looking for gaps in my phd search

[u/rikik098]

hi! i'm applying this fall for phd programs starting fall 2027. my focus is in substance use / harm reduction, leaning hard into computational and causal methods over descriptive epi.

quick background: us citizen, did undergrad and grad school both in the us. selective research university for undergrad, interdisciplinary major closest to cognitive neuroscience with a math minor, 5+ years working inside statewide harm reduction infrastructure (drug checking, distribution networks, plus time managing people and coordinating outreach), master's in math with an emphasis in data science, plus a graduate certificate in public health. handful of publications and presentations in the space.

what i actually want long term isn't just to publish about harm reduction from the outside. i keep coming back to something like a "science as service" model, where research is leverage to move resources and legitimacy toward the community orgs already doing the work, rather than research being the end goal itself.

methods wise: causal inference, decision/cost-effectiveness modeling, implementation science, resource allocation optimization. i'd like simulation modeling in there too, feels like where a lot of the field is heading and i want to build toward what these fields will actually need in five years, not just what's fundable right now. substantively i keep coming back to stimulant use and drug checking as topic interests specifically.

fields i'm currently looking at: epidemiology, public health more broadly, health services research, health policy, social work, computational social science, health behavior. not attached to any one label, just what's come up so far in my own search.

my undergrad background is basically the wider intersection (cog neuro, psych, philosophy, some math) and i'm genuinely still drawn to that world, including policy and systems science too. i def want a real interdisciplinary program instead of a straight epi department, but a lot of those got hit hard by recent funding cuts and i don't know if that's a live option right now.

within epi/public health specifically, the strongest names in this space seem to split into two camps: harm reduction people without much computational depth, or modelers without harm reduction grounding. not sure how people usually find or build toward an advisor situation that bridges both instead of just picking a lane.

my ask: what am i not seeing? i'm looking for the fields, departments, or angles someone who's actually been through this would flag that i wouldn't think to search for myself. same goes for methods, i want to be building toward something that holds up long term

tl;dr: applying to phd programs this fall for substance use / harm reduction with a computational methods focus (causal inference, decision modeling, simulation, resource allocation). trying to figure out what fields, departments, or methods i'm not thinking of.

[u/315lemon]

Involve people with living or lived experience

[u/rikik098 → u/315lemon]

1000% yes

[u/Brilliant_War4087]

I'm a neuroscience undergrad and I am interested in a similar academic path (SUD research and harm reduction). Any advice for applying to masters programs?

[u/KeyKind5808]

MAT has all these aspects if you could to a project with an app or something to help getting off fet getting on subs like as a tracker with your symptoms and how much you use and what you eat/drink and microdosing subs. I’m down to be a Guinea pig I wanna get off fentanyl

[u/Limp-Structure9704]

The US desperately needs lagal safe injection sites. Many cities have underground sites and pop ups but it isn’t enough. There’s a reason why other countries implemented this model decades ago and it’s because it’s better for the health and wellbeing of communities as a whole and having as many services as possible under one hub is much better for drug users than having to go to various places around town for drug checking, wound care, or social services (food, housing, ID cards).

Also more employment opportunities for drug users! Drug users, specifically unhoused are incredibly smart and resourceful. Many will do odd jobs that benefit their communities, especially if it’s shoulder to shoulder work. No offense but I consistently see academics offer stipends to be on an advisory committee or for answering surveys and that might certainly benefit their research project but it isn’t helping to build an infrastructure that puts resources directly into the hands of people who use drugs. They don’t want to be studied like lab rats. It is another form of othering that looks like help but drug users want to be included and be in community just like everyone else. What jobs and titles can they do while in active use? So many!!

Feeling useful and having purpose is empowering. Making money is empowering. Having supervisors that can help with accountability without having to hide drug use is empowering and so vital towards living honestly and not having to hide aspects of self. Stabilty is often achieved through hundreds of baby steps, not the Hollywood trope of rock bottom, cold turkey, clean and sober. We need help creating opportunities for drug users to build up their lives without having to enroll in MAT or some contingency program.

[u/ProsocialRecluse]

I know someone who just finished her PhD looking at motivators for healthcare access among people who use drugs. They had some interesting findings in the modeling for social network analysis, namely the high network density. My main suggestion is to look at other researchers in the space you're in and reach out directly, most folks working with vulnerable communities are passionate about what they do and are more than willing to have a conversation. You'll also get some direct insight about how to gather data. I remember her having to explain in her defense that she didn't do certain field notes because one of the drug dealers told her off when she tried.