OpEds and Press
OpEds
2024-06-25 - Health Affairs
Katherine Dunham, Abdullah Shihipar, Brandon Marshall. Shifting To Smoking: Adapting Policy To Changing Patterns Of Substance Use.
2024-06-23 - Bloomberg
Abdullah Shihipar. My Fellow Scientists Present Research Wrong.
2024-05-23 - Public Health Post
Brandon Marshall, Jesse Yedinak Gray. Rhode Island’s Dashboard Tools for Overdose Response.
Recent Press
2024-05-28 - Providence Journal
RI’s illicit drug supply is almost all contaminated with fentanyl. Here’s what a study found. May 28, 2024. (Alex Collins featured)
2024-05-15 - AP News
Fewer US overdose deaths were reported last year, but experts are still cautious. May 15, 2024. (Brandon Marshall featured)
2024-05-08 - Rhode Island Current
Brown University researcher: Street drugs are getting more potent and more mysterious. May 8, 2024. (Alex Collins featured)
2024-05-02 - Healthcare Brew
How overdose prevention legislation is faring across the US. May 2, 2024. (Brandon Marshall featured)
Past op-eds
Abdullah Shihipar. Trump’s War on Government Will Take Public Health Back a Century. The New Republic. May 15, 2024.
Katherine Dunham. RI needs to give harm reduction workers all the support possible. Providence Journal. January 28, 2024.
Abdullah Shihipar, Alexandria Macmadu and Brandon Marshall. How to Judge Harm Reduction’s Success. Phycology Today. October 2, 2023.
Abdullah Shihipar, Alexandria Macmadu and Brandon Marshall. In Defense of Drug Decriminalization—Yes, in Oregon. The Nation. September 8, 2023
Abdullah Shihipar. The unconscionable move many hospitals are making. CNN. June 29, 2023
Abdullah Shihipar and Alexandra Collins. To Combat the Overdose Crisis, Expand Drug-Checking Programs WIRED. May 31st 2023.
Brandon Marshall and Magdalena Cerdá. Could overdose prevention centers work in the US? Let’s find out.The Hill. May 19th 2023.
Abdullah Shihipar, Abigail Cartus and William Goedel. America isn’t prepared for the end of the COVID emergency. The Boston Globe. February 2nd 2023.
Francesca L. Beaudoin. What we still don’t know about long covid. The Washington Post. December 12th 2022.
Abdullah Shihipar, Abigail Cartus, William Goedel. It’s not just Covid. Flu and RSV mean masks need to come back. NBC News. November 27th 2022.
Abdullah Shihipar, Alexandra Collins, Brandon Marshall. What to do with opioid settlement funds? Open overdose prevention centers. September 5th 2022.
Abdullah Shihipar, Alexandra Collins, Alexandria Macmadu. Drug overdoses spiked during the pandemic. Here’s what states need to do. Boston Globe. June 2nd 2022.
Abdullah Shihipar. Why One-Way Masking Isn’t a Very Good Public Health Solution. Slate. February 15th 2022.
Abdullah Shihipar. An Anti-overdose Drug Is Getting Stronger. Maybe That’s a Bad Thing?. The Atlantic. January 14th 2022.
William Goedel. How to Avoid Fentanyl Overdoses While Going Out. Them. September 17th 2021.
Abdullah Shihipar and Roxxanne Newman. Sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson failed her drug test. This unfair practice hurts too many people. NBC News Think. July 6th 2021.
Abdullah Shihipar and Brandon Marshall. To put out the third-wave fire, all of Canada must focus on hot-spot vaccination. The Globe and Mail. April 12th 2021.
Abdullah Shihipar. The Covid relief bill and the promise of vaccines aren’t enough. Pay everyone to stay home.NBC News Think. March 11th 2021.
Abdullah Shihipar. Declare Racism a Public Health Emergency. New York Times. March 7th 2021.
Abdullah Shihipar. We Can’t Message Our Way out of a Public Health Crisis. The Nation. December 9th 2020.
Abdullah Shihipar, William Goedel and Sophia Gurulé. ICE is putting people who were released due to COVID-19 concerns back in jails. The decision is dangerous as the country enters another wave. Business Insider. November 15th 2020.
Abdullah Shihipar and Brandon Marshall. We Can’t Police Our Way Out of a Pandemic. New York Times. April 27th 2020.
Abdullah Shihipar. Coronavirus and the Isolation Paradox. New York Times. March 13th 2020.
Abdullah Shihipar and Brandon Marshall. The Latest Failure in the War on Drugs. New York Times. November 19th 2019.
