Center for Mental Health and Addiction Policy

Join CMAP & the Bloomberg Overdose Prevention Initiative for a convening on innovative uses of opioid settlement funds. Explore best practices, emerging innovations, and new 2024 tracking data.

Hybrid event. Registration required.
Register & Learn more: bit.ly/CMAP-NEXUS4

📢 Our next Work-in-Progress session is next Tuesday! Sachini Bandara and Sean Allen will be presenting their current mental health research projects.

📅 Tuesday, February 17th
🕛 12 – 1 pm
📍 Ashland building, conference room 348

Promo graphic for episode 1006 of Public Health On Call titled Public Health and Gambling: Part 1. Additional text reads: How gambling became so ubiquitous and the potential for problems.

Sports betting has exploded in popularity, but experts are becoming increasingly concerned about the public health implications.

@mattdeisenberg.bsky.social and @markmeiselbach.bsky.social discuss how to make online sports gambling safer.

🎧 podcast.publichealth.jhu.edu/1006-public-...

We’re proud to support awareness around prevention of substance use and misuse. The 22nd SAMHSA Prevention Day is an annual event that invites the prevention field together to advance the prevention of substance use and misuse.

Learn more at: www.samhsa.gov/about/digita...

Mark your calendars! This semester we will continue our WIP/Book club series. Join us on the following Tuesdays at 1812 Ashland Ave, Room 348 from 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. for work-in-progress sessions (hybrid) and book club meetings (in person only).

Join us next month for an ad hoc seminar on drug arrest diversion, presented by Panka Bencsik, Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University!

📅 Wednesday, February 11
🕛 12:15 – 1:15 p.m.
📍 615 N. Wolfe Street, W3030 & Zoom

This week’s #StaffSpotlight features senior statistical programmer analyst Soren Clarkwest! He shares what inspired his path to public health, his current workflow, and some of his favorite books. Check out his feature at our website: bit.ly/4bJP9Wm

Medical Debt Linked To Rent and Mortgage Problems, Study Says WEDNESDAY, Jan. 14, 2026 (HealthDay News) — People burdened with medical bills may also be more likely to struggle to keep a roof over their heads, a new study

And in an article for @healthday.bsky.social: bit.ly/4jOdUD6

Johns Hopkins study finds medical debt linked to housing instability People are at a 44% higher risk of instability if they have medical debt.

This research was also featured in a radio segment for @npr.org: bit.ly/49DfRx9

A new study finds that medical debt increases the risk of housing instability in the U.S. Housing instability may be one pathway linking medical debt to worse physical and mental health, highlighting the need for policy action.

🔗 bit.ly/49D3Esl

January is Substance Use Disorder Treatment Month. Treatment saves lives, recovery is possible, and everyone deserves access to evidence-based, compassionate care.

Happy holidays from all of us at CMAP! Wishing you a break full of rest, warmth, and maybe even a snow day or two ️❄️

Online sports betting can increase the risk of gambling disorder—raising concerns for mental health and substance use. @mattdeisenberg.bsky.social and @markmeiselbach.bsky.social highlight how state-by-state regulations create natural experiments for smarter interventions.

🔗 bit.ly/4qqxirS

This week’s #StudentSpotlight features PhD student Sarah Henderson! She shares what inspired her path to public mental health, her current research projects, and some of her favorite things to do.

Check out her feature at our website: bit.ly/3N80lll

New study alert 📣

Individuals who screen positive for poor mental health are more likely to use buy now, pay later loans. These findings highlight a need for stronger consumer protections.

Read the full publication: bit.ly/3MCVA37

📣 Applications are open for CMAP’s Summer 2026 Internship!

Gain hands-on experience in mental health & policy research, work with faculty, and develop skills in research communications—all in a paid, hybrid role.

🗓 Apply by Feb 13, 2026
🔗 bit.ly/48Q6pWV

🚨 We’re expanding our team! The Center for Mental Health and Addiction Policy is seeking a Senior Data Analyst (119550), Research Assistant (119552), and Project Coordinator (to be posted).

Apply here: hiring.jhu.edu

Know a great candidate? Help us spread the word!

💡 We spoke with Assistant Professor Catherine Ettman, PhD, whose research uses national survey data to inform more equitable mental health policy. Her work on the @debeaumontfndtn.bsky.social-funded CLIMB Study has inspired 20+ peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals.

It’s not too late to get your copy of The Recovering: Intoxication and Its Aftermath for book club next week. Looking forward to seeing you all soon!

📅 Tuesday, December 16
🕛 Noon to 1 o’clock
📍 1812 Ashland Ave, Room 348 (this event is in-person only!)

If you're looking to hire great researchers at the intersection of policy, mental health, and substance use, check out three of our trainees on the job market!

Read their spotlights on our website → 🔗 bit.ly/48cRmYm

Healing starts with connection. International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day aims to facilitate these connections by bringing together those with the shared experience of surviving suicide loss. Learn more at the @afspnational.bsky.social website: afsp.org/internationa...

Student Spotlight: Linh Tran | Center for Mental Health and Addiction Policy

This week’s #StudentSpotlight features PhD student Linh Tran! She shares what her research centers on, her highlight experiences at @bsph-hpm.bsky.social, and some of her favorite books.

🔗 Check out her feature at our website: bit.ly/4rbQ7A8

We spoke with CMAP leadership team member Mark Meiselbach, PhD, about his NIMH-funded K01 project examining how provider networks and policy incentives affect access to mental health care for older adults.

🔗 Full story: bit.ly/47DDhTx

📢 Our next Work-in-Progress session is next Tuesday! Christina Yuan, PhD, MPH, and Linh Tran, BA, will be presenting their current mental health research projects.

📅 Tuesday, November 18
🕛 12 – 1 pm
📍 Ashland building, conference room 348

A new study by Mudia Uzzi, PhD, MSc finds that Chicago neighborhoods affected by past and present structural racism have higher fatal opioid overdose rates. Structural racism may be a cause of overdose deaths, emphasizing the need for place-based policy interventions.

📰 bit.ly/49beabZ

A new @jama.com study, co-authored by Sachini Bandara, PhD, MS suggests that improving care for survivors of drug overdoses may require improving the quality of emergency response services and increasing layperson access to naloxone and overdose education.

🔗 bit.ly/4ou91k5

🚨 Join us next week for an engaging panel discussion with faculty from our Suicide Prevention Policy Research Hub. Hear presentations on their latest research and insights into suicide prevention, followed by a discussion and Q&A.

📰 Full event details: bit.ly/4nD8zyz

This week’s #StaffSpotlight features Senior Research Program Coordinator Samantha Rosenberg! She discusses her journey to Hopkins, her daily responsibilities, and her favorite hobbies. Check out her feature at our website: bit.ly/4okMxly

Congratulations Elizabeth Stuart, PhD and Pamela Collins, MD, MPH for your recent election to the @nam.edu. We are grateful to have Dr. Stuart and Dr. Collins on our team and applaud their leadership and scholarship.

Full article: bit.ly/48IKz9B

It’s not too late to get your copy of The Anxious Generation for book club next week. Join us and discuss Haidt’s newest book. Looking forward to seeing you all soon!

📅 Tuesday, October 28
🕛 Noon to 1 o’clock
📍 1812 Ashland Ave, Room 348 (this event is in-person only)