Dennis Watson
@dpwatson.bsky.social
Senior Research Scientist at Chestnut Health Systems | Behavioral Health Services Researcher | Program Evaluator | Qualitative & Mixed Methods Researcher
📢 Just out: Our special issue on MOUD access & care in Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, co-edited by me & Basia Andraka-Christou. It features research on initiatives funded by major opioid legislation. Read it here: lnkd.in/gEkMu_gb #MOUD #SUD #harmreduction
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
August 4, 2025 at 1:00 PM
📢 Just out: Our special issue on MOUD access & care in Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, co-edited by me & Basia Andraka-Christou. It features research on initiatives funded by major opioid legislation. Read it here: lnkd.in/gEkMu_gb #MOUD #SUD #harmreduction
Reposted by Dennis Watson
🚨 Breaking News | Justice Department Declares DEI Unlawful
The nine-page memo builds on the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs. bit.ly/4l091FL
#HigherEd #EDUSky #AcademicSky
The nine-page memo builds on the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs. bit.ly/4l091FL
#HigherEd #EDUSky #AcademicSky
DOJ Declares Slew of DEI Practices Unlawful in Memo
The nine-page memo builds on the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
bit.ly
July 30, 2025 at 9:22 PM
🚨 Breaking News | Justice Department Declares DEI Unlawful
The nine-page memo builds on the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs. bit.ly/4l091FL
#HigherEd #EDUSky #AcademicSky
The nine-page memo builds on the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs. bit.ly/4l091FL
#HigherEd #EDUSky #AcademicSky
What do we actually know about peer support specialists? This piece dives into the role peer workers play in behavioral health. I'm curious what others are seeing in the field—especially around workforce development.
chestnut.org/about/newsro...
#peersupport #recovery #behavioralhealth
chestnut.org/about/newsro...
#peersupport #recovery #behavioralhealth
What are Peer Support Specialists? What Do We Know About Them?
Most Americans think it’s difficult to find care for substance use issues. In fact, less than one-third of the U.S. population (28%) lives in an area where there are enough mental health professionals...
chestnut.org
July 30, 2025 at 8:03 PM
What do we actually know about peer support specialists? This piece dives into the role peer workers play in behavioral health. I'm curious what others are seeing in the field—especially around workforce development.
chestnut.org/about/newsro...
#peersupport #recovery #behavioralhealth
chestnut.org/about/newsro...
#peersupport #recovery #behavioralhealth
If the plan to use “evidence-based,” practices, the evidence for harm reductioncannot be ignored or pushed to the side.
#HarmReduction #HousingFirst #PublicHealth
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
#HarmReduction #HousingFirst #PublicHealth
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
Ending Crime and Disorder on America's Streets
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose and
www.whitehouse.gov
July 25, 2025 at 10:29 AM
If the plan to use “evidence-based,” practices, the evidence for harm reductioncannot be ignored or pushed to the side.
#HarmReduction #HousingFirst #PublicHealth
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
#HarmReduction #HousingFirst #PublicHealth
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
By labeling behavioral health and homelessness a criminal problem, this order is a harmful distraction: www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
What we’re really dealing with is inequality: lack of housing, healthcare, and support—not “disorder.”
#HarmReduction #HousingFirst #PublicHealth
What we’re really dealing with is inequality: lack of housing, healthcare, and support—not “disorder.”
#HarmReduction #HousingFirst #PublicHealth
Ending Crime and Disorder on America's Streets
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose and
www.whitehouse.gov
July 25, 2025 at 10:22 AM
By labeling behavioral health and homelessness a criminal problem, this order is a harmful distraction: www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
What we’re really dealing with is inequality: lack of housing, healthcare, and support—not “disorder.”
#HarmReduction #HousingFirst #PublicHealth
What we’re really dealing with is inequality: lack of housing, healthcare, and support—not “disorder.”
#HarmReduction #HousingFirst #PublicHealth
Reposted by Dennis Watson
Fitting for today’s cat fight.
June 6, 2025 at 1:02 AM
Fitting for today’s cat fight.
🎙️ Exciting news: Dr. Justin Bell just launched his new podcast Peer International Exchange—exploring behavioral health, community research, and impact.
Now on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/1z8c1wZ...
#peersupport #recovery
Now on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/1z8c1wZ...
#peersupport #recovery
Peer International Exchange
Podcast · Justin S. Bell, PhD · Peer International Exchange (PIE) is a podcast spotlighting the voices of peer support workers and volunteers around the world. Hosted by Dr. Justin Bell, the show expl...
open.spotify.com
May 29, 2025 at 9:55 PM
🎙️ Exciting news: Dr. Justin Bell just launched his new podcast Peer International Exchange—exploring behavioral health, community research, and impact.
Now on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/1z8c1wZ...
#peersupport #recovery
Now on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/1z8c1wZ...
#peersupport #recovery
New pub led by Martha Tillson! 📢 ED-based telehealth peer support didn’t reduce overall revisits—but showed promise for women. Important insights for gender-responsive OUD care.
