In the News: Alexandra Punch

Limiting supply of the drug alone will not solve the crisis, says Alexandra Punch, director of the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health. "What we're looking to solve is the mortality issue," she says. "I don't think we're going to solve the demand issue, because people are just going to find something different to use."

A new $2.52 million gift to the Lerner Center and the Forever Orange Campaign from Helaine Lerner will help amplify the impact of the center’s work to educate, inspire and empower a new generation of advocates for public health.

“Social media works a lot like any other type of addictive drug,” says Alexandra Punch, director of the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health. “When you utilize these services, it triggers dopamine responses and serotonin responses in the brain, so it also increases your craving for more of that same thing.”

Supported by a $1.2 million federal grant, they will evaluate the effectiveness of treatment and recovery services for those who’ve been incarcerated.

Alexandra Punch has taken the helm as director of the renamed Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health. Her appointment in July coincided with the addition of “population health” to the center’s title. 

This issue brief advocates for the implementation of safe consumption sites across the U.S. and calls for the revocation of the Crack House Statute to reduce the risks related to drug use and drug use mortality.

Drowning is the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury-related death in the world for all age groups, with one third of fatal and nonfatal drownings occurring with the hours of 4pm and 8pm. This data slice gives helpful advice on how to stay safe while cooling off.

Shannon Monnat, the Lerner Chair for Public Health Promotion, has received a grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation for her project, which is designed to improve education for health care providers concerning Plans of Safe Care (POSC) for mothers with addiction and for babies who suffered opioid exposure prior to their birth. 

A group comprised of four researchers — representing the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and the Maxwell X Lab — will receive approximately $500,000 over three years in support of their research on different opioid court treatment interventions across New York State. 

This issue brief explains the concept of harm reduction, describes various types of programs that fall under the harm reduction model, and discusses the promises these approaches hold for helping to combat the current opioid crisis.