Integrating Special Populations in Research
With our expertise in community engagement, social determinants of health, and population health data resources, NJ ACTS can help you integrate special populations into your research study design, research team, and as participants in your health research studies.
Our goal is to provide researchers with technical support in the use of powerful data resources; build research teams focused on specific special populations; strengthen partnerships with stakeholders including state health and environmental agencies; and bring researchers together across NJ ACTS with a shared focus and expertise in a full range of research strategies for optimizing their study.
We aim to enhance and facilitate use of linked data resources to expand clinical and translational research on special populations through integration of diverse databases, building on strong prior work in the linkage of large administrative, exposure, clinical and outcome data. A listing of data resources is available below.
Who are Special Populations?
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2025 Seminar Series
| Date | Speaker | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 5/13/25 12-1 |
Danya Qato, PharmD, MPH, PhD | TBD |
2024 Seminar Series
| Date | Speaker | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 11/19/24 Postponed |
Sabrina Smiley, PhD |
TBD |
| 9/24/24 |
Angela Moreland, PhD |
Peer Support Specialists: Integration in the ED and Feedback from Peers View Flyer |
| 4/30/24 1 – 2 pm |
Julie Robison, PhD |
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Hospice Use Among Medicaid-Only and Dual Eligible Decedents Watch on YouTube |
| 4/16/24 12 – 2 pm |
Charles J. Neighbors, PhD, MBA |
NYU-HEAL: Academic Public-Partnership to Improve Quality of Care for People with Substance Use Disorders Watch on YouTube |
| 3/27/2024 12 – 1 pm |
Daniel Myran, MD, MPH, CCFP, FRCPC |
Changes in Healthcare Visits Due to Cannabis Use Following Legalization of Non-medical Cannabis in Canada Watch on YouTube |
| 2/27/2024 |
Corrie McDaniel, DO FAAP |
The Changing Landscape in Access to Care for Children Hospitalized in Non-Children’s Hospitals and the Resulting Impact to Care for Children in Rural Communities Watch on YouTube |
2023 Seminar Videos
| Date | Speaker | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 12/5/23 12-1 pm |
Dr. Ji Chang |
Substance Use Disorder Program Availability in Safety-Net and Non–Safety-Net Hospitals in the US Watch on youTube |
| 11/28/23 1-2 pm |
Pia Mauro, PhD |
Alcohol and Tobacco Use among Older Adults in the US: A Lifecourse Perspective |
| 10/31/23 1 -2 pm |
Cynthia Santos, MD |
Improving Pain Strategies in the Emergency Department |
| 9/26/23 1 – 2 pm |
Sarah Pachman, PhD |
The Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study and Opportunities to Study Multiple Dimensions of Health
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| 6/13/23 12 – 1 pm |
S. Matthew Liao, PhD |
The Role of Confidence in the Hard Problem of Addiction |
| 5/24/23 1 – 2 pm |
Nathan Link, PhD |
Incarceration, Health, and the Life Course |
| 4/25/23 1 – 2 pm |
Kristen Krause, PhD, MPH |
The Role of Resilience in Addressing Biopsychosocial and Neurocognitive Health Outcomes in Older Adults Living with HIV/AIDS |
| 3/21/23 12 – 1 pm |
Jonathan Cantor, PhD |
Patterns in Geographic Distribution of Substance Use Disorder Treatment Facilities in the US and Accepted Forms of Payment From 2010 to 2021 |
| 2/28/23 1 – 2 pm |
Elizabeth Suarez, PhD, MPH |
Treating pregnant patients with opioid use disorder |
| 1/31/23 12 – 1 pm |
Greta Bushnell, PhD, MSPH Rutgers School of Public Health Jim Lloyd, JD, MPP Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers |
Advancing Patient Safety for Antipsychotic-Treated Children: Examining State Implementation of Safe Use Practices |
2022 Seminar Videos
| Date | Speaker | Title and Video |
|---|---|---|
| December 6, 2022 | Elissa Kozlov, PhD Rutgers School of Public Health |
mHealth Psychotherapy Studies with Older Adults Watch on YouTube |
| November 15, 2022 | Chelsea L. Shover, PhD UCLA School of Medicine |
Epidemiological Surveillance of Fatal Overdose in the U.S. Using Pooled Medical Examiner Watch on YouTube |
| October 25, 2022 | Sam Trejo, PhD Princeton University |
What Makes Us Unequal? Understanding Disagreement Regarding Genes and Social Inequality Watch on YouTube |
| Sept. 13, 2022 | Coleman Drake, PhD University of Pittsburgh |
Geographic access to medical cannabis dispensaries, cannabis use, and mental health Watch on YouTube |
| June 14, 2022 | Katie Devine, PhD, MPH Rutgers Cancer Institute of NJ |
Using technology to engage Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) cancer survivors in health interventions Video Coming Soon! Watch on YouTube |
| May 10, 2022 | Joseph V. Penn, MD, CHP, FAPA | Special Populations Behind Bars and Razor Wire: Correctional Psychiatry Challenges and Opportunities Watch on YouTube |
| April 12, 2022 | Katherine (Kait) Hirchak, PhD | Re-Centering Evidence-Based Treatments Among Indigenous Communities Watch on YouTube |
| March 8, 2022 | Shobha Swaminathan, MD Christie Lyn Costanza, MPH, BSN, RN Jamir Tuten, BA |
Engaging Underserved Communities in Clinical Trials Watch on YouTube |
