Applied Epidemiology
Applied Epidemiology
Given the complexity and dynamic nature of substance use, there are many research questions that help to improve our epidemiological knowledge of substance use and related health outcomes. We have primarily focused on estimating complex spatio-temporal trends across multiple related dimensions of the substance use epidemic. This includes work trying to understand the evolution of the waves of the overdose epidemic across space, time, and demographic subgroups. We have also developed Bayesian hierarchical models to improve estimates related to substance use in small areas. In addition, we are interested in exploring the intersections of substance use, hepatitis C, and HIV and potential interventions to reduce harm.
See invited commentaries related to our work in AJE and AJPH.
Kline D, Pan Y, Hepler SA. Spatiotemporal Trends in Opioid Overdose Deaths by Race for Counties in Ohio. Epidemiology. 2021;32(2):295-302. doi:10.1097/EDE.0000000000001299
Hepler SA, Waller LA, Kline DM. A multivariate spatiotemporal change-point model of opioid overdose deaths in Ohio. The Annals of Applied Statistics. 2021;15(3):1329-1342. doi:10.1214/20-AOAS1415
Brook DL, Hetrick AT, Chettri SR, Schalkoff CA, Sibley AL, Lancaster KE, Go VF, Miller WC, Kline DM. The Relationship Between Hepatitis C Virus Rates and Office-Based Buprenorphine Access in Ohio. Open Forum Infectious Diseases. 2021;8(6):ofab242. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofab242
Townsend TN, Hamilton LK, Rivera-Aguirre A, Davis CS, Pamplin JR II, Kline D, Rudolph KE, Cerdá M. Use of an Inverted Synthetic Control Method to Estimate Effects of Recent Drug Overdose Good Samaritan Laws, Overall and by Black/White Race/Ethnicity. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2022;191(10):1783-1791. doi:10.1093/aje/kwac122
Townsend T, Kline D, Rivera-Aguirre A, Bunting AM, Mauro PM, Marshall BDL, Martins SS, Cerdá M. Racial/Ethnic and Geographic Trends in Combined Stimulant/Opioid Overdoses, 2007–2019. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2022;191(4):599-612. doi:10.1093/aje/kwab290
Kline D, Bunting AM, Hepler SA, Rivera-Aguirre A, Krawczyk N, Cerda M. State-Level History of Overdose Deaths Involving Stimulants in the United States, 1999‒2020. Am J Public Health. 2023;113(9):991-999. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2023.307337
Estadt AT, White BN, Ricks JM, Lancaster KE, Hepler S, Miller WC, Kline D. The impact of fentanyl on state- and county-level psychostimulant and cocaine overdose death rates by race in Ohio from 2010 to 2020: a time series and spatiotemporal analysis. Harm Reduction Journal. 2024;21(1):13. doi:10.1186/s12954-024-00936-9
Kline D, Hepler SA, Krawczyk N, Rivera-Aguirre A, Waller LA, Cerdá M. A state-level history of opioid overdose deaths in the United States: 1999-2021. PLOS ONE. 2024;19(9):e0309938. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0309938
Estadt AT, Kline D, Miller WC, Feinberg J, Hurt CB, Mixson LS, Friedmann PD, Lowe K, Tsui JI, Young AM, Cooper H, Korthuis PT, Pho MT, Jenkins W, Westergaard RP, Go VF, Brook D, Smith G, Rice DR, Lancaster KE. Differences in hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing and treatment by opioid, stimulant, and polysubstance use among people who use drugs in rural U.S. communities. Harm Reduct J. 2024;21(1):214. doi:10.1186/s12954-024-01131-6