Jennifer R. Havens, PhD, MPH

(PhD (Epidemiology) Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2004
MPH  Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2001)

CDAR 915B South Limestone
Lexington, KY 40536-9824
Phone: (859) 323-6553
e-mail: jennifer.havens@uky.edu

Research Description

Dr. Havens is an epidemiologist with an appointment in the Center on Drug and Alcohol Research. Her primary research interests include the epidemiology of prescription opioid abuse in rural Appalachia, the comorbidity of substance and mental disorders, and HIV and other infectious complications of drug use.

2008 Accomplishments

In 2008, Dr. Havens was awarded an R01 from NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse titled “HIV and social networks among rural drug users”.  The purpose of this line of research is to examine the prevalence, incidence and risk factors for HIV and other blood borne infections such as herpes simplex-2 virus (HSV-2) and hepatitis C (HCV) among rural drug users using social network analysis and multilevel modeling.  Since receiving the Notice of Grant award in April, 2008, they have established a storefront location in Hazard, KY, hired a study director and two interviewers and began recruiting participants.  For the year 2008, Dr. Havens published eight manuscripts, of which she was the primary author on one. She also has ten manuscripts that have been accepted for publication and are forthcoming in 2009 of which she was the primary author on four.  Finally, she has an additional first author manuscript under review.  Dr. Havens gave an oral presentation and was the session chair at the College on the Problems on Drug Dependence (CPDD) annual meeting and was a co-author on an additional four poster presentations.  She was also selected for an Early Career Investigator award from CPDD and was chosen to be a Health Disparities Scholar by the NIH.  In addition, she served on the Membership Committee for CPDD and co-authored a poster presented at the American Public Health Association annual meeting.  Also in 2008, she reviewed manuscripts for Drug and Alcohol Dependence, AIDS, Addiction, Journal of Urban Health, Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, and Advances in Pain Management.

Research Funding

Current
R01 DA024598 (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
Social networks and HIV among rural drug users
Role:  Principal Investigator

R01 DA022967 (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
African American Female Drug Users: HIV, Health Disparities, & Criminality
Role:  Co-Investigator (Oser, PI)

5U01DA016205-04 – National Institute on Drug Abuse
CJ-DATS
Role:  Co-Investigator (Leukefeld, PI)

Representative Publications

Havens JR, Strathdee SA, Fuller C, Ikeda R, Friedman SR, Des Jarlais DC, Morse P, Bailey S, Kerndt P, Garfein R.  Correlates of Attempted Suicide Among Young Injection Drug Users.  Drug and Alcohol Dependence 2004; 75(3):  261-69.

Havens JR, Talbert J, Walker R, Leedham C, Burnette C, and Leukefeld CG.  Trends in OxyContin Prescribing among Medicaid Recipients in Kentucky, 1998 – 2002.  Journal of Rural Health 2006; 22(3),276-8.

Havens JR, Walker R, and Leukefeld CG.  Prevalence of Opioid Analgesic Injection among Rural Nonmedical Opioid Analgesic Users.  Drug and Alcohol Dependence; 2007; 87(1): 98-102.

Havens JR, Cornelius LJ, Ricketts EP, Latkin CA, Bishai D, Lloyd JJ, Huettner S and Strathdee SA.  The effect of a case management intervention on drug treatment entry among treatment-seeking injection drug users with and without comorbid antisocial personality disorder.  Journal of Urban Health 2007; 84(2), 267-71.

Havens JR, Oser CB, Leukefeld CG, Webster JM, Martin SS, O’Connell DJ, Surratt HL, and Inciardi JA.  Differences in Prevalence of Prescription Opiate Misuse among Rural and Urban Probationers.  American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse; 2007, 33(2), 309-317.

Havens JR, Oser CB and Leukefeld CG.  Increasing prevalence of prescription opiate misuse over time among rural probationers.  Journal of Opioid Management; 2007, 3(2), 107-112.