معرفی
Dr. April Young is a Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Kentucky's College of Public Health and a Faculty Associate with the Center on Drug and Alcohol Research. Her work focuses on substance use research, particularly in rural Kentucky, addressing opioid-related harms, infectious disease transmission, and HIV prevention. She leads federally funded studies on innovative recruitment methods for drug users and interventions to reduce overdose deaths, such as the HEALing Communities Study funded by an $87M grant. Dr. Young is dedicated to mentoring students and teaching courses on infectious disease epidemiology, global health, and the opioid crisis.
Her research spans rural Appalachia and international settings like the Philippines and Kenya. Key areas include syringe reuse, harm reduction strategies, and healthcare access barriers among marginalized populations. Awards include the 2023 APHA Public Health Practice Award for the CARE2HOPE project. She collaborates with communities to develop evidence-based interventions and has contributed to over 100 peer-reviewed publications.