Past press coverage
Trending Globally. Harm reduction, overdose prevention, and the future of treating America’s overdose epidemic. May 1, 2024. (Brandon Marshall featured)
Idaho Statesman. Investigation shows how far Idaho’s needle exchange program strayed before police raid. April 21, 2024. (Brandon Marshall featured)
Brown Daily Herald. Community members, overdose survivors discuss harm reduction at Monday panel. April 16, 2024. (Alex Collins featured)
VTDigger. Final Reading: Senate takes up overdose prevention sites bill. March 21, 2024. (Brandon Marshall featured)
Boston 25 News. Opinions clash in Worcester over potential for state’s first safe injection site. March 7, 2024. (Abdullah Shihipar featured)
Boston.com. Worcester takes step toward opening overdose prevention center pilot, would be first in Massachusetts. March 6, 2024. (Brandon Marshall featured)
Patch. First MA Overdose Prevention Center May Open In Worcester. March 5, 2024. (Brandon Marshall featured)
NBC Boston. Boston’s planning chief discusses the city’s commercial real estate concerns. February 25, 2024. (Brandon Marshall featured)
Brown Daily Herald. Providence approves nation’s first state-regulated overdose prevention center. February 21, 2024. (Brandon Marshall featured)
Providence Business News. Brown launches resource to educate public about overdose prevention centers. February 18, 2024. (Brandon Marshall and Abdullah Shihipar featured)
Providence Journal. Brown University website looks to educate the public about overdose prevention centers. February 14, 2024. (Brandon Marshall and Abdullah Shihipar featured)
Science News. U.S. opioid deaths are out of control. Can safe injection sites help? February 14, 2024. (Brandon Marshall featured)
News from Brown. Brown researchers launch resource to educate public about overdose prevention centers. February 14, 2024. (Brandon Marshall featured)
The New York Times. Providence Officials Approve Overdose Prevention Center. February 4th 2024. (Brandon Marshall featured)
The Associated Press. Providence approves first state-sanctioned safe injection site in Rhode Island. February 2nd 2024. (Brandon Marshall featured)
PolitiFact. DeSantis said Florida overdose deaths declined year over year. Preliminary data backs that up. Dec 14th, 2023. (Brandon Marshall featured)
The New Bedford Light. Jailhouse drug war. December 11, 2023. (Alexandria Macmadu featured)
Voice of America. Biden highlights efforts with China, Mexico to combat fentanyl.Voice of America. Nov 21st, 2023. (Brandon Marshall featured)
The Lancet.Drug consumption room: 20 years of Insite. November 18th 2023. (Brandon Marshall featured)
Brown Daily Herald. Kennedy, M. Mayor Brett Smiley announces Opioid Overdose Prevention Strategy. Oct 13th, 2023. (Brandon Marshall featured)
Providence Business News. Narcan sold in stores seen as pivotal in R.I. drug crisis.Providence Business News. Sep 29th, 2023. (Brandon Marshall featured)
US News. Oregon Decriminalized Possession of Small Amounts of Drugs. Fatal ODs Didn’t Skyrocket.September 29, 2023. (Alexandria Macmadu featured)
The Washington Post. Philadelphia council bans safe-injection sites in most of the city. Sep 14th, 2023. (Brandon Marshall featured)
WPRI 12. Task force aims to significantly reduce overdose deaths in RI by 20230. WPRI 12. Sep 13th, 2023. (Brandon Marshall featured)
Brown Daily Herald. Hossain, R. Brown, NYU researchers launch NIH-funded study on R.I., New York overdose prevention centers. July 28th, 2023. (Brandon Marshall featured)
Kansas Reflector. Mipro, R. AG Kobach to announce ongoing initiative combating fentanyl in Kansas. Here are the basics. July 20th, 2023. (Brandon Marshall featured)
Reuters. For groups fighting U.S. opioid crisis, settlement money can be hard to come by. Jun 17th, 2023. (Brandon Marshall featured)
The Boston Globe. Will R.I.’s overdose prevention center counter overdose deaths amid the opioid epidemic? May 22nd, 2023. (Brandon Marshall featured)
The Washington Post. Ovalle, D. U.S. overdose deaths plateaued in 2022, but still exceed 105,000. May 17th, 2023. (Brandon Marshall featured)
The Providence Journal. Providence safe injection site will be studied by Brown, NYU — what they’re looking for. May 11th, 2023. (Brandon Marshall featured)
The Washington Post. Do overdose prevention centers work? First U.S. study seeks answers. May 8th 2023.
The Washington Post. Overdose prevention centers are tough sell in U.S. despite successes May 8th 2023.
The Associated Press. US backs study of safe injection sites, overdose prevention. May 8th 2023.
