Ricky Bluthenthal

Ricky Bluthenthal is a Distinguished Professor and Interim Chair in the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California. He holds a PhD in Sociology from UC Berkeley and has dedicated his career to addressing HIV risk reduction, substance use, and health disparities through harm reduction strategies.

• Education: BA in History and Sociology (UC Santa Cruz), MA and PhD in Sociology (UC Berkeley)

His research focuses include syringe exchange programs, cannabis legalization impacts, health policy implementation, and the effects of housing displacement on marginalized populations. Recent studies examine opioid withdrawal dynamics, moral economies in drug markets, and structural barriers to healthcare access.

Key research areas span substance use epidemiology, harm reduction, public health policy, and social determinants of health. His work often employs mixed methods, emphasizing community-based participatory research and implementation science.

Dr. Bluthenthal serves on editorial boards for the International Journal of Drug Policy and Drug and Alcohol Dependence. He has secured multiple NIH grants for studies on injection initiation prevention, cannabis-opioid interactions, and supportive housing effectiveness during the pandemic.

His recent publications highlight trends in fentanyl transition, material hardship among unhoused individuals, and adaptations in medication-assisted treatment due to synthetic opioids. The work frequently intersects with health justice and critiques of punitive systems.