Martha Tillson

Martha Tillson is a Research Scientist at the University of Kentucky's Center on Drug and Alcohol Research and a trainee in the NIDA-funded JEAP Initiative. She holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Kentucky, with interdisciplinary expertise in psychology and social work. Her research focuses on women's gendered experiences of substance use/misuse, recovery support services, and barriers to reentry post-incarceration. She investigates interventions to reduce stigma, harm, and recidivism among marginalized populations.

Her work emphasizes rural Appalachian communities, examining intersections of substance use, criminal justice systems, and healthcare access. Key projects include peer navigation programs for opioid use disorder (OUD) and telehealth strategies to link justice-involved women to treatment. She collaborates with the Substance Use Priority Research Area at UK and has contributed to initiatives like the Kentucky Women’s Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN).

Publications highlight factors influencing overdose risks, injection drug use, and reentry outcomes. Her research underscores the need for gender-specific, community-based interventions to address systemic inequities in healthcare and criminal justice systems.