Read here: doi.org/10.1186/s130...
#OUD #HarmReduction #Telehealth #Peers
Read here: doi.org/10.1186/s130...
#OUD #HarmReduction #Telehealth #Peers
Response to a peer telehealth intervention for emergency department patients presenting with opioid use disorder or unintentional overdose: a stratified interrupted time series analysis - Substance Ab...
Background People in the United States who use opioids frequently use emergency department (ED) services. Some hospitals have begun placing peer recovery support specialists (PRSS) in EDs to support a...
doi.org
May 21, 2025 at 2:15 PM
New pub led by Martha Tillson! 📢 ED-based telehealth peer support didn’t reduce overall revisits—but showed promise for women. Important insights for gender-responsive OUD care.
Read here: doi.org/10.1186/s130...
#OUD #HarmReduction #Telehealth #Peers
Read here: doi.org/10.1186/s130...
#OUD #HarmReduction #Telehealth #Peers
We completed an evaluation of the Cook County Health-Community Health Workers for COVID Response and Resilient Communities (CCH-CCR) Initiative! Funded by the CDC and led by the Cook County Department of Public Health. This brief focuses on #CHW integration.
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
CHW Integration Brief | Dennis Watson
🌟 Building Sustainable CHW Integration: Lessons from Cook County Health's CCH-CCR Initiative 🌟
We are excited to share insights from our latest evaluation of the Cook County Health-Community Healt...
www.linkedin.com
May 7, 2025 at 5:59 PM
We completed an evaluation of the Cook County Health-Community Health Workers for COVID Response and Resilient Communities (CCH-CCR) Initiative! Funded by the CDC and led by the Cook County Department of Public Health. This brief focuses on #CHW integration.
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
🚨 New CBPR Toolkit chapters out now! Created by Lighthouse Institute to support research partnerships with people with lived recovery experience. Free & practical for substance use researchers. More to come—check it out 👉 www.jeapinitiative.org/resources-cb... #CBPR #HarmReduction #Recovery #HEAL
Community-Based Participatory Research - JEAP Initiative
Resources on Community-Based Participatory Research Below are selected resources on the topic of community-based participatory research (CBPR). CBPR is a collaborative research approach that equitably...
www.jeapinitiative.org
May 6, 2025 at 6:50 PM
🚨 New CBPR Toolkit chapters out now! Created by Lighthouse Institute to support research partnerships with people with lived recovery experience. Free & practical for substance use researchers. More to come—check it out 👉 www.jeapinitiative.org/resources-cb... #CBPR #HarmReduction #Recovery #HEAL
The U.S. maternal mortality crisis is already among the worst in the developed world.
Now HHS has fired the very people working to fix it.
This will exacerbate inequities and cost lives.
We need to be investing more—not cutting.
apple.news/ABTwn1M34QcO...
Now HHS has fired the very people working to fix it.
This will exacerbate inequities and cost lives.
We need to be investing more—not cutting.
apple.news/ABTwn1M34QcO...
U.S. maternal mortality rate increased 27% over five years, NIH study finds — STAT
A new U.S. government paper documenting an increase in maternal mortality from 2018 to 2022 does not hedge in its conclusion, calling the issue “an urgent public health priority.” That it was publishe...
apple.news
April 10, 2025 at 10:10 AM
The U.S. maternal mortality crisis is already among the worst in the developed world.
Now HHS has fired the very people working to fix it.
This will exacerbate inequities and cost lives.
We need to be investing more—not cutting.
apple.news/ABTwn1M34QcO...
Now HHS has fired the very people working to fix it.
This will exacerbate inequities and cost lives.
We need to be investing more—not cutting.
apple.news/ABTwn1M34QcO...
Our latest article led by Dr. Bell, "Workforce Outcomes Among Substance Use Peer Supports: A Scoping Review of Individual and Organizational Influences," is now published in Frontiers in Public Health! 🎉
www.frontiersin.org/journals/pub...
#recovery #peers #substanceuse #burnout #workforce
www.frontiersin.org/journals/pub...
#recovery #peers #substanceuse #burnout #workforce
Frontiers | Workforce outcomes among substance use peer supports: a scoping review of individual and organizational influences
www.frontiersin.org
March 12, 2025 at 10:37 AM
Our latest article led by Dr. Bell, "Workforce Outcomes Among Substance Use Peer Supports: A Scoping Review of Individual and Organizational Influences," is now published in Frontiers in Public Health! 🎉
www.frontiersin.org/journals/pub...
#recovery #peers #substanceuse #burnout #workforce
www.frontiersin.org/journals/pub...
#recovery #peers #substanceuse #burnout #workforce
Reposted by Dennis Watson
important point overall, but this has an erroneous citation or a math problem: it claims 50% get evidence-based treatment, the citation says 25%.