| February 8, 2022 | Brandon D. L. Marshall, PhD | Supervised Consumption Sites and Overdose Prevention in the United States: Possibilities, Prospects, and Challenges Watch on YouTube |
| February 1, 2022 | Megan Schumann Patti Verbanas |
Working with the News Media Watch on YouTube |
2021 Seminar Videos
| November 9, 2021 | Dr. Michele Pato Dr. Carlos Pato |
Large Scale Population Studies Focused on Serious Mental Illness and Disparities View YouTube Video |
| November 1, 2021 | Dr. Olga Jarrin | Theory, Methods, and Data Resources for Research on Mitigation of Structural Racism and Discrimination in Health Care and Social Policy View YouTube Video |
| October 12, 2021 | Dr. Soko Setoguchi Dr. Jennifer Miles Dr. Bonnie Qin (CINJ) |
Environmental Determinants of Health: Exploring Medicare Outcomes Using Area-Level Data View YouTube Video |
| October 5, 2021 | Dr. Nir Eyal |
COVID Vaccine Prioritization in Low- and Middle Income Countries May Justifiably Depart from High-Income Countries Age Priorities View YouTube Video |
| September 21, 2021 | Dr. Dalton Conley | Using Genetics to Do Social Science: Inside the Social Genomics Revolution View YouTube Video |
| July 13, 2021 | Dr. Hillary Samples | Prescription Opioid Treatment and Risk of Adverse Opioid-Related Outcomes Among Individuals with Chronic Pain View YouTube Video |
| May 11, 2021 | Peter Treitler, MSW Rusty Reeves, MD |
Medications for Opioid Use Disorder and Peer Health Navigation for Persons Leaving NJ State Prisons and Returning to the Community – Early Findings View YouTube Video |
| April 16, 2021 | Dr. Qiana Brown | Cannabis Use and Perceived Risk of Use Among Pregnant Women in the U.S. View YouTube Video |
| February 16, 2021 | Dr. Panos Georgopoulos | Modeling COVID-19 Dynamics and Patterns Across New Jersey View YouTube Video |
Special Populations Data Resources
IFH Survey/Data Core Holdings |
Available Now | Available Soon |
| National Data Sources | ||
| 45-state Medicaid Analytic eXtract (MAX)(retired for TAF) | 2001-2014 | |
| 45-state Medicaid Analytic eXtract (TAF) | 2013-2016 | 2017-2018 Yearly Updates |
| Medicare, Parts A/B/D 20% | 2007-2018 | 2019 Yearly Updates |
| Medicare 100% (*MBSF, MedPAR, OASIS, Home Health & Hospice) | 2013-2016 | 2017-2019 Yearly Updates |
| Market Scan | 1996-2018 | Yearly Updates |
| International Data Sources | ||
| Clinical Practice Research Datalink (UK) | 1986- | Yearly Updates |
| Local Data Sources | ||
| New Jersey Based Data | Varies | Varies |
| Other Databases | ||
| First Databank MedKnowledge | 2017-2018 |
Request a Consultation
Investigators, research team members, trainees and community members can request a consultation from the Integrating Special Populations team by contacting Hannah Pomales.
Leadership Team
Stephen Crystal, Ph.D.
Lead
Dr. Crystal is Board of Governors Professor in the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research and the School of Social Work. At the Institute, he directs the Center for Health Services Research on Pharmacotherapy, Chronic Disease Management, and Outcomes, whose programs include the AHRQ-funded Center for Education and Research on Mental Health Therapeutics. To read more about Dr. Crystal.
Dalton Conley, Ph.D.
Co-Lead
Dr. Conley is the Henry Putnam University Professor in Sociology and a faculty affiliate at the Office of Population Research and the Center for Health and Wellbeing at Princeton University. He is also a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, a faculty affiliate at the New York Genome Center, and in a pro bono capacity he serves as Dean of Health Sciences for the University of the People. Conley’s scholarship has primarily dealt with the intergenerational transmission of socioeconomic and health status from parents to children. To read more about Dr. Conley.
Olga Jarrín Montaner, Ph.D., R.N.
Co-Lead
Dr. Jarrín joined the Rutgers School of Nursing faculty in 2016 after completing postdoctoral fellowships in Gerontology and Health Services Research at the University of Pennsylvania. She directs the Community Health and Aging Outcomes Laboratory and leads a five-year, $1 million study — funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) – on the effectiveness of home health care for older adults and people living with chronic illness. To read more about Dr. Jarrin.
Panos Georgopolous, PhD
Co-Lead
Dr. Georgopoulos is Professor of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at Rutgers University – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He is also a member of the Graduate Faculties of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and of Environmental Sciences at Rutgers University, and a member of the Rutgers Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI). To read more about Dr. Georgopoulos.
Rusty Reeves, M.D.
Co-Lead
Dr. Reeves is the Director of Psychiatry at Rutgers – University Correctional Health Care, an organization within Rutgers University that provides the medical and mental health care to New Jersey’s state prisoners. Dr. Reeves created and directs the forensic psychiatry fellowship within the Department of Psychiatry at Rutgers University – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Dr. Reeves is a Professor within the Department of Psychiatry at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, specializing in correctional psychiatry.