Caleb Banta-Green PhD, MPH, MSW
Dr. Banta-Green is the director of the UW Center for Community-Engaged Drug Education, Epidemiology and Research (CEDEER) at ADAI, Acting Professor at the UW Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute, and mentors graduate students at the UW School of Public Health. His main area of research is substance use disorders involving opioids and stimulants and interventions to support recovery and reduce substance-related harms. He is particularly interested in developing interventions that are accessible to all people, including those who are most marginalized, such as those who are unhoused, utilizing harm reduction services, or in the criminal legal system. He provides technical assistance and evaluation services for public health and safety interventions including the website http://stopoverdose.org, and information for the general public and professionals about effective treatments at http://learnabouttreatment.org.
Dr. Banta-Green is an epidemiologist and reports drug trends across WA State, with data available online http://adai.uw.edu/wadata/, has been the Seattle area representative to the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s drug epidemiology work group since 2001, and partners with state and local agencies on drug epidemiology tracking and reporting.
Dr. Banta-Green has an MSW, an MPH, and a PhD in Health Services Research from the School of Public Health, all from the UW. He serves on several local, state, and federal workgroups and committees related to epidemiology, policy, and interventions for those who use illicit substances. He is a member of the U.S. Health and Human Service’s Interdepartmental Substance Use Disorders Coordinating Committee. He served as senior science advisor for the Office of National Drug Control Policy in the Executive Office of the President in 2012.
Dr. Banta-Green is interviewed regularly by local and national news media about substance use, drug trends, and effective interventions.
Titles
Acting Professor, Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, UW School of Medicine
Director, Center for Community-Engaged Drug Education, Epidemiology and Research (CEDEER)
Education
PhD, Public Health, University of Washington
MPH, Public Health, University of Washington
MSW, Social Work, University of Washington
BA, Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz
Research Interests
- Drug treatment outcomes — impact of access to treatment and drug use characteristics
- Public health law research
- Opioid overdose prevention and intervention — individual and community level
- Health services research — linked state health, health care utilization and arrest data
- Testing new models of community based care for people who use illicit substances
- Epidemiological measures of drug use in rural and urban settings
- Development of novel drug epidemiology tools
- Drug-caused morbidity and mortality, e.g., infectious disease, drug overdoses
- Youth use of opioids and stimulants
Honors
Washington State Public Health Leadership Award, 2016. The award was presented by Washington Secretary of Health John Wiesman acknowledging Banta-Green as “a leader who turns data into action,” “collaborates and builds bridges,” and “understands equity and health disparities.” Photo: Wiesman, Banta-Green, and State Health Officer Kathy Lofy.
- Public Health-Seattle & King County: Enhancing the Field Award, 2006
- Friend of Pharmacy Award, Washington State Pharmacy Association, 2017
- Community Connector Award, WA State Recovery Help Line, 2018
Activities
- Senior Science Advisor, Office of National Drug Control Policy, Executive Office of the President, July-December 2012.
- Numerous interviews for news organizations on selected topics of expertise
- Technical Editor, Assessing Drug Abuse Within and Across Communities, Community Epidemiology Surveillance Networks on Drug Abuse (2nd Edition), NIDA, 2006. (pub. no. 06-3614)
- Reviewer, American Journal of Public Health (2010-present); Addiction (2010-present); Drug and Alcohol Dependence (2008-present); Clinical Journal of Pain, (2008-present); Environmental Science & Technology (2007-present); Contemporary Clinical Trials (2009)
News
- Fentanyl Epidemic Townhall, March 23, 6pm (in-person & virtual)
- ADAI in the News: Dr. Caleb Banta-Green on Over-the-Counter Naloxone and Low-Barrier Treatment
- Care Navigation at Harm Reduction Programs: Community-Based “Meds First” Buprenorphine Program Preliminary Data
- ADAI in the News: High THC Concentration Products (Bia Carlini) and Safer Smoking Kits (Caleb Banta-Green)
- ADAI in the News: How to Keep Loved Ones Safe from Fentanyl (NY Times)
Research & Other Projects
Drug Information and Education
Status: current
Washington State Opioid Response (SOR) Grant
Status: current
Drug Abuse Epidemiology Reporting Project
Status: current
King County Opioid Treatment Access Program (KCOTAP)
Status: current
Olympia Bupe Clinic Evaluation
Status: completed
Recovery Café Evaluation
Status: completed
Prescription Drug Overdose Prevention for States
Status: completed
Prescription Opioid Misuse in a Large HMO
Status: completed
Toxicology Lab Data Epidemiology
Status: completed
Long-Term Opioid Management of Chronic Pain: Trends and Risks
Status: completed
Quantitative Drug Surveillance System Development
Status: completed
Developing Overdose Prevention Programs for Washington State
Status: completed
Drugged Driving Information Service
Status: completed