Ricky Bluthenthal, PhD

Ricky N. Bluthenthal, Ph.D. is a Distinguished Professor of Population and Public Health Sciences and Chair of the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences in the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. He is also the Flora L. Thornton Chair in Preventive Medicine. He received a BA in History and Sociology from the University of California Santa Cruz and a MA and PhD in sociology from the University of California Berkeley. His research has established the effectiveness of syringe exchange programs, tested novel interventions and strategies to reduce HIV risk and improve HIV testing among injection drug users and men who have sex with men, documented how community conditions contribute to health disparities, and examined health policy implementation. His current studies include an observational cohort study of how cannabis legalization impacts use patterns and health outcomes of cannabis and opioids among people who inject drugs and a randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of a single session intervention to reduce injection initiation risk behaviors among established people who inject drugs. Dr. Bluthenthal has authored or co-authored over 200 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals such as the American Journal of Public Health, Social Science and Medicine, The Lancet, Addiction, and Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research among others. He is on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Drug Policy and the Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

#Courses
Program Evaluation and Research
Introduction to Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Qualitative Research Methods in Public Health
Practice of Public Health

• UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA — PhD — 12/1998 — Sociology
• UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA — MA — 12/1990 — Sociology
• UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA — BA — 06/1986 — History & Sociology

• Cannabis use and health outcomes among opioid-using people who inject drugs in the context of cannabis legalization
  NIH · R01DA046049 · Feb 1, 2019 – Nov 30, 2023 · Role: Principal Investigator
• Preventing injection initiation: The Change The Cycle Randomized Controlled Trial
  NIH · R01DA038965 · Aug 1, 2015 – Jun 30, 2020 · Role: Principal Investigator
• Partners for Strong, Healthy Families (PSHF)
  NIH · R24MD007978 · Aug 8, 2013 – Mar 21, 2018 · Role: Principal Investigator
• Exploratory Research on Late Initiation of Drug Injection
  NIH · R01DA027689 · Sep 30, 2010 – Aug 31, 2015 · Role: Principal Investigator
• PS08-002, THE HJ MILE HIV PREVENTION INTERVENTION
  NIH · UR6PS001098 · Sep 30, 2008 – Sep 29, 2013 · Role: Principal Investigator
• Impact of Business Improvement District on Youth Violenc
  NIH · U49CE000773 · Sep 1, 2005 – Aug 31, 2010 · Role: Principal Investigator
• Understanding Outcome Disparities in Alcohol Treatment
  NIH · R21AA013813 · May 8, 2003 – Apr 30, 2006 · Role: Principal Investigator
• COMMUNITY CONTEXT, SEP OPERATIONS, &HIV RISK AMONG IDUs
  NIH · R01DA014210 · Sep 30, 2002 – Nov 30, 2007 · Role: Principal Investigator
• Malt beverage use &outcomes in a minority community
  NIH · R21AA013534 · Sep 29, 2001 – Aug 31, 2004 · Role: Principal Investigator
• SYRINGE EXCHANGE PEER MOBILIZATION INTERVENTION
  NIH · R01DA009532 · Jul 15, 1995 – Mar 31, 2007 · Role: Co-Principal Investigator

• Elected Officials Should Listen to Ricky Bluthenthal (02/26/2014)

• Klausner, Jeffrey
• Leventhal, Adam
• Unger, Jennifer
• Holloway, Ian
• Sussman, Steven
• Blosnich, John