April M. Young, PhD, MPH

April M. Young, PhD is a Professor in the University of Kentucky Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health and the Center on Drug and Alcohol Research. Dr. Young’s research focuses primarily on substance use and related harms in rural communities. She has been conducting substance use research in rural Appalachian Kentucky for more than ten years. She has authored and co-authored more than 90 publications, nearly all of which are on topics related to substance use, HIV, hepatitis C, overdose, and sexually transmitted infections. She has also led or co-led six studies funded by the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Young also leads the Community Engagement team for the HEALing Communities Study in Kentucky, an ambitious initiative to reduce opioid related overdose deaths in sixteen Kentucky counties.