Martha Tillson, PhD

Martha Tillson is a sociologist by training and an Assistant Research Professor in the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Department of Behavioral Science, and Center on Drug and Alcohol Research. Her research centers on individuals’ experiences of substance use/misuse and related risks, with a focus on factors and services that support harm reduction and recovery, particularly interventions leveraging the expertise of peer recovery support specialists (PRSS). Dr. Tillson has contributed to several projects focused on substance use services and supports for individuals with criminal legal system involvement, including the NIDA-funded Justice Community Overdose Innovation Network (JCOIN Phases I and II) and an ongoing statewide evaluation of corrections-based substance use treatment programming (the Criminal Justice Kentucky Treatment Outcome Study, CJKTOS). Her recent work in collaboration with recovery community centers focuses on stigma related to medications for the treatment of opioid use disorder, intersectional substance use stigma, and development of harm reduction materials for use by PRSS. This work is motivated and informed by her academic background in psychology and social work, desire to reduce stigma and drug-related harms, and lived experience.