Research in Philadelphia
On this page, you will find a listing of peer-reviewed research studies on topics related to substance use in Philadelphia. These research studies help guide Philadelphia’s prevention, overdose response, and harm reduction work.
-
London, Kory S. MD; Huo, Samantha MD; Murphy, Lauren MD; Warrick-Stone, TaReva DO; Goodstein, Dennis PharmD; Montesi, Maeve PA; Carter, Meg MD; Butt, Sabrina MD; Alexander, Karen PhD, RN; Satz, Wayne MD; Tasillo, Abriana MD; Xu, Lin MS; Arora, Maya BS; Casey, Emily PharmD; McKeever, Rita MD; Lowenstein, Margaret MD, MPhil, MSHP; Durney, Philip MD; Hart, Brendan MD, PhD; Perrone, Jeanmarie MD (2025). Severe Fentanyl Withdrawal Associated With Medetomidine Adulteration: A Multicenter Study From Philadelphia, PA. Journal of Addiction Medicine https://doi.org/10.1097/ADM.0000000000001560
-
C. Tomson, R. Neuschatz, D. Teixeira da Silva* (2024) Harm reduction nursing and the path toward developing best practice: Lessons from caring for people with xylazine-associated wounds in Philadelphia, PA. Nursing Outlook, Volume 72, Issue 5, 2024, 102248, ISSN 0029-6554, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2024.102248
MC Herrera, J. Johnson, S. Lim, KH Morales, J.Deanna Wilson, SE Hadland, D. Metzger, S. Wood, N. Dowshen (2024) Co-delivery of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and HIV testing among publicly insured adolescents and young adults (AYA) receiving medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Volume 257, 2024, 111132, ISSN 0376-8716, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2024.111132.
*Catherine Tomson and Dr. Daniel Teixeira da Silva, MD, MSHP, are on the SUPHR medical team. Rachel Neuschatz, RN, MSN was a Wound Care Nurse on the team.
**Jewell Johnson, MPH was a Substance Use Epidemiologist II at SUPHR.
-
Severe cutaneous ulcerations secondary to xylazine (tranq): A case series.
Wei, J., Wachuku, C., Berk-Krauss, J., Steele, K. T., Rosenbach, M., & Messenger, E. (2023). Severe cutaneous ulcerations secondary to xylazine (tranq): A case series. JAAD case reports, 36, 89–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdcr.2023.04.016
Xylazine-associated Wounds: Clinical Experience From a Low-barrier Wound Care Clinic in Philadelphia
McFadden, Rachel MPH, BSN, RN; Wallace-Keeshen, Sara FNP-BC; Petrillo Straub, Kristi AGNP-C; Hosey, Rebecca A. MPH, BSN, RN; Neuschatz, Rachel MSN, RN; McNulty, Keara BSN, RN; Thakrar, Ashish P. MD, MS (2023). Xylazine-associated Wounds: Clinical Experience From a Low-barrier Wound Care Clinic in Philadelphia. Journal of Addiction Medicine https://doi.org/10.1097/ADM.0000000000001245
*Rachel Neuschatz, MSN, RN was a wound care nurse at SUPHR.
