Stephen E. Lankenau, PhD

Associate Professor

General Info
Bio
Research & Publications

Departments and Research Centers

Community Health and Prevention

Research Focus

HIV/AIDS
Overdose prevention
Prescription drug misuse
Medical marijuana
Injection drug use
High risk youth
Homeless
Qualitative research

Education

PhD, Sociology, University of Maryland
MA, Sociology, University of Maryland
BA, Sociology, University of Vermont

Awards and Honors

Loan Repayment Program Recipient, National Institutes of Health Pediatric Research Track, 2002-2005
Irene B. Taeuber Award (best graduate student paper), District of Columbia Sociology Society, 1997
Excellence in Teaching Award, College of Behavioral & Social Sciences, University of Maryland, 1997

Bio Abstract

Dr. Stephen E. Lankenau is a sociologist who combines public health concerns and ethnographic methods to the study of high-risk youth, out- of-treatment drug users, homelessness, and HIV/AIDS. Currently, he is studying prescription drug misuse among young people in Los Angeles and New York to describe patterns of initiation, risk and protective behaviors, and other unanticipated health consequences. He is also leading evaluation studies of overdose prevention programs in Los Angeles and Philadelphia to determine programs that effectively reduce the risks of fatal drug overdoses. Two of these studies are funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). He teaches graduate courses that apply qualitative methods to the study of public health issues. Dr. Lankenau received a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland and a postdoctoral fellowship funded by NIDA. He has held faculty appointments at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine.

Recent Research

Evaluation of Overdose Prevention Programs for Injection Drug Users: (Principal Investigator) This study will investigate changes in overdose response and other drug-related health behaviors among injection drug users (IDU) participating in two overdose prevention programs in Los Angeles. Data from the study will be collected as part of an existing protocol to document behaviors in response to witnessed overdoses and circumstances precipitating requests for refills of naloxone, a legal opioid antagonist prescribed by heroin overdose prevention programs (OPP). In-depth interviews will explore rationales for and barriers to enrolling in overdose prevention training, effects of training participation, differences between training programs, and effects of participating in an overdose rescue.

Non-Medical Prescription Drug Use Among High-Risk Youth: (Principal Investigator) This study will compare high-risk youth in New York and Los Angeles who are currently engaged in non-medical prescription drug use. Substantial evidence suggests that the diversion of prescription drugs for non-medical use accounts for a rapidly increasing share of substances of abuse among high-risk youth and young adult populations. The study is designed to help inform the development of a curriculum for community-based organizations aimed at reducing such drug use among youth who are at risk for negative health outcomes, including drug dependence, drug overdose, violence, victimization, and exposure to bloodborne pathogens.

Selected Publications

Silva, K., Schrager, S., Kecojevic, A., & Lankenau, S.^† (forthcoming). Risk factors of non-fatal overdose among young nonmedical users of prescription drugs. Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

Wagner, K., Iverson, E., Wong, C., Jackson Bloom, J., McNeely, M., Davidson, P., McCarty, C., & Lankenau, S. (forthcoming). Personal social network factors associated with overdose prevention training participation: Herd immunity or social influence? Substance Use and Misuse.

Lankenau, S., Wagner, K., Silva, K., Kecojevic, A., Iverson, E., McNeely, M., & Kral, A. (2012). Injection drug users trained by overdose prevention programs: Responses to witnessed overdoses. Journal of Community Health, July 31 [epub].

Lankenau, S., Teti, M., Silva, K., Jackson Bloom, J., Harocopos, A., & Tresse, M. (2012). Patterns of prescription drug misuse among young injection drug users. Journal of Urban Health, June 9 [epub].

Kecojevic, A., Wong, C., Schrager, S., Silva, K., Jackson Bloom, J., Iverson, E. & Lankenau, S.^† (2012). Initiation into prescription drug misuse: Differences between lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and heterosexual high-risk young adults in Los Angeles and New York. Addictive Behaviors, 37:1289-93.

Fibbi, M., Silva, K., Johnson, K., Langer, D., & Lankenau, S.^† (2012). Denial of prescription opioids among young adults with histories of opioid misuse. Pain Medicine, 13:1040-1048.

Lankenau, S., Schrager, S., Silva, K., Kecojevic, A., Jackson Bloom, J., Wong, C., & Iverson, E. (2012). Prescription and illicit drug use among high-risk young adults in Los Angeles and New York. Journal of Public Health Research, 1:1-9.

Lankenau, S., Teti, M., Silva, K., Jackson Bloom, J., Harocopos, A., & Tresse, M. (2012) Initiation into prescription opioid misuse among young injection drug users. International Journal of Drug Policy, 23: 37-44.

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E-mail: publichealthinfo@drexel.edu