POLITICO. NYU Langone, Brown launch NIH-funded study of overdose prevention centers. May 8th 2023.
GBH News (Under the Radar). What will the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency mean for the future of COVID care? May 5th 2023. (Abdullah Shihipar featured)
Politifact. Gov. Greg Abbott says fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans 18 to 45. Is that true?April 24th 2023. (Brandon Marshall featured)
Fort-Worth Star Telegram. Fentanyl test strips could soon become legal in Texas. But what about other substances? March 30th 2023. (Jackie Goldman featured)
Spectrum News NY. Overdose expert: Allow supervised injection sites. March 24th 2023. (Brandon Marshall featured)
Boston.com. Three years after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, how cautious are the experts?. March 23rd 2023. (Francesca Beaudoin featured)
Boston Globe. A new study finds 59 percent of long-COVID patients had organ damage, but experts say it’s not that simple. March 8th 2023. (Francesca Beaudoin featured)
CBS News. Opioid crisis settlements have totaled over $50 billion. But how is that money being used?. March 1st 2023. (Brandon Marshall featured)
Public Health Out Loud. What’s in Rhode Island’s local drug supply? March 1st 2023. (Alexandra Collins featured)
US Chamber of Commerce. 3 Important Things for Businesses to Know About Endemic COVID. February 24th 2023. (Francesca Beaudoin featured)
Brown Daily Herald. Advocates urge RIPTA to improve overdose response in Kennedy Plaza. January 31, 2023. (Alexandria Macmadu featured)
NBC 10 (WJAR). Long COVID Initiative at Brown University addresses misinformation. January 25th 2023. (Francesca Beaudoin featured)
Providence Journal. ‘Enormous problems:’ Animal sedative found in local drug supply increases overdose risk.January 20th 2023. (Alexandra Collins featured)
NBC 10 (WJAR). State leaders discuss combatting street drugs including newest threat ‘tranq’. January 19th 2023. (Coverage of testRI)
CBS (WPRI). Reed: Opioid crisis is ‘trending in the wrong direction’. January 19th 2023. (Coverage of testRI)
ABC 6 (WLNE). Reed, Neronha: Effective solutions to fentanyl crisis. January 19th 2023. (Coverage of testRI)
PBS (Amanpour & Co.) Long COVID Doctor: “We Don’t Know What We’re Dealing With”. January 14th 2023. (Francesca Beaudoin featured)
Smithsonian Magazine. What to Know About ‘Tranq,’ the Animal Sedative Infiltrating Street Drugs. January 9th 2023. (Coverage of testRI)
Wall Street Journal. Sanctioned Drug-Use Sites Reach a Crossroads as Funding Runs Out. January 2nd 2023. (Brandon Marshall featured)
NBC 10 News. Advocates distribute naloxone at bus hub, say RIPTA drivers should carry it. Dec 30, 2022. (Alexandria Macmadu featured)
The Providence Journal. After an overdose in Kennedy Plaza, advocates fault police, RIPTA for not carrying naloxone.December 22, 2022. (Alexandria Macmadu featured)
Washington Post. Long covid can be deadly, CDC study finds. December 14th 2022. (Francesca Beaudoin featured)
Philadelphia Inquirer. After another delay in a decision on supervised injection sites, Shapiro says he still opposes them. December 6th 2022. (Brandon Marshall featured)
Brown Daily Herald. University research examines role of police at overdose incidents.November 30, 2022. (Alexandria Macmadu featured)
Washington Post. Desperate covid long-haulers turn to costly, unproven treatments. November 25th 2022. (Francesca Beaudoin featured)
Washington Post. White House touts omicron-specific boosters ahead of feared winter COVID wave. November 22nd 2022. (Francesca Beaudoin featured)
Continuum. Meeting the Moment. November 29th 2022. (William Goedel featured).
US overdose deaths may be peaking, but experts are wary. November 16th 2022. (Brandon Marshall featured)
Providence Business News. Only few overdose incidents require police involvement, new Brown study finds.November 8, 2022. (Alexandria Macmadu featured)
News from Brown. At overdose events, arrests by police and combative behavior are rare, study finds.November, 7, 2022. (Alexandria Macmadu featured)
Roll Call. With overdoses rising, a push for syringe service programs. September 21st 2022. (Brandon Marshall featured)
Providence Business News. Brown initiative breaks down long COVID in the workplace. September 21st 2022. (Francesca Beaudoin featured)
Brown Daily Herald. School of Public Health panel highlights new initiatives, areas of focus September 8th 2022. (William Goedel featured).