-
Bass, S. B., Kelly, P. J., Pandit-Kerr, S., Pilla, J., Morris, K., Larsen, E., Wisdom, J. P., & Torralva, P. R. (2022). “It's my frenemy”: A qualitative exploration of knowledge and perceptions of fentanyl use during the COVID-19 pandemic in people who use drugs at a Syringe Services Program in Philadelphia, PA. Frontiers in Public Health, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.882421
Kelly, E. L., Reed, M. K., Schoenauer, K. M., Smith, K., Scalia-Jackson, K., Kay Hill, S., Li, E., & Weinstein, L. (2022). A qualitative exploration of the functional, social, and emotional impacts of the covid-19 pandemic on People Who Use Drugs. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(15), 9751. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159751
Reed, M. K., Salcedo, V. J., Guth, A., & Rising, K. L. (2022). “if I had them, I would use them every time”: Perspectives on Fentanyl test strip use from people who use drugs. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 140, 108790. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2022.108790
Xylazine-induced skin ulcers in a person who injects drugs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Malayala, S. V., Papudesi, B. N., Bobb, R., & Wimbush, A. (2022). Xylazine-induced skin ulcers in a person who injects drugs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Cureus. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.28160
Mansoor, M., McNeil, R., Fleming, T., Barker, A., Vakharia, S., Sue, K., & Ivsins, A. (2022). Characterizing stimulant overdose: A qualitative study on perceptions and experiences of “overamping.” International Journal of Drug Policy, 102, 103592. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103592
Concurrent use of opioids and stimulants and risk of fatal overdose: A cohort study
Palis, H., Xavier, C., Dobrer, S., Desai, R., Sedgemore, K.-olt, Scow, M., Lock, K., Gan, W., & Slaunwhite, A. (2022). Concurrent use of opioids and stimulants and risk of fatal overdose: A cohort study. BMC Public Health, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14506-w
-
Roth, A. M., Mitchell, A. K., Mukherjee, R., Scheim, A. I., Ward, K. M., & Lankenau, S. E. (2021). Prevalence and correlates of syringe disposal box use in a Philadelphia neighborhood with high levels of public drug injection. Substance Use and Misuse, 56(5), 668–673. https://doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2021.1887252
Impact of a shelter-in-place order during the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of opioid overdoses
Rosenbaum, J., Lucas, N., Zandrow, G., Satz, W. A., Isenberg, D., D'Orazio, J., Gentile, N. T., & Schreyer, K. E. (2021). Impact of a shelter-in-place order during the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of opioid overdoses. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 41, 51–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2020.12.047
Johnson, J., Pizzicato, L., Johnson, C., & Viner, K. (2021). Increasing presence of xylazine in heroin and/or fentanyl deaths, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2010–2019. Injury Prevention. https://doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2020-043968
Khatri, U. G., Pizzicato, L. N., Viner, K., Bobyock, E., Sun, M., Meisel, Z. F., & South, E. C. (2021). Racial/ethnic disparities in unintentional fatal and nonfatal emergency medical services–attended opioid overdoses during the COVID-19 pandemic in Philadelphia. JAMA Network Open, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.34878
HIV infection and depression among opiate users in a US epicenter of the opioid epidemic
Denis, C. M., Dominique, T., Smith, P., Fiore, D., Ku, Y.-C., Culhane, A., Dunbar, D., Brown, D., Daramay, M., Voytek, C., Morales, K. H., Blank, M. B., Crits-Christoph, P. F., Douglas, S. D., Spitsin, S., Frank, I., Colon-Rivera, K., Montaner, L. J., Metzger, D. S., & Evans, D. L. (2021). HIV infection and depression among opiate users in a US epicenter of the opioid epidemic. AIDS and Behavior, 25(7), 2230–2239. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-020-03151-2
Impact of an unsanctioned safe consumption site on criminal activity, 2010–2019
Davidson, P. J., Lambdin, B. H., Browne, E. N., Wenger, L. D., & Kral, A. H. (2021). Impact of an unsanctioned safe consumption site on criminal activity, 2010–2019. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 220, 108521. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108521
"I probably got a minute": Perceptions of fentanyl test strip use among people who use stimulants
Reed, M. K., Roth, A. M., Tabb, L. P., Groves, A. K., & Lankenau, S. E. (2021). “I probably got a minute”: Perceptions of fentanyl test strip use among people who use stimulants. International Journal of Drug Policy, 92, 103147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103147
Uzwiak, B. A., Hudgins, A., & Pizzicato, L. N. (2021). Legacies of the War on Drugs: Next of kin of persons who died of opioid overdose and harm reduction interventions in Philadelphia. International Journal of Drug Policy, 97, 103351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103351
