We are excited to welcome Alexandria “Alex” Macmadu, PhD, to our Center. Dr. Macmadu is an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at Brown University and a nationally recognized substance use epidemiologist whose work centers on harm reduction, community-engaged research, and advancing health equity for marginalized populations.

Dr. Macmadu recently received an award from the Community Academic Research Partnership Fund, which supports collaborative, community-centered projects that strengthen local partnerships and improve public health. Her funded project, “Racial equity in access to substance use treatment among people of color who use drugs in Rhode Island”, is a collaboration with the Racial Equity Work Group (REWG) of the Rhode Island Governor’s Overdose Task Force, a statewide coalition dedicated to overdose prevention and saving lives. Together, Dr. Macmadu and REWG are addressing racial and ethnic disparities in overdose mortality by examining barriers to treatment, discrimination in care settings, and access to harm reduction services across Rhode Island.

She has authored or co-authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals including The Lancet, JAMA Network Open, and the American Journal of Public Health. A triple Brown alumna, Dr. Macmadu also serves as Scientific Advisor to the Community Engaged Research Core of the COBRE on Opioids and Overdose, an Expert Advisor to the Rhode Island Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee, and an Associate Editor of the Harm Reduction Journal. We are thrilled to have her join us and look forward to the impact of her scholarship and community partnerships.