WIRED. Three Possible Futures of the Monkeypox Epidemic. August 10th 2022. (William Goedel featured).
The Hill Health officials walk fine line as monkeypox swells within LGBT community. August 7th 2022. (William Goedel featured).
BBC World Service – The Real Story. A New Phase in the COVID pandemic. July 16th 2022. (Abdullah Shihipar featured)
Al Jazeera – The Stream. Why is the racial gap in US drug overdoses widening? July 28th 2022. (Abdullah Shihipar featured)
Providence Business News. Brown initiative tracks risks in local drug supply, public warned of potential harm.June 9th 2022. (Alexandra Collins featured)
Providence Journal. What causes long COVID? Brown University researchers seeks answers for those who suffer. July 1st 2022. (Francesca Beaudoin featured)
Nature. Mega-model predicts US opioid deaths will soon peak. June 1st 2022. (Brandon Marshall featured)
Kaiser Health News. A Needle Exchange Project Modeled on Urban Efforts Aims to Save Lives in Rural Nevada. August 24th 2022. (Brandon Marshall featured)
Kaiser Health News. As Overdoses Soar, More States Decriminalize Fentanyl Testing Strips. May 5th 2022. (Brandon Marshall featured).
Med Page Today. More States Legalize Fentanyl Test Strips. March 28th 2022. (Brandon Marshall featured).
Boston Globe. HIV outbreak among drug users accelerates in Boston. March 17th 2022 (Brandon Marshall featured).
Brown Daily Herald. Antigen testing, explained. February 2nd 2022. (William Goedel, Abdullah Shihipar featured).
ABC News. Experts say the COVID-19 emergency could end this year. What would it look like? January 31st 2022. (Abdullah Shihipar featured).
NBC 10 Boston. Safe Consumption Sites Are Coming to New England This Year. January 19th 2022. (Brandon Marshall featured)
NBC 10 (WJAR). Providence Council holds emergency meeting on mayor’s vaccine mandate. January 14th 2022. (Abdullah Shihipar featured).
WWNO. Louisiana Considered: Young adult vaccination rate lags behind older age groups. November 3rd 2021 (Abdullah Shihipar featured)
New York Times. The Big Question This Thanksgiving: Are You Vaccinated?. November 2nd 2021 (Abdullah Shihipar featured).
APHA (The Nation’s Health). Rhode Island approves nation’s first sites for safe drug injection use. October 2021. (Brandon Marshall featured)
CBC News Network. Requiring family members to be vaccinated in order to be invited to Thanksgiving.October 8th 2021. (Abdullah Shihipar featured)
Global News Toronto. Tough conversations regarding your Thanksgiving guest list. October 8th 2021. (Abdullah Shihipar featured)
CBC News. Anxious about unvaccinated guests at Thanksgiving? Here’s some advice for those difficult discussions. October 5th 2021. (Abdullah Shihipar featured)
ABC News Live. Coverage of harm reduction centers. September 21st 2021. (Brandon Marshall featured)
Boston Globe. Some advocates and experts push back against sheriff’s Mass. and Cass proposal. September 21st 2021. (Alexandra Collins featured)
MedPage Today. A Look at One State’s Pandemic Overdose Deaths Shows Those Most at Risk. September 17th 2021. (Brandon Marshall featured)
The Public’s Radio. Who’s most at risk with the Delta variant in Rhode Island? Hint: It’s a 200,000 person question. August 10th 2021. (William Goedel featured).
Reuters. Special Report: As schools shut down, 911 drug calls for youth skyrocketed. August 13th 2021. (Brandon Marshall featured)
MSNBC – American Voices with Alicia Menendez. How To Reach the Vaccine Holdouts. August 7th 2021. (Abdullah Shihipar featured)
Al Jazeera Newshour. Coverage on 2020 overdose numbers. July 14th 2021. (Brandon Marshall featured)
AP. US overdose deaths hit record 93,000 in pandemic last year. July 14th 2021. (Brandon Marshall featured)
Boston Globe. A government-sanctioned place to inject illicit drugs? It may come first to Sommerville. June 22nd 2021 (Brandon Marshall featured)
Providence Journal. Drug bills signal sea change in RI’s approach to opioid crisis. July 3rd 2021. (Brandon Marshall featured)
WJCL ABC 21. State of Addiction: How COVID-19 has reversed opioid epidemic progress. March 1st 2021. (Brandon Marshall featured)
Mother Jones. Solitary confinement policies could make the prison pandemic worse.Mother Jones. February 19, 2021. (Alexandria Macmadu featured)
Undark. Solitary confinement may worsen Covid-19 transmission in prisons.February 15, 2021. (Alexandria Macmadu featured)