-
Schwartz, D. G., Ataiants, J., Roth, A., Marcu, G., Yahav, I., Cocchiaro, B., Khalemsky, M., & Lankenau, S. (2020). Layperson reversal of opioid overdose supported by smartphone alert: A prospective observational cohort study. EClinicalMedicine, 25, 100474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100474
Overdose awareness and reversal trainings at Philadelphia public libraries
Lowenstein, M., Feuerstein-Simon, R., Dupuis, R., Herens, A., Hom, J., Sharma, M., Sheni, R., Encarnacion, L., Flaherty, C., Cueller, M., & Cannuscio, C. (2020). Overdose awareness and reversal trainings at Philadelphia Public Libraries. American Journal of Health Promotion, 35(2), 250–254. https://doi.org/10.1177/0890117120937909
Herbert, N., Axson, S., Siegel, L., Cassidy, K., Hoyt-Brennan, A. M., Whitney, C., Herens, A., & Giordano, N. A. (2020). Leveraging immersive technology to expand access to opioid overdose reversal training in community settings: Results from a randomized controlled equivalence trial. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 214, 108160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108160
Multiple victimizations and overdose among women with a history of illicit drug use
Ataiants, J., Mazzella, S., Roth, A. M., Robinson, L. F., Sell, R. L., & Lankenau, S. E. (2020). Multiple victimizations and overdose among women with a history of illicit drug use. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(3-4). https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260520927501
Pozo, B. del, Krasner, L. S., & George, S. F. (2020). Decriminalization of diverted buprenorphine in Burlington, Vermont and Philadelphia: An intervention to reduce opioid overdose deaths. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 48(2), 373–375. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073110520935353
Shefner, R. T., Sloan, J. S., Sandler, K. R., & Anderson, E. D. (2020). Missed opportunities: Arrest and court touchpoints for individuals who fatally overdosed in Philadelphia in 2016. International Journal of Drug Policy, 78, 102724. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.102724
Circumstances of overdose among street-involved, opioid-injecting women: Drug, set, and setting
Ataiants, J., Roth, A. M., Mazzella, S., & Lankenau, S. E. (2020). Circumstances of overdose among street-involved, opioid-injecting women: Drug, set, and setting. International Journal of Drug Policy, 78, 102691. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.102691
Kim, M. M., Conyngham, S. C., Smith, C., Higgins, D., Nassau, T., Terrell, C., & Brady, K. A. (2020). Understanding the intersection of behavioral risk and social determinants of health and the impact on an outbreak of human immunodeficiency virus among persons who inject drugs in Philadelphia. The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 222(Supplement_5). https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiaa128
-
Marcu, G., Aizen, R., Roth, A. M., Lankenau, S., & Schwartz, D. G. (2019). Acceptability of smartphone applications for facilitating layperson naloxone administration during opioid overdoses. JAMIA Open, 3(1), 44–52. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamiaopen/ooz068
Ruiz, M. S., O'Rourke, A., Allen, S. T., Holtgrave, D. R., Metzger, D., Benitez, J., Brady, K. A., Chaulk, C. P., & Wen, L. S. (2019). Using interrupted time series analysis to measure the impact of legalized syringe exchange on HIV diagnoses in Baltimore and Philadelphia. JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 82(2). https://doi.org/10.1097/qai.0000000000002176
Pizzicato, L. N., Johnson, C. C., & Viner, K. M. (2019). Correlates of experiencing and witnessing non-fatal opioid overdoses among individuals accessing harm reduction services in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Substance Abuse, 41(3), 301–306. https://doi.org/10.1080/08897077.2019.1675115
Reed, M., Wagner, K. D., Tran, N. K., Brady, K. A., Shinefeld, J., & Roth, A. (2019). Prevalence and correlates of carrying naloxone among a community-based sample of opioid-using people who inject drugs. International Journal of Drug Policy, 73, 32–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2019.07.010
Roth, A., Tran, N., Piecara, B., Welles, S., Shinefeld, J., & Brady, K. (2018). Factors associated with awareness of pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV among persons who inject drugs in Philadelphia: National HIV Behavioral Surveillance, 2015. AIDS and Behavior, 23(7), 1833–1840. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-018-2293-0
Roth, A. M., Kral, A. H., Mitchell, A., Mukherjee, R., Davidson, P., & Lankenau, S. E. (2019). Overdose prevention site acceptability among residents and businesses surrounding a proposed site in Philadelphia, USA. Journal of Urban Health, 96(3), 341–352. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-019-00364-2
-
Lethal fentanyl and cocaine intoxication.
