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.
- Co-I of a NIDA-funded investigation of opioid use and treatment utilization by adults with opioid use disorder released from jail.
- PI of the evaluation of a SAMHSA/CSAT-funded project to expand access to medications to criminal justice-involved individuals with opioid use disorder.
- PI of a project funded by The Greenwall Foundation in which I am exploring shared decision-making as an ethical response to the opioid crisis.
Community engagement:
- 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
- Community Research Innovative Scholars Program (CRISP), Awardee
- Public Engagement Project (PEP), Fellow
- Institute for Healthcare Delivery and Population Science, Adjunct Fellow
- Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center, Awardee
Media:
SPHHS News
- Gender-Tailored Treatment Could Ease Opioid Epidemic
- Evans Explores Barriers of Access and Acceptability for Medical Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder
- UMass Researchers Receive $10 Million Grant To Study Jail-based Opioid Addiction Treatment Program
- Evans Study Analyzes Reasons Women Military Vets Avoid Using VA Benefits
- 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
- SPHHS Holds Symposium on Marijuana Legalization and Public Health
- Evans Named CRISP Faculty Scholar
- Evans and Team Report on Women Veterans’ Health and Substance Abuse Risks
- Evans discusses military veterans and substance abuse disorders on BYU Radio program
- Women and Men Military Veterans, Childhood Adversity and Alcohol and Drug Use
- Evans Named Public Engagement Faculty Fellow
- Evans collaborates on study reporting that evidence-based opioid use disorder treatment could save billions
- Evans co-authors study on polydrug use
In the media
- Gender Differences Should Inform Opioid Treatment, Study Says (New England Public Radio)
- 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)
- Franklin County Jail Opioid Treatment Program Study - Connecting Point - March 11, 2019 (WGBY Televsion)
- UMass researcher to study opioid addiction treatment at two jails (WAMC Northeast Public Radio)
- Jails get grant for medication-assisted treatment (Daily Hampshire Gazette)
- Veterans’ use of complementary health therapies varies by gender and race, study finds (George Washington University)
- One in five Massachusetts adults consumed pot in past month (Boston Globe)
- Childhood adversity leads to higher substance abuse among veterans (New England Public Radio)
- Military veterans and substance abuse (Top of Mind with Julie Rose)
- For opiate addiction, study finds drug-assisted treatment is more effective than detox (Los Angeles Times)
- Hillary's $10B plan to fight addiction (Huffington Post Live)
- Sending nonviolent drug offenders to treatment instead of prison saves money (The Pump Handle)
Editorials on my research
- Gyurina CH. (2020). Beyond parity: Medicaid policy and improving access to effective substance use disorder treatment. Medical Care. 58(2): 99-100.
- Tetrault JM, Fiellin DA. More Beds or More Chairs? Using a Science-Based Approach to Address the Opioid Epidemic. Ann Intern Med. 2018 Jan 2;168(1):73-74.
- Clausen T. Coherent long-term treatment approaches-superior in the treatment of opioid dependence. Addiction. 2015 Jun;110(6):1006-7.
- Degenhardt L, Mathers B, Hall WD. Response to Hser et al. (2014): The necessity for more and better data on the global epidemiology of opioid dependence. Addiction. 2014 Aug;109(8):1335-7.-
Publication List:
Key Publications:
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.
Evans, E., Yoo, C., Huang, D., Saxon, A.J., Hser, Y.I. (2019). Effects of access barriers and medication acceptability on buprenorphine-naloxone treatment utilization over 2 years: Results from a multisite randomized trial of patients with opioid use disorder. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. 106:19-28.
Evans., E., Zhu, Y., Yoo, C., Huang, D., Hser, YI. (2019). Criminal justice outcomes over 5 years after randomization to buprenorphine-naloxone or methadone treatment for opioid use disorder. Addiction. 114 (8): 1396-1404.
Evans, E., Grella, C., Washington, D., & Upchurch, D. (2017) Gender and race/ethnic differences in the persistence of alcohol, drug, and poly-substance use disorders. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 174: 128-136.
Evans, E., Kelleghan, A., Li, L., Min, J., Huang, D., Urada, D., Hser, Y.I., & Nosyk, B. (2015). Gender differences in mortality among treated opioid dependent patients. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 155:228-235.
