Abigail Winiker

Abigail Winiker, PhD, MSPH, is an Assistant Scientist in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is also the Program Director for the Bloomberg Overdose Prevention Initiative, where she provides expert guidance to states and local decision-makers on evidence-based use of Opioid Settlement Funds. Her interdisciplinary work bridges public health, criminal justice, and community-based research.

• PhD, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (2024)
• MSPH, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health (2018)

Dr. Winiker's research focuses on harm reduction, substance use disorder, opioid use, and drug decriminalization, with a strong emphasis on community-based participatory methods. She investigates barriers to drug treatment, trauma-informed care in primary settings, and resilience among marginalized populations, including people who inject drugs and sexual and gender minorities. Her work often explores the intersection of public health policy and criminal justice reform.

Her recent publications (2023–2025) reveal a strong trend in qualitative research on overdose prevention, telehealth in opioid treatment, and structural barriers to care. Themes include naloxone access, fear of legal consequences among bystanders, and the impact of the pandemic on vulnerable populations. She frequently employs qualitative methods such as thematic analysis and content analysis of digital narratives.

Dr. Winiker is actively engaged in multiple research projects, including the evaluation of supportive housing for transgender women (Casa de Zulma) and resilience among people who inject drugs. She collaborates widely with public health researchers and practitioners across institutions.

She has not received any scientific awards explicitly mentioned in the provided texts.

Dr. Winiker mentors early-career researchers and contributes to policy-relevant research dissemination. She has no named advisees listed. Her work is supported through institutional and initiative-based funding, particularly via the Bloomberg Overdose Prevention Initiative.

She is involved in the Bloomberg Overdose Prevention Initiative, a key research and policy translation effort focused on abatement strategies and evidence-based spending of opioid settlement funds. Her work also includes community-engaged projects with transgender women and people who use drugs.