from the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine and received training and funding through the NIDA T32 Training Program in Substance Use, HIV and Related Infections at the University of California, San Diego. Her current work examines how systemic and policy-level factors shape care engagement, access, and health outcomes, using a combination of implementation science, epidemiology, and mixed-methods approaches. Dr. Simpson also holds an MA in Clinical Psychology from California State University, Northridge, and a BA in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

    Selected publications:

    • Simpson KA, Stone MD, Leventhal AM, Pang RD, Ray L, Kirkpatrick MG. Effects of intranasal oxytocin on cigarette withdrawal and smoking in the laboratory: differences by sex and social functioning traits. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol. 2024 Jun 27.
    • Simpson KA, Bolshakova M, Cho J, Davis J, Kirkpatrick M, Barrington-Trimis JL, Kral AH, Bluthenthal RN. Characterizing opioid withdrawal experiences and consequences among a community sample of people who use opioids. Subst Use Misuse. 2024 Jan 22:1-9.
    • Simpson KA, Gevorgian H, Kral AH, Wenger L, Bourgois P, Bluthenthal RN. Prevalence and predictors of recent temporary psychiatric hold among a cohort of people who inject drugs in Los Angeles and San Francisco, California. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2021 Jul 29;227:108916. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108916. PMID:34358770; PMCID:PMC8464528.
    • Simpson KA, Cho J, Barrington-Trimis JL. The association of type of cannabis product used and frequency of use with problematic cannabis use in a sample of young adult cannabis users. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2021 Jun 24;226:108865. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108865. PMID:34216861.
    Kelsey Simpson

Affiliated Fellows

  • Diego A. Diaz-Faes

    Diego A. Díaz-Faes, PhD, is a postdoctoral research scientist in the MSPH Department of Epidemiology and affiliated fellow to SAETP. His research focuses on the developmental consequences of early-life adversity, with a particular emphasis on cognitive, emotional and behavioral factors, as well as on aggressive and suicidal behaviors. Diego received his Ph.D. in Brain, Cognition and Behavior from the University of Barcelona.

    Selected publications:

    • Díaz-Faes DA, Rajan, S, Branas, C. Navigating dual-harm: Integrating self-harm and aggression into public health inquiry. Am J Public Health (forthcoming)
    • Díaz-Faes DA, Widom CS. From childhood maltreatment to intimate partner violence perpetration: A prospective longitudinal examination of the roles of executive functioning and self-esteem. J Psychiatr Res. 2024;173:271-280. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.03.015 PMID: 38554623
    • Díaz-Faes DA, Codina M, Pereda N. Identifying victimization clusters across people with intellectual disabilities: A latent class analysis. Disabil Health J. 2024;17(2):101573. doi:10.1016/j.dhjo.2023.101573 PMID: 38072748
    • Díaz-Faes DA, Pereda N, Gámez-Guadix M. The role of adverse childhood experiences in suicide among sexual minority undergraduate students. Death Stud. 2024;48(3):219-227. doi:10.1080/07481187.2023.2214892 PMID: 37203223

  • Megan Marziali

    Megan Marziali, MPH, is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Epidemiology and an Affiliated Fellow in the Substance Abuse Epidemiology Training Program. She was recently awarded a NIDA R36 grant (PI: Marziali) for her dissertation work, which seeks to examine the relationship between loneliness, substance use outcomes, and HIV-related outcomes. She is also interested in conducting evaluations of various policies in the United States, and how distinct policies impact substance use outcomes. Alongside collaborators in Canada, she is working to examine mortality outcomes among people with HIV who experience a nonfatal overdose. Megan received her BSc in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of British Columbia and completed her MPH in Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health in 2021.
     

    Selected publications:

    • Marziali ME, Prins SJ, Gutkind S, Martins SS. Partner incarceration, maternal substance use, and the mediating role of social support: A longitudinal analysis using the future of families and child wellbeing study. Soc Sci Med. 2024 May;349:116896. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116896. Epub 2024 Apr 17. PubMed PMID: 38653185; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11097120.
    • Martins SS, Segura LE, Marziali ME, Bruzelius E, Levy NS, Gutkind S, Santarin K, Sacks K, Fox A. Higher unemployment benefits are associated with reduced drug overdose mortality in the United States before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Int J Drug Policy. 2024 Aug;130:104522. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104522. Epub 2024 Jul 11. PubMed PMID: 38996642; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11347091.
    • Marziali ME, Card KG, McLinden T, Wang L, Trigg J, Hogg RS. Physical Distancing in COVID-19 May Exacerbate Experiences of Social Isolation among People Living with HIV. AIDS Behav. 2020 Aug;24(8):2250-2252. doi: 10.1007/s10461-020-02872-8. PubMed PMID: 32328849; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7178096.