Meredith Meacham

Meredith Meacham, PhD, MPH is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine, with affiliation to the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences. Her research focuses on substance use disorders, particularly cannabis use patterns and digital health interventions.

Education:

• Postdoctoral Fellowship (2018) in Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Services Research and Digital Health at UCSF
• PhD (2015) in Global Public Health from UC San Diego/San Diego State University
• MPH (2009) in Public Health Genetics from University of Washington
• AB (2005) in Political Science and Pre-Medicine from University of Chicago
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Training (2021) from University of California

Dr. Meacham's research centers on substance use disorders with a particular emphasis on cannabis use patterns, digital health interventions, and social media analysis for public health research. Her work utilizes ecological momentary assessment, computational social science methods, and qualitative approaches to understand real-time substance use behaviors and develop effective interventions. She has made significant contributions to understanding cannabis use patterns among young adults, the role of social media in substance use research, and the intersection of housing instability and substance use.

Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on leveraging digital platforms like Reddit to analyze substance use patterns, develop assessment tools like the Reddit cannabis subjective highness rating scale, and explore emerging trends in cannabis and opioid use. Her research shows a consistent methodological approach combining digital epidemiology with traditional public health research methods.

Scientific Awards:

• College on Problems of Drug Dependence 2018 Early Career Investigator Award
• University of California Los Angeles 2015 Center for Advancing Longitudinal Drug Abuse Research Travel Award
• National Institute on Drug Abuse 2015 NIDA Director's Travel Award
• University of California San Diego 2013 Center for Iberian and Latin American Studies Travel Grant to Brazil
• U.S. Department of State 2006-2007 Fulbright Fellowship to the European Union/Portugal

Dr. Meacham serves as Principal Investigator for the NIH-funded project "Using Digital Tools to Understand Contexts and Consequences of High-THC Cannabis Use" (K01DA046697, 2019-2024). Her work bridges the gap between digital health technologies and traditional substance use disorder treatment, with a particular focus on developing and testing social media-based interventions for tobacco and cannabis use. She collaborates extensively with researchers at UCSF and other institutions on substance use research.

Her research has implications for developing more effective, accessible interventions for substance use disorders that leverage digital platforms and understand the contextual factors influencing substance use behaviors in real-world settings.