Ryan Assaf, PhD, MPH

@ki_endoepi Congratulations, Kosuke!! What an amazing achievement and very well deserved!!!

Honored to receive the Young Scientist Award 2025 from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan!

@gabegabeyeah Thank you for sharing our work, Gabe! @gabegabeyeah

@ki_endoepi @JAMA_current Thank you, Kosuke! @ki_endoepi

@RyanDAssaf @JAMA_current Great work!! Big congratulations, @RyanDAssaf!

We have a new paper in @JAMA_current on substance use in people experiencing homelessness, from the largest representative study of people experiencing homelessness since the 1990s jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/…

Thank you to an incredible authorship team, Margot Kushel, Meghan Morris, Elana Straus, Priest Martinez, and Morgan Philbin @ucsfbhhi

Recommendations: 1. Prioritizing housing is an important first step 2. Increasing access to treatment that reaches people experiencing homelessness while minimizing barriers to treatment is critical 3. Increasing access to naloxone is important to prevent fatal overdose deaths

Take home: 1. Meth is the most common reported drug 2. Their are barriers for people experiencing homelessness to access treatment 3. Naloxone possession, a life-saving medication, is low

4. Many people have survived an overdose -20% have experienced an overdose in their lifetime -10% experienced an overdose during this current episode of homelessness 25% of people currently carried naloxone, a medication to reverse an overdose

3. There is a high unmet need for substance use treatment -21% of people who used drugs at least 3 times a week reported currently wanting treatment but were not able to access it -This was higher for people who used opioids (37%)

2. About a quarter started using drugs at least 3 times a week after becoming homeless for the first time -42% used before becoming homeless -25% never used at all Drug use may increase the risk of experiencing homelessness, but homelessness increases the risk of substance use

Key findings: 1. 37% used illicit drugs at least 3 times a week -Most common drug= methamphetamine (33%) -10% used opioids (most people who used opioids also used meth) -Small % using cocaine/crack cocaine (3%)

Out today in @JAMAInternalMed: We find #violence against people experiencing #homelessness is 30x ⬆️ than what the general public experiences each year. We analyze factors associated with this violence and implications for practice & policy. @MKushel @ucsfbhhi @ucsfdgimzsfg

Most people experiencing homelessness in California do so in unsheltered settings. Join us to learn about unsheltered homelessness and best practices for decreasing it! 🗓️ Sept 25 | 12-1PM PDT homelessness.ucsf.edu/calendar/unshe…

⛺️In CA, 78% of people experiencing homelessness live unsheltered, facing severe health risks and violence. 🔖Today, we released a brief and two resources to help communities across the nation resolve this crisis. homelessness.ucsf.edu/Unsheltered (1/4)

Sharing an Op-Ed I wrote on the need for housing-related services that support/meet the needs of LGBTQ+ youth and young adults, especially in the face of increasingly draconian policies 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @TheOpEdProject @UCSF @ucsfbhhi #lgtbiaq

New report on older adults experiencing homelessness by @ucsfbhhi Nearly half of all adults experiencing homelessness in California are 50 years old or older They face poor health & trauma, with many spending most nights unsheltered Read more: homelessness.ucsf.edu/AgingCAreport

@DrRitaHamad @ucsfbhhi @Magda_Cerda @sandrogalea Thank you @DrRitaHamad! I learned a lot working with you and am grateful for your mentorship!! It is great to see this paper out there.

New op-ed: Adding Middle Eastern or North African on the U.S. Census provides critical benefits newsweek.com/adding-middle-… Published in @Newsweek in collaboration with @ucsfbhhi and @theopedproject Proud to be a #PublicVoices Fellow

Less people living in states with more intense COVID-19 policies shared cannabis joints/blunts/paraphernalia compared to those in states with less intense policies. Our new paper in Harm Reduction Journal: link.springer.com/article/10.118… @BMCMedicine @zivacooper @oacarah @DrRitaHamad

Time is running out to apply to our next #postdoctoral cohort! This 2-yr role is a great way for doctoral #grads to grow their research experience & career. ⏰Apply by Feb 28, 2024: homelessness.ucsf.edu/education/post… #PostdocJobs #ResearchFellowships #Policy