Personal Website:
Education:
B.A., University of California, San Diego, 1993; M.A., Indiana University, 1995; Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles, 2016; Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy (CSHIIP), Health Services Research and Development (HSR&D), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Greater Los Angeles, 2017
Area(s) of Specialization:
Opioids and other substances of abuse; women’s health; life course; social determinants; health services utilization and outcomes
Research Description:
I research how health care systems and public policies can better promote health and wellness among vulnerable and underserved populations, particularly for individuals at risk for opioid and other substance use disorders. My current research focuses on how the criminal justice system can impact health outcomes. I lead the following projects:
- mPI of a NIDA Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN) Clinical Research Center grant that will partner with seven jails in Massachusetts to conduct a Type 1 hybrid effectiveness-implementation study of a program to expand provision of medications to treat opioid use disorder.
- PI of the evaluation of a SAMHSA/CSAT-funded 5-year project to expand access to medications to criminal justice-involved individuals with opioid use disorder.
- PI of the evaluation of a SAMHSA/CSAP-funded 4-year project to connect individuals with health and social services after an opioid overdose event.
Community engagement:
- UMass Amherst Spotlight Scholar
- The Greenwall Foundation Big Data & Ethics Scholar
- UMass Amherst Distinguished Community Engagement Award for Research, Awardee
- Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR), Scholar
- Center for Community Health Equity Research, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Fellow
- UMass Chan Medical School Community Research Innovative Scholars Program (CRISP), Awardee
- UMass Amherst Public Engagement Project (PEP), Fellow
- UMass Chan Medical School Institute for Healthcare Delivery and Population Science, Adjunct Fellow
Media:
SPHHS News
- UMass Researchers Receive $10 Million Grant To Study Jail-based Opioid Addiction Treatment Program
- Evans Study Finds Treatment with Medication Reduces Arrests and Incarceration Among People with Opioid Use Disorder
- Evans Collaborates on Innovative Opioid Addiction Treatment Program in Two County Jails
- Evans Awarded Grant for Research on Ethical Response to Opioid Epidemic
In the media
- NIDA New Release (January 18, 2022). Offering buprenorphine medication to people with opioid use disorder in jail may reduce rearrest and reconviction.
- The HEAL Initiative. (Aug 5, 2020). Statewide Policy Changes in Massachusetts Could Lead to New Hope for Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder in Jails Nationwide. Retrieved from https://www.jcoinctc.org/massachusetts-hub-spotlight/
- Opioid Treatment in Mass. Jails Pilot Program Study - Connecting Point - September 3, 2019 (WGBY Television)
- UMass researchers land $10M grant to run jail treatment pilot (Daily Hampshire Gazette)
Publication List:
Key Publications:
Evans, E., Pivovarova, E., Stopka, T.J., Santelices, C., Ferguson, W.J., Friedmann, P.D. (2022). Uncommon and preventable: Perceptions of diversion of medication for opioid use disorder in jail. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. 138:108746.
Evans, E., Wilson, D., Friedmann, P. (2022). Recidivism and mortality after in-jail buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 231:109254.
Evans, E., Delorme, E., Cyr, K., Geissler, K. (2022). The Massachusetts public health data warehouse and the opioid epidemic: A qualitative study of perceived strengths and limitations for advancing research. Preventive Medicine Reports. 28:101847.
Evans, E., Stopka, T. J., Pivovarova, E., Murphy, S. M., Taxman, F. S., Ferguson, W. J., Bernson, D., Santelices, C., McCollister, K. E., Hoskinson, R., Jr, Lincoln, T., Friedmann, P. D., & MassJCOIN Research Group (2021). Massachusetts Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (MassJCOIN). Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. 128:108275.
Evans, E., Goff, S., Upchurch, D., Grella, C. (2020). Childhood adversity and mental health comorbidity in men and women with opioid use disorders. Addictive Behaviors. 102: 106149.
