معرفی
Aukje Lamonica serves as Professor and Internship Coordinator in the Department of Public Health at Southern Connecticut State University's School of Health and Human Services. Her academic profile centers on public health education and behavioral research with specialized expertise in addiction studies, particularly focusing on vulnerable populations including suburban women and mothers experiencing substance use disorders.
Her research program critically examines the social determinants of addiction through qualitative methodologies, investigating opioid and methamphetamine use patterns, harm reduction strategies, and the impact of social policies on marginalized communities. Key themes include the intersection of criminal justice involvement with maternal health, social capital dynamics in recovery, and the lived experiences of people who use drugs, with consistent emphasis on translating findings into practical public health interventions.
Recent publications (2020-2025) demonstrate escalating focus on the opioid crisis among suburban mothers, analyzing treatment barriers during the pandemic, overdose circumstances, and child separation consequences. Her work consistently employs ethnographic approaches to document structural vulnerabilities while advocating for trauma-informed, gender-responsive care systems that address socioeconomic barriers to recovery.
She has secured internal university funding including a $1,000 SCSU grant (2013) for developing online school health education courses. Her scholarly engagement includes extensive conference presentations at major sociological and public health forums where she addresses qualitative methodology applications in addiction research and technology-enhanced pedagogy.