New piece from Richard Frank @brookings.edu re. the important role Medicaid plays in curbing overdoses. If Medicaid and Medicaid expansion are cut, hospitals will bear the cost of emergency care & more people will be uninsured. And - overdose deaths will increase. www.brookings.edu/articles/the...
The role of Medicaid in addressing the opioid epidemic
Richard G. Frank reviews the role of Medicaid in treating opioid use disorders and the impacts of policies intended to cut funding.
www.brookings.edu
February 25, 2025 at 11:00 PM
important point overall, but this has an erroneous citation or a math problem: it claims 50% get evidence-based treatment, the citation says 25%.
Excited to share JSAT special issue on Legislative-Driven Responses to the Opioid Crisis, co-edited with Dr. Basia Andraka-Christou.
It examines how laws like CARA & the 21st Century Cures Act shaped OUD care. Grateful to all who made it happen! #AddictionResearch #HarmReduction
It examines how laws like CARA & the 21st Century Cures Act shaped OUD care. Grateful to all who made it happen! #AddictionResearch #HarmReduction
Introduction to the special issue on legislative-driven responses to the opioid crisis: Expanding research and implementation through federal and state funding
This special issue focuses on legislative-driven responses to the opioid crisis in
the United States, emphasizing the expansion of research and implementation through
federal and state funding. Since ...
www.jsatjournal.com
February 20, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Excited to share JSAT special issue on Legislative-Driven Responses to the Opioid Crisis, co-edited with Dr. Basia Andraka-Christou.
It examines how laws like CARA & the 21st Century Cures Act shaped OUD care. Grateful to all who made it happen! #AddictionResearch #HarmReduction
It examines how laws like CARA & the 21st Century Cures Act shaped OUD care. Grateful to all who made it happen! #AddictionResearch #HarmReduction
This cause is close to my heart - please sign: sign.moveon.org/petitions/do...
Don't cut NPR and PBS funding!
Millions of Americans rely on public media for their news and educational programming. In many rural areas in our country, public broadcasting is their main avenue for receiving news, emer...
sign.moveon.org
February 7, 2025 at 9:21 PM
This cause is close to my heart - please sign: sign.moveon.org/petitions/do...
🚨 Research Drop! 🚨 Our study in Substance Use: Research and Treatment shows how question wording can lead to underreported fentanyl use. Better surveys = better data! Read it open access: doi.org/10.1177/2976...
#HarmReduction #Fentanyl #AddictionResearch #PublicHealth
#HarmReduction #Fentanyl #AddictionResearch #PublicHealth
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
doi.org
January 31, 2025 at 12:18 PM
🚨 Research Drop! 🚨 Our study in Substance Use: Research and Treatment shows how question wording can lead to underreported fentanyl use. Better surveys = better data! Read it open access: doi.org/10.1177/2976...
#HarmReduction #Fentanyl #AddictionResearch #PublicHealth
#HarmReduction #Fentanyl #AddictionResearch #PublicHealth
Reposted by Dennis Watson
so, i guess we don't wanna cure cancer or heart disease or any other condition or end the overdose crisis.. or we just don't care about stopping experiments mid-way and basically throwing away millions of dollars???????
More from inside NIH:
Per a source with knowledge, for all internal research (of which there is like $10 billion worth or so), ALL purchasing shut down as of yesterday.
That means gloves, reagents, anything involved with lab work, which means a lot of that work will stop.
Per a source with knowledge, for all internal research (of which there is like $10 billion worth or so), ALL purchasing shut down as of yesterday.
That means gloves, reagents, anything involved with lab work, which means a lot of that work will stop.
January 24, 2025 at 4:42 PM
so, i guess we don't wanna cure cancer or heart disease or any other condition or end the overdose crisis.. or we just don't care about stopping experiments mid-way and basically throwing away millions of dollars???????
Reposted by Dennis Watson
January 25, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Excited to share our new commentary, "Advancing Peer Support Workforce Research: Insights and Recommendations Through the Lens of Professionalization," led by Dr. Justin Bell!
www.jsatjournal.com/article/S294...
#PeerSupport #BehavioralHealth
www.jsatjournal.com/article/S294...
#PeerSupport #BehavioralHealth
Advancing peer support workforce research: Insights and recommendations through the lens of professionalization
Over the past two decades, peer support providers have increasingly formalized their roles in the addiction treatment workforce through credentialing and professionalization efforts. Despite these advancements, misconceptions regarding their professional identity persist and contribute to challenges such as burnout and high turnover. This commentary underscores the importance of viewing the peer workforce as an emerging profession using a lens that has previously been applied to other healthcare service roles.
www.jsatjournal.com
December 27, 2024 at 12:11 PM
Excited to share our new commentary, "Advancing Peer Support Workforce Research: Insights and Recommendations Through the Lens of Professionalization," led by Dr. Justin Bell!
www.jsatjournal.com/article/S294...
#PeerSupport #BehavioralHealth
www.jsatjournal.com/article/S294...
#PeerSupport #BehavioralHealth