About this webinar:

The PROVIDENT project was a statewide study in Rhode Island to determine whether neighbourhood-level forecasting could predict and prevent overdose deaths. The study team developed a spatial machine learning model to forecast future overdose deaths. These predictions were then embedded in a randomised trial to measure the effect of proactive resource allocation on statewide overdose rates. This webinar will discuss trial findings and share insights from qualitative research with harm reduction community organisation staff who use these predictions to guide their outreach efforts and resource allocation decisions.

About the speaker:

Dr Brandon Marshall is the Royce Family Professor of Teaching Excellence in Epidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Health. He is also founding director of the People, Place & Health Collective at Brown University. He received a PhD in epidemiology from the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia. In 2011, he completed postdoctoral training at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

Dr. Marshall focuses on substance use epidemiology, with a specific emphasis on harm reduction research and overdose prevention. His team evaluates programs and policies that aim to improve the health and well-being of people who use drugs. He has published more than 400 scientific publications and three book chapters. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the 2019 Early Career Public Health Research Award from the Association of Schools & Programs of Public Health.

He has served on numerous task forces to address the nation’s overdose crisis. Dr. Marshall also serves as chair of the Rhode Island Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee and is an expert advisor to the state’s Overdose Prevention & Intervention Task Force.