معرفی
Dr. Spruha Joshi is an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. A social epidemiologist, she focuses her research on the overdose crisis and cannabis legalization, with an overarching goal of reducing health disparities tied to drug policy. She teaches graduate-level courses on substance-use epidemiology and advanced epidemiologic methods.
Education
- PhD in Epidemiology, University of Minnesota, 2020
- MPH in Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 2012
- BS in Psychology, Stony Brook University, 2010
- Postdoctoral Fellowship, Center of Opioid Epidemiology and Policy, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Research Interests
Dr. Joshi’s work sits at the intersection of social epidemiology, legal epidemiology, and substance-use policy. She investigates how rapidly evolving cannabis laws and overdose-related policies shape population health, with a sharp focus on health equity. Her projects examine downstream effects on racial disparities in the criminal legal system, mental-health outcomes, and substance-use patterns.
Publication Trends
Across more than twenty peer-reviewed articles since 2016, Dr. Joshi has consistently explored three overlapping domains: (1) the public-health impacts of cannabis legalization, (2) the role of policy in mitigating or exacerbating the overdose crisis, and (3) racial and social equity in substance-use enforcement. Her 2023 JAMA Psychiatry paper on Oregon’s drug-possession law changes exemplifies her use of natural-experiment designs to evaluate policy effects on fatal overdoses.
Scientific Recognition
While explicit awards are not listed in the provided material, Dr. Joshi’s publications in high-impact journals such as JAMA Psychiatry, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, and International Journal of Drug Policy underscore her scholarly influence.
Teaching & Mentorship
Dr. Joshi currently instructs:
- EPID688: Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Use: People, Populations, and Policies (3 credits, Winter)
- EPID824: Advanced Epidemiologic Methods (3 credits, Winter)
Both courses emphasize causal inference, policy evaluation, and methodological rigor in substance-use epidemiology.
Labs & Teams
Though no specific laboratory name is provided, her affiliation with the University of Michigan School of Public Health places her within a rich ecosystem of interdisciplinary research centers, including the Public Health IDEAS initiatives and the Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation.
