Amanda J. Abraham -

Michael and Caroline Fierman Professor in Public and International Affairs

Amanda J. Abraham, Michael and Caroline Fierman Professor in Public and International Affairs (PhD, Louisiana State University, 2006), specializes in addiction health services research and health policy. Her work focuses on the impact of federal and state policy on the accessibility and quality of substance use disorder treatment, the adoption, diffusion, and implementation of evidence-based practices for substance use disorder treatment, organizational change, and workforce development. She currently serves as principal investigator and co-investigator on numerous federal grants, including a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to examine the association between medical cannabis laws and health care utilization among a nationwide cohort of patients with chronic pain and a grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to examine the relationship between Medicaid managed care benefit design and treatment for alcohol use disorder. Dr. Abraham’s work has been published in top journals, including Health Affairs, JAMA Internal Medicine, JAMA Health Forum, American Journal of Public Health, Health Services Research, Psychiatric Services, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, and Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

Education

Ph.D, Louisiana State University-Baton Rouge, Sociology, 2006
MA, Louisiana State University-Baton Rouge, Sociology, 2004
BA, University of Georgia, Sociology, 1998

Areas of Expertise

Addiction Treatment

Honors, Awards, and Achievements

PADP Professor of the Year, 2022
UGA Creative Research Medal in Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2021
SPIA Faculty Excellence in Research Award, 2020

Research Interests

Health policy; impact of federal and state policy on the accessibility and quality of SUD treatment services; adoption, diffusion and implementation of evidence-based practices for SUD treatment; organizational change; workforce development

Selected Publications

Andrews, C.M., *Westlake, M.M., Abraham, A.J., Grogan, C.M., Harris, S.J., & *Jehan, S. (2024). “Medicaid Managed Care Prior Authorization for Buprenorphine Tied to State Partisanship and Health Plan Profit Status, 2018”. Health Affairs, 40(1), 55-63.

Abraham, A.J., Harris, S.J., & Yarbrough, C.R. (2024) “Introduction of Medicare Coverage in Opioid Treatment Programs: Findings from the First Three Years”. Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment (JSAT), 158, 209247.

*Shoulders, A., Grogan, C.M., *Westlake, M.M., Abraham, A.J., & Andrews, C.M. (2023). “Changes in Medicaid FFS Benefit Design for Substance Use Treatment During the Opioid Crisis, 2014-2021”. JAMA Health Forum, 4(8), e232502.

Andrews, C.M., *Hinds, O.M., Lozano-Rojas, F.A., Besmann, W., Abraham, A.J., Grogan, C.M., & *Silverman, A.F. (2023). “State Funding for Substance Use Disorder Treatment Declined in the Wake of Medicaid Expansion”. Health Affairs, 42(7), 981-990.

Harris, S.J., Yarbrough, C.R., & Abraham, A.J. (2023). “Changes in County-Level Access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder After Medicare Coverage of Methadone Treatment Began”. Health Affairs, 42(7), 991-996.

Harris, S.J., Abraham, A.J., Lozano-Rojas, F.A., *Negaro, S., Andrews, C.M., & Grogan, C.M. (2023). “Allocation of Federal Funding to Address the Opioid Crisis in the Criminal-Legal System”. Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment (JSAT), 150, 209064.

*Steuart, S., Lawler, E., Bagwell Adams, G., *Shone, H., & Abraham, A.J. (2023). “Comparison of Postpartum Opioid Prescriptions Before vs During the COVID-19 Pandemic”. JAMA Network Open, 6(4), e236438-e236438.

Abraham, A.J., & Yarbrough, C.R. (2021). “Availability of Medications for the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder in U.S. Counties, 2016-2019”. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 82(6), 689-699.

Abraham, A.J., Yarbrough, C.R., *Harris, S.J., Bagwell Adams, G., & Andrews, C.M. (2021). “Medicaid Expansion and Availability of Opioid Medications in the Specialty Substance Use Disorder Treatment System”. Psychiatric Services, 72(2), 148-155.

Abraham, A.J., Andrews, C.M., Harris, S.J., *Westlake, M.M. & Grogan, C.M. (2022). “Coverage and Prior Authorization Policies for Medications for Opioid Use Disorder in Medicaid Managed Care”. JAMA Health Forum, 3(11), e224001.

Harris, S.J., Abraham, A.J., & Yarbrough, C.R. (2022). “Availability of Medications for Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment in Medicare Part D, 2014-2018”. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 83(5), 653-661.

Abraham, A.J., Lawler, E.C., *Harris, S.J., Bagwell Adams, G., & Bradford, W.D. (2022). “Spillover of Medicaid Expansion to Prescribing of Opioid Use Disorder Medications in Medicare Part D”. Psychiatric Services, 73(4), 418-424.

*Harris, S.J., Abraham, A.J., Andrews, C.M., & Yarbrough, C.R. (2020). “Despite Opioid Epidemic, Gaps in Access to Medication Treatment for Medicare Enrollees Remain”. Health Affairs, 39(2), 233-237.

Abraham, A.J., Andrews, C.M, *Harris, S.J., & Friedmann, P.D. (2020). “Availability of Medications for the Treatment of Alcohol and Opioid Use Disorder in the USA”. Neurotherapeutics, 17, 55-69.

