Dr. Rachel Vickers-Smith is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology.
Dr. Vickers-Smith is a substance use epidemiologist whose research focuses on identifying and preventing adverse outcomes and harms related to changing patterns in the drug use landscape, particularly among Veterans and rural people who use drugs. Dr. Vickers-Smith's work was among the first to identify gabapentin as an emerging drug of misuse in the US and is cited frequently in studies of gabapentinoids.
Dr. Vickers-Smith uses mixed methods in many of her studies. She is also a strong advocate of interdisciplinary science and regularly collaborates with colleagues in genetics and medicine.
A Kentucky native, Dr. Vickers-Smith is deeply committed to improving the health and well-being of the Commonwealth.
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The University of Kentucky College of Public Health is undergoing a review by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) for re-accreditation. Part of this process includes the invitation to provide third-party comments. Anyone, including students, alumni, employers, community partners, etc., is allowed to share relevant information about the college directly with CEPH. If you would like to provide input to CEPH to inform their review, send your comments to submissions@ceph.org by May 4th, 2025.