Khatri, U. G., Viner, K., & Perrone, J. (2018). Lethal fentanyl and cocaine intoxication. New England Journal of Medicine, 379(18), 1782–1782. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmc1809521
Pizzicato, L. N., Drake, R., Domer-Shank, R., Johnson, C. C., & Viner, K. M. (2018). Beyond the walls: Risk factors for overdose mortality following release from the Philadelphia Department of Prisons. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 189, 108–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2018.04.034
Harris, R. E., Richardson, J., Frasso, R., & Anderson, E. D. (2018). Experiences with skin and soft tissue infections among people who inject drugs in Philadelphia: A qualitative study. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 187, 8–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2018.01.029
Perceptions about supervised injection facilities among people who inject drugs in Philadelphia.
Harris, R. E., Richardson, J., Frasso, R., & Anderson, E. D. (2018). Perceptions about supervised injection facilities among people who inject drugs in Philadelphia. International Journal of Drug Policy, 52, 56–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2017.11.005
-
The textures of heroin: user perspectives on “black tar” and powder heroin in two US cities.
Mars, S. G., Bourgois, P., Karandinos, G., Montero, F., & Ciccarone, D. (2016). The textures of heroin: User Perspectives on “Black tar” and powder heroin in two U.S. cities. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 48(4), 270–278. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2016.1207826
Trend analyses of users of a syringe exchange program in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 1999–2014
Maurer, L. A., Bass, S. B., Ye, D., Benitez, J., Mazzella, S., & Krafty, R. (2016). Trend analyses of users of a Syringe Exchange Program in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 1999–2014. AIDS and Behavior, 20(12), 2922–2932. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-016-1393-y
-
Mars, S. G., Fessel, J. N., Bourgois, P., Montero, F., Karandinos, G., & Ciccarone, D. (2015). Heroin-related overdose: The unexplored influences of markets, marketing and source-types in the United States. Social Science & Medicine, 140, 44–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.06.032
-
Rosenblum, D., Castrillo, F. M., Bourgois, P., Mars, S., Karandinos, G., Unick, G. J., & Ciccarone, D. (2014). Urban segregation and the US Heroin Market: A quantitative model of anthropological hypotheses from an inner-city drug market. International Journal of Drug Policy, 25(3), 543–555. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2013.12.008
“Every ‘never’ I ever said came true”: Transitions from opioid pills to heroin injecting
Mars, S. G., Bourgois, P., Karandinos, G., Montero, F., & Ciccarone, D. (2014). “every ‘never’ I ever said came true”: Transitions from opioid pills to heroin injecting. International Journal of Drug Policy, 25(2), 257–266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2013.10.004
-
The prevalence of fentanyl in drug-related deaths in Philadelphia 2004–2006
Wong, S. C., Mundy, L., Drake, R., Curtis, J. A., & Wingert, W. E. (2010). The prevalence of fentanyl in drug-related deaths in Philadelphia 2004–2006. Journal of Medical Toxicology, 6(1), 9–11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13181-010-0031-8
-
Wong, S. C., Curtis, J. A., & Wingert, W. E. (2008). Concurrent detection of heroin, fentanyl, and xylazine in seven drug-related deaths reported from the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s office. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 53(2), 495–498. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1556-4029.2007.00648.x