Grogan, C.M., Bersamira, C.S., Singer, P.M., Pollack, H.A., *Smith, B.T., Andrews, C.M., & Abraham, A.J. (2020). “Are Policy Strategies to Address the Opioid Epidemic Partisan? A View from the States”. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 45(2), 277-309.

Yarbrough, C.R., Abraham, A.J., & Bagwell Adams, G. (2020). “The Relationship of County Opioid Severity to Changes in Access to Substance Use Disorder Treatment (2009-2017)”. Psychiatric Services, 71(1), 12-20.

Abraham, A.J., *Smith, B.T., Andrews, C.M, *Bersamira, C.S., Grogan, C.M., Pollack, H.A., & Friedmann, P.D. (2019). “Changes in State Technical Assistance Priorities and Block Grant Funds for Addiction After ACA Implementation”. American Journal of Public Health, 109(6), 885-891.

Andrews, C.M., Abraham, A.J., Grogan, C.M., *Westlake, M.A., Pollack, H.A., & Friedmann, P.D. (2019). “Impact of Medicaid Restrictions on Availability of Buprenorphine in Addiction Treatment Programs”. American Journal of Public Health, 109(3), 434-436.

Abraham, A.J., Bagwell Adams, G., *Bradford, A.C., & Bradford, W.D. (2019). “County-Level Access to Opioid Use Disorder Medications in Medicare Part D (2010-2015)”. Health Services Research, 54(2), 390-398.

Andrews, C.M., Grogan, C.M., *Smith, B.T., Abraham, A.J., *Westlake, M.A., Pollack, H.A., & Friedmann, P.D. (2018). “Medicaid Benefits for Addiction Treatment Expand After Implementation of the Affordable Care Act”. Health Affairs, 37(8), 1216-1222.

Abraham, A.J., Andrews, C.M., Grogan, C.M., Pollack, H.A., Humphreys, K.N., D’Aunno, T., & Friedmann, P.D. (2018). “State-Targeted Funding and Technical Assistance to Increase Access to Medication Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder”. Psychiatric Services, 69(1), 448-455.

Abraham, A.J., Andrews, C.M., *Yingling, M., & Shannon, J. (2018). “Geographic Disparities in Availability of Opioid Use Disorder Treatment for Medicaid Enrollees”. Health Services Research, 53(1), 389-404.

*Bradford, A.C., Bradford, W.D., Abraham, A.J., & Bagwell Adams, G. (2018). “Association Between US Medical Cannabis Laws and Opioid Prescribing in the Medicare Part D Population”. JAMA Internal Medicine, 178(5), 667-672.

Abraham, A.J., Andrews, C.M., Grogan, C.M., Pollack, H.A., D’Aunno, T., Humphreys, K.N., & Friedmann, P.D. (2017). “The Affordable Care Act Transformation of Substance Use Disorder Treatment”. American Journal of Public Health, 107 (1), 31-32.

Grogan, C.M., Andrews, C.M., Abraham, A.J., Pollack, H.A., *Smith, B., Humphreys, K.N., & Friedmann, P.D. (2016). “Survey Highlights Difference in Medicaid Coverage for Substance Use Treatment and Opioid Use Disorder Medications”. Health Affairs, 35(12), 2289-2296.

Dugosh, K., Abraham, A.J., & Festinger, D.A. (2016). “When Added to Opioid Agonist Treatment, Psychosocial Interventions do not Further Reduce the Use of Illicit Opioids: A Comment on Dugosh et al. Response”. Journal of Addiction Medicine, 10(4), 286.

Andrews, C.M., Abraham, A.J., Grogan, C.M., Pollack, H.A., *Bersamira, C.S., Humphreys, K.N., & Friedmann, P.D. (2015). “Despite Resources From The ACA, Most States Do Little To Help Addiction Treatment Programs Implement Health Care Reform”. Health Affairs, 34(5), 828-835.

Abraham, A.J., Knudsen, H.K., Rieckmann, T.R., & Roman, P.M. (2013). “Disparities in Access to Physicians and Medications for the Treatment of Substance Use Disorders Between Publicly and Privately Funded Treatment Programs in the United States”. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 74, 258-265.

Abraham, A.J., Rieckmann, T.R., McNulty, T., Kovas, A.E., & Roman, P.M. (2011). “Counselor Attitudes Toward the Use of Naltrexone in Substance Abuse Treatment: A Multi-level Modeling Approach”. Addictive Behaviors, 36(6), 576-583.

Abraham, A.J., Knudsen, H.K., & Roman, P.M. (2011). “A Longitudinal Examination of Alcohol Pharmacotherapy Adoption in Substance Use Disorder Treatment Programs: Patterns of Sustainability and Discontinuation”. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 72(4), 669-677.

Abraham, A.J., *O’Brien, L., Bride, B.E., & Roman, P.M. (2011). “HIV/AIDS Services in Private Substance Abuse Treatment Programs”. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 115, 16-22.

Abraham, A.J., & Roman, P.M. (2010). “Early Adoption of Injectable Naltrexone for Alcohol-Use Disorders: Findings in the Private-Treatment Sector”. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 71, 460-466.

Ducharme, L.J., & Abraham, A.J. (2008). “State Policy Influence on the Early Diffusion of Buprenorphine in Community Treatment Programs”. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention & Policy, 3,17.