John Pamplin II, PhD, MPH

  • Bruce P. Dohrenwend Assistant Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology
212-305-1108

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Overview

Dr. John R. Pamplin II is a social epidemiologist who studies the consequences of structural racism and systemic inequity on mental health and substance use outcomes. His program of research investigates drivers of racial patterning in major depression, emerging racial trends in adolescent and adult suicide, and the mental and physical health consequences of the hyper-policing of Black and Brown neighborhoods. Dr. Pamplin's research further explores policing as a determinant of racial inequities in substance use and carceral outcomes by exploring how variations in police enforcement may lead to differential effectiveness of public health laws, including those intended to reduce harms of the overdose crisis.

Academic Appointments

  • Bruce P. Dohrenwend Assistant Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology

Administrative Titles

  • Faculty, Columbia Population Research Center
  • Faculty, Columbia Social Psychiatry: Innovation in Research, Implementation, and Training
  • Faculty, Columbia Center for Injury Science and Prevention

Credentials & Experience

Education & Training

  • BS, 2010 Morehouse College
  • MPH, 2014 Columbia University
  • PhD, 2020 Columbia University

Committees, Societies, Councils

Member, New York State Health Equity Council, New York State Department of Health
Member, Steering Committee, Psychiatric Epidemiology Training Program
Member, Society for Epidemiologic Research
Member, World Psychiatric Association, Epidemiology & Public Health section
Member, American Psychopathological Association
Member, Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Sciences

Editorial Boards

American Journal of Epidemiology

Honors & Awards

2025, Robins/Guze Early Career Award, American Psychopathological Association
2020, William Farr Award, Department of Epidemiology, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health

Research

Research Interests

  • Community Health
  • Drug abuse and dependence
  • Health Equity and Disparities
  • Mental Health
  • Substance Use
  • Urban Health

Selected Publications

Eisenberg-Guyot, J., Presskreischer, R., & Pamplin, J. R. (2024). Psychiatric Epidemiology During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Current epidemiology reports, 11(2), 120-130. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40471-024-00342-6

Pamplin, J. R., Kelsall, N. C., Keyes, K. M., Bates, L. M., & Prins, S. J. (2023). Race, criminalization and urban mental health in the United States. Current opinion in psychiatry, 36(3), 219-236. https://doi.org/10.1097/yco.0000000000000857

Pamplin II, J. R., King, C., Cooper, C., Bennett, A. S., Elliott, L., Davis, C. S., ... & Townsend, T. N. (2023). Pathways to racial disparities in the effects of Good Samaritan Laws: A mixed methods pilot study. Drug and alcohol dependence, 249, 110823. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.110823

Joshi, S., Doonan, S. M., & Pamplin Ii, J. R. (2023). A tale of two cities: racialized arrests following decriminalization and recreational legalization of cannabis. Drug and alcohol dependence, 249, 109911. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.109911

Pamplin, J. R., Rouhani, S., Davis, C. S., King, C., & Townsend, T. N. (2023). Persistent criminalization and structural racism in US drug policy: the case of overdose good Samaritan laws. American journal of public health, 113(S1), S43-S48. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.307037

Pamplin II, J. R., Rudolph, K. E., Keyes, K. M., Susser, E. S., & Bates, L. M. (2023). Investigating a paradox: toward a better understanding of the relationships between racial group membership, stress, and major depressive disorder. American Journal of Epidemiology, 192(11), 1845-1853. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwad128

Platt, J. M., Pamplin II, J. R., Gimbrone, C., Rutherford, C., Kandula, S., Olfson, M., ... & Keyes, K. (2022). Racial disparities in spatial and temporal youth suicide clusters. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 61(9), 1131-1140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2021.12.012

Pamplin II, J. R., & Bates, L. M. (2021). Evaluating hypothesized explanations for the Black-White depression paradox: a critical review of the extant evidence. Social Science & Medicine, 281, 114085. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114085

Pamplin II, J. R., Kezios, K. L., Hayes-Larson, E., Keyes, K. M., Susser, E. S., Factor-Litvak, P., ... & Bates, L. M. (2021). Explaining the Black-white depression paradox: interrogating the Environmental Affordances Model. Social Science & Medicine, 277, 113869. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113869